As she sat primly under a portrait of the Virgin Mary, 15-year-old Angelica Arroyo's silver tiara glistened against the gold-plated altar of La Placita Church on historic Olvera Street. When Father Richard Estrada handed her a calligraphy-adorned certificate, the church erupted in applause: Angelica had completed her quinceañera.
"To me it's a very special moment because she's my only daughter," said Arroyo's mother, Maria Soto, outside the church. "She didn't want to do it, but I told her to keep the tradition."
FOR THE RECORD
Quinceaneras: An article in Monday's Section A about steps taken by the Roman Catholic Church to institutionalize quinceaneras by introducing a prayer book said that the church allows the ceremony to be performed by an unordained minister called a deacon. Deacons in the Catholic Church are ordained. The article also said that the church suggests that this version of the ceremony begin with a passage from Jeremiah, in which God asks Mary to carry his child. The passage refers to God asking Jeremiah to be a prophet.
Quinceañeras have been a custom among Latinos 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 has recently 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. Though a similar book was published in 1976, this is the first to be approved by the Vatican.
"By encouraging the text, we're trying to strengthen the religious aspect," Turek said. "As more Hispanics are arriving in the diocese, it became obvious that this ceremony was going to continue."
The committee took special care to mold the text, plucking benedictions and prayers that underscore the special role of women in the church. The process was painstaking, Turek said, but resulted in a book that speaks directly to the girls.
