How to Make Your Home a Domestic Church

Michie · Aug 31, 2023

The family is, so to speak, the domestic church. In it parents should, by their word and example, be the first preachers of the faith to their children; they should encourage them in the vocation which is proper to each of them, fostering with special care vocation to a sacred state.” -Vatican II: Lumen gentium (Nov. 21, 1964), paragraph 11

As baptized Catholics, we are called both to share the faith through evangelization and to make our homes a “domestic church.” This imperative is not just available to married people with children; every person has the ability and calling to create a home environment that is holy and spiritually enriching to all who enter. So, how does one create a “domestic church?”

Sanctify your home in visible ways

Did you know there are numerous ways to bring sacramentals, statues, images, and items that “look” like the Church into your home, while gaining great spiritual benefit for you and your family? Include having your home enthroned to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, hosting the Pilgrim Virgin statue in your home, having your home blessed, and creating an altar for family prayer. Each of these takes a little time and preparation, often accompanied by a priest, and offers a great occasion to involve the whole family.

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