(OSV News) — Ornate ball gowns. Father-daughter waltzes. Carefully choreographed dances. Elaborate floral arrangements. Grand entrances and lavish receptions. These are among the time-honored traditions of the quinceañera, a celebration observed across many Latin American countries that marks a young woman’s passage into adulthood.

But Carmen Chávez-López, a Hispanic instructor coordinator at Agape Catholic Ministries — a Colorado-based organization that provides online Catholic ministry programs — has learned to look beyond the festivities and customs surrounding a quinceañera. Through her work facilitating Quince Prep Leader Training, she has come to recognize a deeper longing among young Hispanic Catholic women. 

“They are in need of a family, of a community, of a church that welcomes her identity, welcomes really who they are,” she told OSV News. “They are young women. It’s okay to have a beautiful dress, to have a beautiful celebration but … in the very deep of their hearts, they are really looking for something else.”

Offering something more

The program’s origins date back to 2011, when a need for faith formation among young Hispanic women preparing for their quinceañeras inspired the creation of an online course.

Chávez-López recalled that the initiative began with a California priest who was already using Agape Catholic Ministries’ marriage preparation program in his parish, which served a large Hispanic community. As more parents approached him requesting quinceañera Masses for their daughters, the priest saw an opportunity to offer families something beyond the celebration itself.

“He wanted to offer more than the celebration,” Chávez-López recalled. He also wanted to give young women the opportunity to deepen their faith through meaningful formation.

“So in many ways … the quinceañera preparation program was born from a need to serve. A priest saw a pastoral need in his community, he reached out to us and that request became the beginning of a program that has accompanied a lot of young women and their families,” she said.

The program, offered in English and Spanish, provides spiritual and moral formation for young women through mentor-led sessions that help participants “explore their Catholic identity, discover their unique calling, and prepare for adult Christian living while celebrating this beautiful milestone in their faith journey”.?

Accompaniment in faith

According to the organization’s website, their materials (the Catholic Quince Preparation Notebook and Catholic Quince Preparation Leader’s manual) have received the imprimatur of Bishop Michael J. Sheridan when he was bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs in 2020. Bishop Sheridan passed away in 2022.

Accompaniment is central to the program’s approach to faith formation. Rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church and St. John Paul II‘s Theology of the Body (adapted for teens), the age-appropriate classes invite young women to explore deeply personal subjects, including identity, conscience, relationships, chastity and the dignity of the human person.

Chávez-López explained that Quince Prep Leader Training was launched in 2014 to prepare parish and diocesan leaders to facilitate quinceañera ministries in their own parishes, equipping them not only with the knowledge to guide young women but also with the tools to accompany them on their journey of faith.

Chávez-López emphasized that a mentor’s role extends far beyond teaching or imparting information. It means listening with compassion, walking alongside young women during a formative moment in their lives and helping them discover that a quinceañera can open a door to deepen their faith and find a sense of belonging in the Church.

“We want to create a space where young women feel safe enough to ask honest questions, questions that they don’t ask sometimes, sadly, to their parents or to priests or catechists, and feel confident enough to discover the truth about who they are and the beautiful plan God has for their lives,” Chávez-López said.

A loving encounter with God

Leaders complete the Quince Prep Leader Training entirely online over three months. But for Chávez-López, what makes a good leader goes beyond completing the coursework or mastering its content: it is the ability to lead by example. Rather than simply teaching the faith, leaders are called to embody it, allowing their own witness to help young women encounter the loving presence of Christ.

Ultimately, the ministry seeks to help young women discover who they are, recognize the purpose of their creation and discern where God may be calling them. 

“More than anything, we hope she’ll go away knowing that she was created out of love and for love,” Chávez-López said. “We want her to discover that God has a beautiful plan for her life and that whatever circumstances she may encounter along the way, His love and mercy are always there for her.”

Maria del Pilar Guzman writes for OSV News from Boston.