Bishops issue ritual book for ‘quinceanera’ celebrations

WASHINGTON (CNS)—”Quinceanera,” the coming-of-age celebration for girls turning 15 years old, has long been a tradition in Latino families in the United States and a number of Spanish-speaking countries as a rite of passage from childhood to adolescence. The custom expresses thanksgiving to God for the gift of life and asks for a blessing for the years ahead. On Sept. 19 the U.S. bishops published the bilingual “Order of the Blessing on the Fifteenth Birthday,” designed to help U.S. communities celebrate this ritual within and outside Mass, according to an announcement on its release. In a statement Jesuit Father Allan Deck, executive director of the USCCB’s Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church, emphasized the importance of developing a ritual that “helps Latino Catholics celebrate their cultural heritage and build new bridges to other Catholics in their communities.” The “quinceanera” ritual book may be ordered online at usccbpublishing.org.