When we started our family, no one sat us down and told us about having a focal point for prayer in our home. Sure, tucked away in the Catechism and in other resources, you’ll find reference to the home altar. But little did we know then just how formative this small and sacred place in our home would become.

In the Catechism we read, “The Christian family constitutes a ‘domestic Church’… In the home, parents should teach their children to pray and, if possible, should have a little oratory or sacred space with a cross, images of Christ or the saints, and a Bible, where the family can gather for prayer.” (CCC 1666-1667)

The home altar, a focal point for family prayer and daily faith life, holds a place of special importance in a Trinity House. In the Heaven in Your Home Flowchart, it’s identified as the key place for Level One, Faith Life. Alongside the key practice of Holy Sabbath and the key principle of Surrender, the prayer corner—your “little oratory” or home altar—stands at the heart of receiving God’s communion in your family’s life of faith.

Some key elements of the home altar are: a crucifix, Bible or prayer book, and candles. Some additional items to consider are statues, rosaries, holy water, flowers, and seasonal decorations. Here are a few practical steps to incorporating this sacred space into your home:

➤ One: Choose a space like a shelf or table in a common area.

➤ Two: Gather items like a crucifix, sacred art, candles, holy cards, Bible or prayer book.

➤ Three: Arrange thoughtfully with the crucifix in the center.

➤ Four: Incorporate prayer like morning or evening prayer, seasonal devotions, and special blessings or consecrations.

➤ Five: Bless it with a visit from a priest or with your own holy water.

➤ Six: Maintain & evolve the space by keeping it neat and updating decorations for feasts or liturgical seasons. Involve the kids in these little tasks!

If you already have this space in your home, with the holidays approaching there is arguably no better time to hit reset on your home altar or prayer corner. There will be a lot of foot traffic past it in the weeks ahead, so why not give it a fresh look?

Once you have your prayer corner set up, you will see it start to add richness and depth to your family’s prayer life. By spending time there yourself, you invite your children to join, making your home a little haven of holiness and a guiding light on your shared journey of faith.

There is social science out there to suggest that few things are more powerful in your child’s formation in the faith than “catching” you—as parents together, or individually—in prayer or reading of Scripture. We are both blessed to have such memories of happening upon our parents during their daily times of prayer.

Here’s another joy of Catholic family life—when you catch your children praying at your home altar or reading God’s Word, or bringing flowers, or putting out a saint’s holy card to mark the feast day. That’s when you know your home altar is inexpressibly more than a shelf or table! That’s when you know it is taking its place in the faith life of your Trinity House, a window into God’s abounding love.