Alright. Y'all have asked and asked about our home chapels and how your family can make your own space for prayer. And the requests have only increased as we approach this unusual Easter when many of us will only be able to celebrate at home.

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For the last couple of weeks, during free moments here and there, we've been wrapping up some work in our home chapel to ready it for our family's Easter Vigil. (Free Easter Dry Mass Missal Booklet Coming Soon!) I'm not sure if my planned painting and faux stained glass will get done in time, but I snapped a couple photos and I'm finally sitting down to write out this how-to for the way we have made a family altar or chapel in every one of our homes.

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I'm also here to encourage you that a family place of prayer doesn't need to be perfect, swanky, or expensive to have the beauty and dignity due to the act of prayer. We should only be worrying about perfection when it comes to our Love of God, contrition, and virtue. A fancier or gaudier home altar or chapel is not better, and God isn't keeping a tally on the time or money we spend. It is better to do something small and simple, that may not match our vision or wish for a space, than to not make a place for our family to use at all. That being said, this post is going to be short and sweet, because y'all, it really is super simple. Seriously. You've probably got everything you need around your house.

For the entirety of our marriage, we have never had the opportunity to live near our home parish. So in a effort to shape our home more after the rhythm of a monastery and have a designated place to meet God throughout the day, we set up family alters and chapels in our various homes. If I had to choose a pithy platitude to summarize this post it would be, "use what you have." So here we go...

Step 1: Pick a Spot

I think one of the biggest deterrents in making a place set apart for prayer at home is the fallacy that we need a lot of space. Our first family altar was a few icons on the wall and a small wooden floating shelf with 2 kneelers. For over the first five years of our marriage we lived in the equivalent of a one bedroom apartment. Square footage was definitely not a commodity, but with a little creativity we always found a spot for family prayer. 

For clarification, when people use the term chapel it is just a comment on the size of their prayer space, that they have a whole room for the purpose of prayer. It is NOT a statement on the quality or amount of grace that can be received there. Good grief! Bigger does not equal better. Use the space you can make available: a corner, a small alcove, a closet with the doors removed, or a bedroom if it's there. When we had saved enough to buy a house, all our boys shared a room and we reserved another bedroom for our family chapel.

Step 2: Add a Flat Surface

The piece of furniture we use as an altar has changed throughout our marriage based on where we lived and the space available to us. We've used floating shelves, dresser tops, and tables, but a desk, or a mantle could also be employed for this purpose. In addition to their most utilitarian task of holding things like saint statues or candles, these furnishings act as visual place savers in our busy homes, reminders to recollect ourselves back to God through prayer.

Step 3: Grab a Crucifix

A crucifix, of course, would be best choice for above a home altar because it is an image of Our Lord. However any sacred image you have will work. If you do not have a crucifix in your home, please begin saving up for a small one as an upcoming birthday or Christmas present. Praying before and kissing (venerating) a crucifix are both indulged acts and beautiful, simple means of grace for our families. The aim of placing a sacred image above a family altar is to provide a tangible focus for us while praying, one that turns our thoughts toward God during our chosen family devotion.

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The way our chapel is set up the altar is in from of an eastward facing bay window, therefore our crucifix is suspended instead of nailed onto a wall. In case this is your situation as well, we attached it using thread and a command hook like the ones under our mantle for Christmas stockings.

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And y'all, that's it! That's all you need for a basic prayer space for your home. There are lots of other little things you could go ahead and include on a home altar or in a family chapel, if you have the resources. But, they are by no means required.

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A few extras you can consider adding later are:

• Candles - 2 for Low Mass, 6 for High Mass, 7 for a Bishop
• Candle Snuffer
• Rosary Hanger
• Angelus Bell
• Prayer Books
• A Table Cloth
• Kneelers
• Pews
• A Small Thurible - to burn incense or Blessed Palms
• A Holy Water Font
• The Stations of the Cross - For the Plenary Indulgence at home they each must each include a wooden cross
• Saint Statues
• Other Sacred Art
• Flowers or other live plants
• A Tabernacle

A Little Catholic PSA: Don't ever hesitate to ask a priest to come do a Private Mass in your home at any time, but even more so in our present situation of public restriction of the sacraments. Private Masses have always been a part of the history of the Church, especially in times of persecution and tribulation. And the worst thing he can tell you is no.

If you have any other questions about putting together a home alter or family chapel, let me know in the comments. I'd love to help and it would be a welcome distraction from the Covid-19 pandemic once our Bairns go to bed.

Pax,

Genie

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