The Family Altar

Back when I was a protestant, the "family altar" was something I recommended to everyone-- it was a period of time in which the family got together to do a devotional reading and pray together.
Now that I'm a Catholic, the "family altar" is just about twenty steps cooler-- it's an actual piece of furniture on which we keep various sacramentals and pieces of holy art which incite in us a firm desire to be holy. We gather around this family altar to pray each night (most nights-- some nights I just pray with the kids around their beds when I'm tired.) Everybody brings something to it and everybody takes something away from it. And I'm sure as our family changes and grows and matures, our altar will do the same.

The idea appeals to us for many reasons. First, I'm a big believer in sacramentals, having seen firsthand the additional prayer power that they bring in praying for deliverance or healing for people. We believed in sacramentals as protestants...giving someone a prayer cloth that was prayed over and touched by a particular annointed "saint" (hehe) or using a well-worn and prayed over bible over a shiny new one. Catholic sacramentals are that times ten: they are means of grace instituted by The Church (as opposed to sacraments, means of grace instituted by CHRIST) and which have been proven, time and time again, to be effective WHEN USED IN FAITH and not superstition. Nuance.

Second, we are both Church art fanatics-- one of the best things about coming home to Rome has been the pure joy we experience when surrounded by Holy Art and Architecture (hard to find in many parishes these days-- ahem. But I'll let that lie for now.) Having beautiful Catholic "things" in every nook and cranny of our home reminds us of Christ at every turn.

Third, we have kids. And kids need pictures to help them understand words.

I've got lots of plans for our family altar, which has already changed so much in the past few years. But for now, I thought I'd share the way it looks with you, and ask you to share yours with me!

Each of these items has a personal meaning to one of us and is completely unique and amazing. Some were special gifts and others we selected or found. Mostly, we keep those things which elevate our souls when we gaze upon them as we pray together.


This is the whole thing. It sits on a shelf made my my Father in Law... a bookshelf with bizarre sized shelving. Turns out it's perfect for our needs right now so that's what we used.
The painting in the top left corner was a gift from a priest friend an another friend for my husband's coming into the Church. It is the coronation of Mary, and one of our favorite paintings.




The top shelf has the major "must have's" of every family altar.
A statue of Jesus, and a Statue of the Blessed Mother. I placed Mary behind Jesus and turned slightly towards Him so as to subtly catechize people (I have lots of protestant friends who come over and feel very strongly about "idols" out of statues etc so I want to make sure that nothing there could be perceived as somehow lessening Christ or cheapening Faith.)
I chose sacred heart Jesus-- he came to us as a gift from a protestant friend when wayne came into the Church and we like the intensity of his peaceful gaze.
The Mary I chose is Our Lady of Grace... I tend to think this is her "ultimate" role and one which I so desperately need--- the mediatrix of grace by leading us to Jesus.





They stand on a card game box that I've turned over, and I used it because of the world map theme all over it, to remind us of the universality of faith and the gospel message. It has handy little drawers to keep holy cards for various feast days that go by, too.
Behind them is a set of three Jewish candles given to me by a dear friend and my eldest's godmother to remind us of our roots and from whence we came. Behind THEM is a set of votive candles (sacred heart and immaculate heart) as well as a holy card with Angels adoring the Eucharist, to remind us of the Source and Summit of our faith. Set between them is a reliquary in which used to reside a relic of St Therese of Lisieux. It now contains a brown scapular made on Mount Carmel by Carmelites who have had it blessed with water from the spring of Elijah. Awesome. It sits in there to remind me of my Carmelite vocation, and also kind of in a -break-glass-in-case-of-emergency way :P




On either side are the Holy Family. St Joseph holds the infant Jesus and the icon reads "Protector of Carmel." It was made by Carmelite monks and it is beautiful, complete with the shield of Carmel.



The Icon of the Blessed Mother is the icon that stood by my Grandfather when he passed, and was miraculously sent to me in a way that let me know that God was near. It means the world to me.



On the second shelf is a photograph of the Holy Father. I think it's important to see him there because it reminds me that we have a pope, that we have perfect unity of the faith, that we are One behind him. I love having a pope, and I think about what our priests endure daily as far as spiritual attacks go and can only shudder when I think about what our popes must endure. Having a photo of him up there ensures that I remember to pray for him.

Next to him is a votive candle my kids got for their baptism last easter. It says: "one faith, one hope, one baptism." I keep our rosaries inside it so that if other people come over and we need to pray a rosary we've got enough to go around. Rosaries are special to me and every one I have tells a story.



In the back of the shelf is a series of holy oils and blessed and exorcised salts etc that we use in deliverance ministry. In front of them is the new acquisition: a statue of St Brighid that I brought home from the March for life yesterday. She is so special to me and I LOVE having a statue of her to remind me that she is praying for me at any given moment.



On either side are icons. One is Blessed Mariam, the little Arab. She is my Carmelite patroness and one of my favorite Carmelite saints. The other was a gift and I don't know who he is-- I haven't been able to figure it out. Because it is pretty nondescript and I have a big devotion to the prophet Elijah (because of the Carmel factor) I just pretend it's Elijah. Who knows, maybe it is. Next to them is a statue of St Michael.



On the other side are the books I use the most when I pray with the kiddos....a Treasury of Novenas and a Book of Catholic Prayer, alongside a new one I just picked up called the Scapular Prayer book, which is pretty stunning. On top is a cross that belongs to the kiddos and celebrates the Holy Trinity.



The next shelf down has the Blessed Mother and Jesus, a GORGEOUS icon about the priesthood that reminds me to pray for priests, and a St Michael the Archangel icon which has been extremely effective in the fight against a particularly nasty demonic infestation we once prayed over.

The statues are St Peter (Wayne's patron and the first pope) and a GORGEOUS statue of the Blessed Mother and Jesus. I draped a small brown scapular over them to remind me, again, of Carmel.



The bottom shelf is the kiddos.
I gave them each a bible and a prayer book and they take different things and switch it out periodically. A few weeks ago it had a lego-type house which they said was a Church and some animals for baby Jesus. Now it's just the plastic statues of a couple saints with a picture in the back of a family praying at dinner, and a jar my dad made in which they keep their rosaries next to another crucifix they like.






I have a portable altar I will share another day that I bring with me when I pray for people in need of deliverance. I call it my kit, because I'm a huge nerd. (DH and Matt were calling me Egon all morning after a trippy incident.)I keep my relics in there.

My dream is to one day have a kneeler I can place in front of the family altar. And a shrine towards the front entrance of the house where I can have a statue of the blessed Virgin, next to some pamphlets about the rosary people can take when they go.

Now, lets see yours!