Quinceañeras

Why a Quinceañera?
The quinceañera is a traditional celebration of life and gratitude to God on the occasion of the fifteenth birthday of a young Hispanic woman. The ritual emphasizes her passage from childhood to adulthood. The family usually requests a Mass or a blessing to be held in the Church.
In the presence of family and friends, the young woman (the quinceañera), often accompanied by fifteen young men and women of her choice, (damas y chambelanes), enters the Church in procession, together with her parents and godparents. If she has prepared the readings, she may serve as the lector for at least one of the readings. After the Liturgy of the Word, the quinceañera makes a commitment to God and the Blessed Virgin to live out the rest of her life according to the teachings of Christ and the Church by renewing her Baptismal promises. A special blessing of the quinceañera concludes the Liturgy of the Eucharist. After Mass, the young woman is presented to the community.

An Order for the Blessing on the Fifteenth Birthday was approved by the full body of U.S. Bishops and received the recognitio from the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. This is the Quinceañera ritual approved for use in the dioceses of the United States of America in 2007.

The parents, in coming to the parish Church seeking the blessing, acknowledge that their daughter has reached the age where she is capable of handling additional responsibility. They see the quince años Mass as a way to thank God for the blessing of their daughter’s life and to seek God’s blessing and guidance as she enters adulthood. The extended family, (grandparents, godparents, aunts, uncles and cousins) is usually present, to celebrate with the quinceañera.

For more information, please visit the U.S. Bishop's Website: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and-sacramentals/sacramentals-blessings/quinceanera/

For our parish policy on celebrating quinceañeras, please click the link on the right.