What Catholic service may accompany a traditional quinceañera as a thanksgiving ceremony?

A Catholic service that may accompany a traditional quinceañera is the Misa de acción de gracias, or Thanksgiving Mass.

The service gives the family an opportunity to express gratitude for the celebrant’s life and to ask for guidance as she enters a new stage. Depending on local practice, the quinceañera may be formally presented, receive a blessing, and participate in readings or prayers. The exact liturgy is determined by the parish and the family’s religious customs.

This service is distinct from the reception. A quinceañera may include both a church ceremony and a later celebration with food, music, and dancing, but neither part is universally required. Secular families may hold only a party, while some religious families give the Mass the central role.

The Spanish phrase is often translated as “Mass of thanksgiving.” It should not be confused with a wedding Mass: the quinceañera marks a cultural coming-of-age tradition, not marriage.