Rite for Quinceañera

Confirmation of the Rite for Quinceañera

On July 10, 2007, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments confirmed the Spanish and English texts of the USCCB blessing for a young woman who has reached her fifteenth year, commonly called the Quinceañera. This rite, a part of the Book of Blessings and the Bendicional, to be published by the USCCB in the near future, may be found at this link (PDF). On July 26, 2007, Bishop William S. Skylstad, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued the following decree.

This ritual, the first confirmed edition of the Quinceañera, is popularly celebrated in several Spanish-speaking countries. A celebration of the passage of a young woman from childhood to adolescence, the rite expresses thanksgiving to God for the gift of life and asks for God's continued blessings of the young woman for years to come. Adaptations of the rite are provided for celebrations within or outside of Mass.

A commentary on the rite was published in the December, 2004 edition of the BCL Newsletter (pages 52-55) and is available online.

The BCL also published 15 Questions on the Quinceañera.