Home Altar Ideas




Home Altar Ideas https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2012/12/23/home-altar-ideas?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter 


You've probably heard it said that the Catholic home is the Domestic Church. Two main reasons for this very true saying is that parents are primarily responsible 

for children's catechesis, and of course, families spend much more time in the home than they do at the parish. So, why not bring some of those same elements from Church that draw souls to God and incorporate them into your home?  You can do this easily by creating your own home altar with saint 

statues, icons or framed Catholic art, catholic candles, and, of course, a crucifix.


Setting a small place aside for a home altar is a great idea for families. It's also a great idea for your friends and loved ones who live alone, so encourage them to do this as well.  Home altars function as an encouragement to a life centered in prayer and faith. While the world outside the home threatens to destroy faith, your home can be a sanctuary where it is nurtured. Home altars can also be a lovely way to display and enjoy the beautiful artistic heritage of the Catholic Church.


Now, when you're creating a home altar, it seems to me that you have two choices.  You can either create your home altar in a prominent, centrally located place in your home where the family always passes by.  This can be an encouragement to pray while you're going in and out of the house, right in the mix of the hustle and bustle, and where visiting guests can appreciate it.  Or, you can set up your home altar in a more secluded and quiet place in the home where it truly can be a place of escape, a place to pray in silence, again with the beautiful art assisting in lifting the soul to God.  This may be an especially good idea if you have older children and teenagers who may really connect with this kind of sacred space in the home.  If you can't decide which location for your home altar, maybe set up both. You can do this very simply and easily.


It's not hard to get up a home altar. Just start with a crucifix (don't forget to have it blessed) and add things from there.  Here is a list of simple things to include in your home altar.  All of the items listed below can be acquired very inexpensively. You can always upgrade each later to more beautiful, lasting, heirloom-quality pieces.


Home Altar Basics

Holy Water font or Holy water bottle

Catholic icon or other Catholic art

Statue or image of Our Lady

Your favorite saint in statue or image

Your favorite rosary

Catholic Bible

Prayer cards and/or prayer book

Candles


Of course you can continue to build out your altar over time with other additions to make it a truly special place for yourself and the whole family. Better yet, have each person in the family choose something that they love and connect with to be incorporated into the altar (for example, a special devotion like the Divine Mercy or a favorite saint).


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_altar


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

St. Benedict, Abbot, Patron of Europe - Information on the Saint of the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/07/11/st--benedict--abbot--patron-of-europe.html

St. Benedict, Abbot, Patron of Europe - Information on the Saint of the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/07/11/st--benedict--abbot--patron-of-europe.html The thought of St. Benedict is the lifeblood of Europe Born in the central Italian mountain town of Norcia (Nursia) around AD 480, St. Benedict became one of the most important catalysts for the creation of a new European culture after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West (traditionally dated to AD 476). The system of monastic life he developed and nourished spread centers of prayer and hospitality throughout the continent. Benedictine monasteries were not only spiritual and cultural centers, but also a source of sustenance and relief for pilgrims and the poor. Bright Star in a Dark Century St. Gregory the Great – who wrote the only ancient biography of St. Benedict that we have – called St. Benedict “a bright light” in an age marked by the most serious crisis. From his youth, Benedict’s life was marked b
Read more

Monks played a critical role in the development of Western civilization

Image
  The ruins of Hailes Abbey The monks played a critical role in the development of Western civilization. But judging from Catholic monasticism’s earliest practice, one would hardly have guessed the enormous impact on the outside world that it would come to exercise.  This historical fact comes as less of a surprise when we recall Christ’s words: “Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be added unto you.”  That, stated simply, is the history of the monks. Early forms of monastic life are evident by the third century. By then, individual Catholic women committed themselves as consecrated virgins to lives of prayer and sacrifice, looking after the poor and the sick.  Nuns come from these early traditions. The dissolution of the monasteries in the late 1530s was one of the most revolutionary events in English history. There were nearly 900 religious houses in England, around 260 for monks, 300 for regular canons, 142 nunneries and 183 friaries; some 12,000 people i
Read more

5 Ways to Live Like A Monk in the World

 5 Ways to Live Like A Monk in the World https://www.conceptionabbey.org/5-ways-live-like-monk-world/ Here are five tenets of Benedictine monasticism that you can cultivate in your life by Fr. Paul Sheller, OSB, Vocation Director, Conception Abbey 1. Cultivate Silence, 2. Be Faithful to Daily Prayer, 3. Form Authentic Community, 4. Make time for Lectio Divina, 5. Practice Humility https://www.conceptionabbey.org/5-ways-live-like-monk-world/ 1. Cultivate Silence St. Benedict wrote, “Speaking and teaching are the master’s task; the disciple is to be silent and listen” (RB 6:8). Silence is the environment that allows you to listen to God’s voice and the voices of those around you properly. Many people are uncomfortable with silence or they find it awkward, so they fill their days with needless noise and distractions. Turning off the music and radio, especially when you are in the car, moderating television or Internet use will challenge you to listen to the God who dwells within you and s
Read more