Church institutionalizes Latino tradition of quinceañera

[AlphaCentauri]

Quinceañeras have been a custom among Hispanics since pre-Columbian days, when indigenous tribes in South America inducted young women into the community on their 15th birthdays. Over time, this rite of passage has evolved into the kind of lavish ceremony one might associate with a debutante ball.
The Roman Catholic Church recently has taken steps to institutionalize the ceremony by introducing a prayer book especially for quinceañeras. The Order for the Blessing on the Fifteenth Birthday, available in English and Spanish, is a collection of prayers and benedictions specifically designed to "honor the Latino cultural heritage" and "encourage young women to renew their baptismal commitment," according to the book, published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Streamlining the ceremony was no easy task. Because quinceañeras are not considered sacraments, no official ritual book exists. Priests are free to tailor the ceremonies according to the family's requests or their own ideas about what is appropriate.

It took a committee of 10 bishops, priests, nuns and laypeople, representing Cuba and Spain, almost a decade to reach consensus on the prayer book, which consists of Scripture readings, blessings and prayers, said Sister Doris Turek of the Conference. Although a similar book was published in 1976, this is the first to be approved by the Vatican.

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/2009/03/11/20090311quinceanera-book0311-ON.html

[msongs]

1. of course these "books" will be FREE, no cost, and no benefit to the church nt

[chaplainM]

2. Leaked Quinceañera prayer

"O, Lord, we beseech thee, please guide and protect your faithful daughter <insert name here>, as she passes from innocent and nubile priest-bait, and embarks upon her new role in Your church as a young woman who knows better than to spread wild and unsubstatiated tales about what went on in the rectory, Amen."

[rug]

3. Stupid post of the day.

Next time post a Jack Chick link. At least he has cartoons.

[chaplainM]

4. Hey, I did my best.

Spanish is, obviously, not my native tongue.

[struggle4progress]

5. The USCCB approved a rite with the same name in 2007:

... Bendición al Cumplir Qunice Años/Order for the Blessing on the Fifteenth Birthday: In August, 2007, the USCCB received approval for the Bendición al Cumplir Qunice Años/Order for the Blessing on the Fifteenth Birthday. The full text of the approved rite can be found at:
http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/Quinceanera.pdf . Any questions regarding this rite should be directed to the Office for Worship ...
via: http://www.stocktondiocese.org/english/liturgy/index.html

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

6. Big in Brazil too, obviously not with the same name. And totally secular too.

I've yet to see a "festa de 15 anos" where any religious manifestation was commissioned.

[TechBear_Seattle]

7. The "totally secular" is why the Church is attempting to co-opt it

Christianity has been very good about stealing ideas from the pagan and secular worlds, co-opting them and then whining loudly about how the heathen have descecrated ancient Christian traditions. As always, it is all about control.