Among several Spanish-speaking countries and among many Hispanics in the United States there is the custom of celebrating the passage from childhood to adolescence with a ritual that expresses thanksgiving to God for the gift of life and that asks for a blessing from God for the years ahead.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Order for the Blessing on the Fifteenth Birthday

The Thanksgiving Mass for Quince años (when a girls turns 15 years old) are celebrated at Holy Family Church for girls in our parish Confirmation program to help them grow in faith and a sense of gratitude to God. This document provides information about scheduling a Mass of Thanksgiving for quinceañeras and planning the celebration in the church.

Please note: The manner of celebrating quinceañeras in the United States is governed by the Bendición al cumplir quince años / Order for the Blessing on the Fifteenth Birthday, approved for use by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and subsequently confirmed by the Apostolic See by decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (the Vatican department delegated by the Pope to supervise liturgical and devotional matters).

Scheduling the Mass of Thanksgiving for Quinceañeras

Scheduling a quince años Mass begins with a meeting with the Pastor. The quinceañera candidate must be registered in the parish and the Confirmation program. Please note: It is expected that parents have their children baptized as infants, receive First Eucharist, and be confirmed in tenth grade or have gone through the RCIA process. So the expectation is that Catholic parents of a ninth- or tenth-grade girl has already been baptized and received her First Eucharist and presently enrolled in preparation for Confirmation.

Please note: Priests are assigned to preside at quinceañera services according to their availability. Please take note: The Mass of Thanksgiving for quince años are scheduled for Saturdays 10 a.m. or Saturdays at 12 p.m.

Scheduled Quince años thanksgiving Mass

 The presider is a priest. Includes –

  • Processional
  • Liturgy of the Word: The quinceañera may choose one or two readers – one reader for the First Reading (Jeremiah 1:4-10) and one reader for the General Intercessions. The text for these will be provided in a binder placed on the ambo on the day of the Thanksgiving Mass but also can be given to the readers so they can practice.
  • Liturgy of the Eucharist: The quinceañera may choose two persons to bring forward the giftsof bread and wine at the Presentation of Gifts. A few other persons may accompany the two bringing forward the gifts (if, for example, a particular family/group will bring forward the gifts). The two persons carrying the bread and wine should be old enough to carry these items easily.
  • After Communion, the quinceañera, her parents and padrinos de honor are invited into the center of the sanctuary for the special quince años rituals:

-The quinceañera is invited to make “An Act of Thanksgiving and of Personal Commitment to Lead a Christian Life.”

  • Optional: The quinceañera may take a flower or a bouquet of flowers to the statue of the Blessed Mother (accompanied by music ministry).
  • Optional: The priest may invite the padrinos (godparents) to bring religious articles to be given to the quinceañera, such as a medal, a Bible, a rosary, and other religious objects (which will be blessed by the priest). Then the padrinos give the blessed objects to the quinceañera.
  • The priest then blesses the quinceañera with a special quinceañera blessing.
  • Recessional

Please also note: Some families retain a professional event coordinator to help plan and orchestrate a quince años celebration (e.g., arranging for reception sites, caterers, florists, photographers, limousine companies, etc.). However, in terms of everything having to do with the quinceañera’s Mass at the church, the quinceañera’s parents must deal directly with the parish staff (receptionists, church coordinator, etc.). In addition, although professional event coordinators are always welcome in our church to worship and may attend Thanksgiving Mass for quince años as guests, they are to have absolutely no role anywhere on the parish property either in the planning of a Thanksgiving Mass for quince años or the Thanksgiving Mass for quince años itself.

Rehearsal

 Rehearsals for the quince años Mass usually occur sometime the week before the Thanksgiving Mass celebration. Parish staff will contact the quinceañera’s parents to schedule the rehearsal. It is essential that as many participants in the Thanksgiving Mass attend the rehearsal – the more Mass participants who attend the rehearsal, the smoother and better the Thanksgiving Mass will be.

Importance of Beginning at the Scheduled Starting Time

Because our church calendar is often packed with back-to-back services, it is imperative that the quinceañera and her attendants be at the church 30 minutes before the scheduled starting time and be ready to begin precisely at the scheduled starting time. If any essential participants in the Mass service are late and the starting time has to be delayed, the presiding priest may, in his sole discretion, delete different parts of the Thanksgiving Mass so as to complete the mass on time.

Processional

 The processional in a specially-scheduled quince años celebration (the opening procession from the vestibule up the center aisle) includes the following, in this order:

  1. Damas, chambelanes and/or padrinos
  2. Padrinos de honor (or if the padrinos de honor accompany the quinceañera in the procession, the parents of the quinceañera may process here)
  3. Altar server(s)
  4. The quinceañera accompanied by one or two adults (her parents or padrinos de honor or any combination thereof, as long as it is one or two adults)
  5. The priest

The quinceañera, her parents and padrinos de honor are seated in the front pew on the north side of the nave (the main body of the church), while the damas, chambelanes and/or padrinos (court) are seated in the front pew(s) on the south side of the nave.

“An Act of Thanksgiving and of Personal Commitment to Lead a Christian Life” by the Quinceañera

 During the special quinceañera’s rituals, the quinceañera is invited to make “An Act of Thanks- giving and of Personal Commitment to Lead a Christian Life.” The text for this will be provided on a card on the day of the Thanksgiving Mass for quince años.

Recessional

 Following the final blessing and dismissal in a Thanksgiving Mass for quince años, the following process out of the church down the center aisle, in this order:

  1. The quinceañera, accompanied either by her chambelán de honor or by her one or two accom- panying adults
  2. Parents and/or padrinos de honor
  3. Damas, chambelanes and/or padrinos

Dress Code for Quince años CelebrationsCocktail dresses, party dresses and other dresses that are revealing and immodest are always in- appropriate. Keep in mind the following recommendation for anyone participating in a quince años celebration, including the quinceañera herself, her dama(s), her mother, and her madrina(s). In particular, dresses for those participating in a quince años celebration –

  • May not be above the knee.
  • May not be strapless or backless.
  • May not be transparent.
  • Must have a modest neckline (no showing of cleavage).

Photography and Videography

 Our church is sacred space, consecrated for celebration of the sacraments, worship and prayer. Photographers and videographers hired for quince años celebrations in the church are required to conduct themselves accordingly, in a reverential and respectful manner. Following are the re- quirements for photographers and videographers at a quince años celebration:

-The quinceañera and her attendants are required to be at the church 30 minutes before the scheduled starting time and ready to begin precisely at the scheduled starting time. This must be taken into account when scheduling any photographs to be taken prior to the Thanksgiving Mass for quince años (whether at home, outside the church or elsewhere). Pre-ceremony, posed photographs, if any, should be kept to a minimum so that the quinceañera and her attendants can fo- cus on being punctual.

  • Photographers and videographers should arrive at the church at least 30 minutes before the Mass and report immediately to the church coordinator for direction.
  • Photographers and videographers are ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITED from entering into the sanctuary area during the Mass of Thanksgiving for quince años. Photographers and videogra- phers also are ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITED from going up into the choir loft at the back of the church at any time. Rule of thumb: If you have to step up to go somewhere, you are not supposed to be there.
  • Photographers and videographers are never to position themselves in such a way (1) that the pathway of any quinceañera participant would be blocked in any way (including during the processional and recessional) or (2) that the view of anyone attending the quinceañera’s cele- bration would be blocked in any In particular, during the Mass, photographers and videographers are not to go into the area between the front pews of the nave (the main body ofthe church) and the first step of the sanctuary. In addition, photographers and videographers are NEVER to stop the flow and forward movement of the processional or recessional to set up or pose a photo.
  • Photographers and videographers should make themselves as inconspicuous as possible AT ALL TIMES. This means minimizing movement during the mass ceremony so as not to dis- tract those in attendance from the prayer and worship.
  • Posed, post-ceremony photographs may be taken in the church but must be completed 15 minutes after the completion of the ceremony. Posed photographs may be taken anytime out- side of the church.
  • The photographer and/or videographer also should be directed to this document, so that he or she is well advised and well informed of these requirements.

Flowers

 Our church is large, ornate and well decorated that any additional flowers purchased for a quinceañera’s celebration are easily lost and might not even be noticed by many guests. For this reason, it is recommended that additional flowers not be purchased for Mass of Thanksgiving for quince años celebrations.

However, if special flower arrangements are to be purchased for the quinceañera’s celebration in the church, following are the requirements:

  • Because the setup time for a Mass is only the 30 minutes prior to the service, floral arrange- ments for the church should be planned and designed so that they easily can be placed by the florist in 15 minutes or less. (This allows another 15 minutes for the florist to deliver and co- ordinate bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, etc.)
  • The florist should arrive at the church at least 30 minutes before the quince años service and report immediately to the church coordinator for direction.
  • Only two flower arrangements may be placed in the sanctuary, on pillars provided by the parish and placed on either side of the Each pillar is 40 inches tall and has a top surface area that is square with a diameter of 12 inches. (The church coordinator will show the florist exactly where these arrangements may be placed.) Because the ministers must be able to move around the sanctuary without obstacles, each flower arrangement in the sanctuary must be no larger than 40 inches high and 30 inches wide.
  • Flower arrangements to be placed upon the pews must be simple, easily placed, and easily re- moved within 10 minutes after the quinceañera’s mass. Pew decorations must HANG from the pew ends – NO tape or tacks. There are to be NO ribbon swags or aisle
  • Because the center aisle must be clear for the processional and recessional, and because of fire safety regulations, no free-standing flower arrangements are to be placed in the aisles.
  • NO candles may be used in any flower arrangements, and NO candelabra may be used.
  • The flowers, plants and other decorative elements placed by the parish Environment Committee are NOT to be touched or moved in any
  • Sometimes a quinceañera’s family and/or padrinos desire to donate the flowers to the church, to be placed somewhere in the church or outside. This is laudable and appreciated. The church coordinator will receive such donations of flowers and place them appropriately according to the existing decorations in the church and the particular season.

If you have any question please contact Deyanira Vega. Thank you.

 Quinceañera Coordinator

            Deyanira Vega…………..……………………………………………626/799-8908

Music

Andrew Reed (Music Director)…………………………………………….626/403-6124

Church Fees- Check payable to “Holy Family Church”

 Holy Family Parishioners (registered for one year or more)…………………………………$1,300.00
Includes church fee, presider, music, and quinceañera coordinator. (A $150.00, non refundable, quinceañera preparation paperwork fee is due at initial meeting; the balance of the fee to be paid at the time your quinceañera date is confirmed)

 *TOTAL FEES: $1,380.00

 *Altar Servers…………………………………………………………$80.00 (2 servers @ $40.00 each)**

**Paid in cash in an envelope at rehearsal

  

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