Coming of Age.

Byline: Susan Palmer The Register-Guard

Ana Laticia de Cabrera smiled at her charges, a teenage girl and seven young men standing just outside the chapel at St. Mary Catholic Church.

Cabrera, a former nun from Mexico now married and living in Eugene, knows something they don't yet grasp: The future of this little corner of the planet rides, in part at least, on their shoulders.

The occasion: a rehearsal for the quinceanera, the 15th birthday celebration of Karen Castro, a recent immigrant from El Salvador. Latinos take this birthday seriously and have built a rite of passage around it that dates back hundreds of years.

Cabrera helps Father Ted Prentice, who officiates at the quinceanera Mass, assisting families with the rehearsal and translating when communications break down.

At Castro's recent rehearsal, Cabrera encouraged the young men, who take on the role of guardians - chambelanes in Spanish - to stay focused, to move through the chapel in a straight line and to look straight ahead. Her unspoken message: This is serious business, so don't kid around.

Her stage directions for Castro were different: "Tranquila, tranquila," she said. Be calm.

The shy teen nodded, and soon Father Prentice arrived and ushered them into the church. With his thick Anglo accent, it was hard to tell where the English stopped and the Spanish began.

"Esto es el signal de ustedes to come back around," he said as he worked through the choreography of the special Mass.

Prentice is new to St. Mary's but has enthusiastically taken on the responsibility of ministering to the needs of a growing Latino population. He officiated at three quinceaneras in January and expects about 30 more this year.

Such rituals help strengthen community at the same time that they honor a girl's transition to adulthood, Prentice said.

"It's like a connection to that culture. It's a shared heritage. And there is this whole sense of recognition that the young woman is now no longer a child," he said.

Castro's transition played out in high style three days after the rehearsal when she arrived at St. Mary's in a dress to die for - bodice-hugging lace that flowed out around her hips in white clouds with burgundy accents. A string of pearls adorned her slender neck.

The chambelanes were similarly elegant, wearing black morning coats and tiny calla lily boutonnieres.

Castro's mother, stepfather, sister and godparents bearing special gifts rounded out the sedate processional into the church, as formal as a wedding.

The exact history of the quinceanera is unclear, but most believe it evolved in Mexico from the earliest contact between Spanish explorers and the Aztecs. Both cultures had ceremonies recognizing the coming of age of young women and the traditions intermingled, evolving into today's daylong celebration, Prentice said.

Usually, it begins with a Catholic Mass, then continues as a party highlighted by several traditions: a formal dance, the gift of a doll - representing the girl's last plaything - and a pair of high heels, her first real woman's shoes.

Caucasian culture has nothing so specific recognizing this key rite of passage, said Dan Wojcik, a University of Oregon professor of folklore. Jewish culture celebrates with bar mitzvahs for 13-year-old boys and bat mitzvas for 12-year-old girls. Native Americans once recognized the passage with a vision quest.

"Americans go through life's transitions alone, often, and our rituals and rites are individualistic and confusing," he said.

For Latino families, the quinceanera helps maintain cultural connections, especially when they're far from home.

"Each generation loses a little," Cabrera said. "They're familiar with it, but they don't understand it, just like you know what marriage is when you're young, but you don't know its true meaning," she said.

During the Mass, Castro reaffirmed her commitment to the church and her parents. Her godparents presented her with a Bible and rosary, and in a delicate moment, she knelt before a portrait of the Virgin of Guadalupe for a brief, private prayer.

After the religious affair, however, the fun began. A white stretch limousine whisked Castro and her entourage to the meeting hall at St. Paul Catholic Church across town, where a lively band and a gathering of nearly 200 enjoyed a party that lasted well into the evening.

If there's a down side to the quinceanera, it's the cost, Cabrera said.

Even families on a budget can spend a lot of money. The dress can cost from several hundred to several thousand dollars. The church charges a fee - anywhere from $100 to $300 for the Mass. The hall rental for the party often exceeds $1,000. Musicians must be paid. A hired videographer films the event. Food and alcohol can send the cost soaring. Families often call on friends to become impromptu godparents who help pick up the tab, Cabrera said.

Castro's family kept costs down by preparing the food themselves.

Cabrera, who was born and raised in Mexico, did not celebrate her own 15th birthday. With four daughters, her father decided the family couldn't afford the extravagance, she said.

Concern about the financial burden prompted St. Mary's to discourage such ceremonies, but families just took the party elsewhere, Cabrera said.

With St. Mary's large Latino population - about 700 regularly attend Spanish Mass on Sunday - it didn't make sense to try to deter a ritual people valued, she said.

Cabrera continues to help out, not just because she finds meaning in the event itself, but she also enjoys being around young people.

"I like working with them," she said. "The present and future of the church and the culture is in them."

CAPTION(S):

A shy Karen Castro looks out at the audience after receiving a crown and scepter to make her feel like royalty for the day. The crown and scepter are part of the tradition of the quinceanera, which celebrates a girl's 15th birthday and transition to adulthood. Karen Castro gets help with her makeup at home as she prepares for her quinceanera. A statue of Mary graces the front room of the family's home. The dress, worn just once, is one of the most important pieces of the quinceanera experience. Kevin Clark / The Register-Guard Father Ted Prentice officiates at the quinceanera service at the St. Mary Catholic Church. The service includes Karen Castro's reaffirmation of her commitment to the church and her parents. A blindfold is tied on to Castro in preparation of her giving away a doll to a girl in the audience - a symbol of her move to adulthood. Left: Karen Castro is presented to the community as part of the ceremonies that continue through the evening at the St. Paul Catholic Church. Above: Castro is shown off by her proud mother and stepfather, Susana Maria and Dennis Garcia.