The Hispanic communities in the United States continue to express their Christian faith through different rituals and practices that are culturally meaningful to them and one such ritual is the celebration of Quince Años.
Since the celebration of QUINCE ANOS is not a Sacrament but a sacramental, no specific norms or guidelines are given officially by the Church. We ask Our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe, to bless in a special way those young persons and their parents and sponsors who seek to express publicly their gratitude for those precious gifts of life and to commit themselves personally to lead a true Christian life.
There are a number of customary elements in the religious aspect of the ritual that lend themselves to a deeper faith encounter and commitment. As a religious event the rite should be seen as primarily an act of thanksgiving. Because life is a precious gift from God, Latinos have a deep gratitude for it and consider it sacred. A young woman’s life is particularly sacred because now she too is potentially capable of giving life. In this way she also raises the question of cultural survival and provides an opportunity for Latinos to celebrate their life and culture as well.
The time of preparation for this particular celebration offers a teachable moment to grow deeper in faith, hope, and love and to discover the riches of culture and of liturgy.