What comes to mind when you think of a quinceañera? Perhaps it’s the elegant, billowing dresses, or a lavish fiesta with festive music. But diocesan parishes and ministries are striving to instill an element of the sacred into the coming-of-age tradition with special blessings and Masses, evangelizing families along the way.
Quinceañeras: a history
A quinceañera celebrates a girl’s 15th birthday, honoring her transition from childhood to womanhood. The tradition has its roots in Aztec and other indigenous cultures, marking the end of puberty and celebrating a girl’s potential for motherhood. After the arrival of Spanish colonizers and missionaries nearly 500 years ago, the pagan rituals were transformed, according to Joel de Loera, executive director of the Arlington diocese’s Hispanic Apostolate.
In the case of quinceañeras, the pagan rituals were replaced by a Mass and elements from Spanish court traditions, including the large, hooped dresses. “There’s pretty clear evidence that it started in Mexico, and eventually spread throughout the entire Latin American continent, Central and South America,” and made its way to the U.S., de Loera said.
Modern quinceañeras include a “court of honor” of the girl’s female friends and their male escorts. The court may perform a choreographed dance with the birthday girl, who is also called the quinceañera. Other traditions include “the last doll,” where the quinceañera receives and gives away a doll, representing her last childhood toy, and “the first heels,” where she dons a pair of high heels representing womanhood, according to de Loera.
But in the modern age, quinceañera celebrations have begun to lose their religious significance, de Loera said. “There’s always been this tension between the religious aspect of the quinceañera and the secular, more mundane aspect of the quinceañera,” he said. “It can quickly devolve into something foreign to what the purpose of this celebration is supposed to be about.”
Parishes evangelize
Many diocesan parishes are counteracting the secularization of the quinceañeras by offering special blessings or Masses. Among these parishes are All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas, Precious Blood Church in Culpeper, St. James Church in Falls Church, Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church in Sterling, St. Anthony of Padua Church in Falls Church, St. Rita Church in Alexandria, St. Philip Church in Falls Church, Queen of Apostles Church in Alexandria, and Holy Family Church in Dale City.
Each parish celebrates the quinceañera differently. At Christ the Redeemer, priests offer quinceañera blessings on Sundays to those who ask in advance. “We’ll have any girl who wants to receive the quinceañera blessing come forward at the end of Sunday Mass,” said Father John Paul Heisler, parochial vicar. “Sometimes, they’ll come in their ceremonial dress.” After Mass, the quinceañera recites a prayer before her family and friends, and the priest gives her a blessing.
But parishes report that some families who request quinceañera blessings do not regularly practice the faith or are not parishioners. “We get a lot of requests from outside (parish boundaries),” said Diana Neri, administrative assistant for the Hispanic ministry at All Saints. This year, All Saints has 22 blessings scheduled. “We have a lot of quinceañeras,” Neri said.
To engage families who have fallen away, most parishes require that the family be registered parishioners, active in parish life and regularly attend Sunday Mass. In most cases, the quinceañera must have received the sacraments of baptism, holy Communion and confirmation, or be enrolled in confirmation classes. Neri said that these guidelines help ensure that families remain active in the faith and parish life: “They want God’s blessing for this next phase of their lives, for their daughters’ lives.”
Precious Blood is one of the few parishes that offer a full quinceañera Mass for practicing parishioners. Perla Castillo, one of the parish’s quinceañera coordinators, compared it to a wedding Mass, beginning with a procession of the quinceañera’s friends, followed by the quinceañera in her ceremonial dress and her parents. At the end of the Mass, the quinceañera presents a bouquet to Mary and makes a Marian consecration. “I tell her, ‘This is your time with the Virgin Mary,’ ” Castillo said, adding that she encourages the quinceañeras to thank Mary for her intercession in their lives.
The quinceañera blessings and Masses have helped evangelize in multiple ways. Father Heisler said that he’s even witnessed parents who were not married in the church decide to convalidate their marriage after their daughter’s blessing. “It’s sometimes a good opportunity for evangelization, for going deeper in the faith,” he said.
Quinceañeras on retreat
Most parishes also require the quinceañeras and their parents to attend a retreat, run by the diocesan Hispanic Apostolate at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington. De Loera said attendees come from diverse backgrounds including El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela.
Hispanic Young Adult Ministry Committee Coordinator Diana Gomez said the retreat is significant for not only the young women but also their parents. “This is a day for them to connect with their daughters,” she said.
The retreats begin with a talk on the quinceañera tradition, distinguishing the religious significance from secular expectations. A young adult then delivers a testimonial on her faith journey during her teen years. Another talk follows on developing a relationship with Our Lady. Gomez said that while Hispanic young women often grow up surrounded by Marian imagery, or wear Marian medals, many don’t have a personal relationship with her.
Mid-morning, volunteers separate the girls and their parents, and give them materials to write letters of love and appreciation for each other, which they exchange later in the afternoon.
Following lunch, de Loera delivers a talk on developing boundaries with young men and dating, touching on themes of St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.
De Loera said he reminds the girls that as they enter womanhood, they must hold themselves to a higher standard. He also encourages them to develop their relationship with God. “We need to rediscover the beauty of who we are in God to adequately respond to his invitation to love,” he said.
A priest offers Eucharistic adoration and confessions for the quinceañeras. Following benediction, the girls and their parents share their experiences from the day, describing what talks resonated with them.
“I’ve heard numerous testimonies that through this retreat, through this experience, (families) came back to the Lord,” de Loera said. “I think that it’s a powerful evangelization tool.”
Blessing in action
But what does a formal quinceañera blessing look like?
At a Sept. 26 blessing at All Saints, quinceañera Angelina Martinez arrived at the parish chapel dressed in an elegant, hooped red and black dress, surrounded by members of her court and family. The hourlong liturgy, celebrated by All Saints parochial vicar Father Eugene Lukong in Spanish, included readings from Jeremiah 1:4-10 and Luke 11:27-28.
In his homily, Father Lukong encouraged Martinez to stay strong in her identity. “The world can make you think your worth depends on likes, followers, popularity or your achievements,” he said. “Do not believe it. Your worth does not come from likes, followers, your appearance or what others think of you. You are a beloved daughter of God. Never forget that.”
Martinez then offered a prayer before those gathered, promising to live out her faith and requesting guidance along the way. Father Lukong sprinkled her with holy water and prayed a blessing over her.
Martinez’s mother, Juana Gutierrez, wiped away tears during the liturgy. “I give thanks to God because she’s a good girl, and above all (hope) that she takes God’s laws to heart and loves the church. That’s very important,” she said.
Martinez described all the congratulations she had received so far as “a blessing.” Reflecting on the milestone celebration, she said, “It’s also such a big part of the culture for every Hispanic. I’m really blessed today.”
Catholic Herald Intern Isabella Ubillus contributed to this report. Donofrio can be reached at anna.donofrio@catholicherald.com.
