The quinceañera is a traditional celebration of life and gratitude to God on the occasion of the fifteenth birthday of a young woman. The ritual emphasizes her passage from childhood to adulthood. Because the family usually requests the blessing of the Church in recognition of this event, preparation for this blessing is usually aligned with the young girl's preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
To this end, the local clergy discourages Catholic families from organizing quinceañeras which do not involve the family's active participation in the faith and life of their local Catholic church.
The tribes of Meso-America, possibly the Mayas and Toltecs, celebrated elaborate rites of passage for their young men and women. Rites of passage are known to have existed in the Iberian Peninsula as well. The Spanish conquistadores may have brought the practice to Meso-America. It is possible that the missionaries would have approved of this practice since these rites closely paralleled Christian practices of initiation and marriage.
Young women who are part of our parish community, already attending Sunday Mass at St. Margaret's and committed to their Catholic faith formation through the parish are invited to present themselves before the Church community for this special blessing at the Mass of the Vigil of Pentecost or during other feast days of the Blessed Virgin.
In the presence of the Church, family, and friends, the young woman (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.
The young girl's own parish priest or deacon has a key role. Because he already knows the young woman and her family, he is the one who represents her parish community and the Church. He prays the blessing over the young woman.
We receive many requests from families who attend other parishes in the area to use St. Margaret's to celebrate their Quinceañera. Unfortunately, because of the limited availability of the church for our own events and services, we always encourage those who are not parishioners to celebrate their Quinceañera through their own parish community.