Our Home Altar, or “Little Oratory”

Before I start, I want to acknowledge that this tradition may strike my non-Catholic readers as odd or even disturbing. I truly believe it is holy and Godly, but I would love to engage in a deeper discussion if you have reservations. Sometimes Catholics are accused of the serious sin of idolatry. As a Catholic, I want to do my part in sharing the beautiful symbolism through which our traditions draw us closer to the one, true God, rather than drawing us away in false worship. These misunderstandings only divide the Body of Christ, when His plan for us is unity in Him. So if you are concerned, please reach out in the comments or message me privately! I would also be happy to write a post explaining more about these traditions, so let me know if there is an interest in that.

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It all started because I wanted a rosary rack. Our rosaries are jumbled in and around a bowl that is too small to hold them. A wall rack seemed like it would keep the rosaries more neatly, and also help complete my living room decor (which I posted about last week).

The rosary “heap” is top center.

I thought the rosary rack could go in the blank spot over the TV. But then I got to thinking some more.

What if the rosary rack was actually a shelf with hooks underneath? I could put an icon and a couple of candles on the shelf to create a mini altar. I liked the idea, but it didn’t seem quite right to put a “mini altar” over the TV.

No one wants to pray towards a TV.

At every store I passed through, I started scoping out shelves and peg boards. I also started scouring the internet for a dedicated rosary rack, but few of them were to my taste, and none included a shelf.

Meanwhile, someone in a Facebook group shared a post about the German/Austrian tradition of the Hergottswinkel, a diagonal corner of the dining room decorated with a large crucifix, and sometimes a shelf with statues, candles, flowers, etc. Traditionally, the family would pray in front of the Hergottswinkel on the dining bench. Since we pray in our living room, I thought we could probably get away with setting up our “Hergottswinkel” there. We even have the perfect large crucifix (a cherished wedding gift).

But I still wasn’t sure what to do about the rosaries, or whether to use a wall shelf or an actual furniture item for my “Hergottswinkel.”

Meanwhile, in my Montessori forum, the topic of child sized home altars arose. We had a good discussion about putting delicate rosaries and religious art within the reach of small children. The danger of breakage can be weighed against the benefits of allowing children to interact with these objects, internalizing lessons about the faith and respect for delicate objects. It’s a bit of a balance. I kept waffling on whether to keep the rosaries out of reach or to risk making them accessible to my children.

At my Montessori mentor’s suggestion, we decided to try to get the girls more deeply invested in the proper use of their rosaries. Hitherto, they had used (and misused) sturdy, wooden or silicone rosaries, which can stand up to mistreatment, but don’t particularly invite careful handling. When the Holy Land olive wood carvers came to our parish, we took the opportunity for the girls to choose their own, delicate rosaries. After some coaching, Meg took hers to our pastor for blessing, and Ginny followed suit. That night, Meg was very careful with her rosary, and very interested in learning to use it correctly. (Ginny is still working on this lesson, but she doesn’t abuse hers too badly.)

This process of giving the girls a sense of ownership was a start, but I was still overthinking what I wanted in a home altar. Around that same time, I realized that one of my favorite bloggers, Leila Lawler from Like Mother Like Daughter, had coauthored a book on just this topic. (Here is a post from her blog with links to many home altars.)

What a lovely book it is! It is really about how to make prayer the center of Christian family life. Unlike many books on this topic, The Little Oratory centers home prayer life around a visible prayer table, home altar, icon corner, or “little oratory.” This tangible center point gives you the perspective to structure your home and family prayer in an ordered, fruitful way. Want to celebrate liturgical seasons? Start with decorating your prayer table. Want to teach your children to pray the rosary reverently? Light the candles and focus on the religious art you have gathered there. Want to celebrate feast days? Again, use the prayer table by changing the art, displaying a saint book, etc. What a simple, manageable approach!

And what a coincidence that this all dovetailed with my over-engineered plans for a home altar. The book even gives practical guidance on what to put on the prayer table, where to place it, and how best to use it.

This was enough to push me from eternally planning the ideal, to making a simple, imperfect start. I still thought the corner with the big crucifix was the best place for our “little oratory,” but that would mean moving the toys. I ended up displacing the baby swing into an awkward temporary location, (but I’ll be putting it away in a couple of months anyway), moving the toys into the swing’s old spot, and then getting to work on converting the former toy corner.

Before…

After.

Before…

After. (Note the awkward swing location in front of the door.)

We had a small table in our front entry way, but I have long wished for a better entry storage system. The heaps of shoes need some kind of shelving.

So I stole the table for my home altar, promising myself to replace it with a more efficient storage system.

Meanwhile, although the little wooden table clashes a bit with the wooden candlesticks, rosary bowl, and crucifix, I think the overall effect is quite pleasing.

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Now, for the details! These are the basics we have incorporated so far:

Crucifix: a wedding gift

Icon: a gift from a friend long ago

Lace Doily: belonged to Joe’s great grandmother, and I am pretty excited to have a good use for it

Rosary Bowl: Walmart a few years ago, too small, not a permanent solution

Candlesticks: I actually did buy these new from the Holy Land olive wood carvers. Aren’t they unique and beautiful?

Candles: After a rough experience with Advent candles from the grocery store that melted everywhere and didn’t even last the whole season, I wanted to try something of better quality for daily use. I remembered a post from Like Mother Like Daughter before Candlemas, in which “Auntie Leila” listed all her candle purchases for the year. (I have never celebrated Candlemas, traditionally the feast when candles are blessed, but with our little oratory up and running, I can suddenly understand it much better.).

She listed two sets of beeswax candles. After measuring my candlesticks, I ended up choosing the set with a slightly smaller diameter (though I got 5 hour version, instead of 4 hour candles on her list). They turn out to be a bit too small after all, but it hasn’t been a huge problem. Maybe for my next batch I will try the regular sized beeswax tapers she listed. In any case, these beeswax candles do burn more evenly and drip far less than my cheap, grocery store candles, so I am pretty happy with the purchase.

Match Dish: One of the suggestions in “The Little Oratory” book is to keep a little dish on the table for spent matches. That way, they don’t go into the trash until they are completely cold. Even better, emptying the dish is the perfect job for a small child! Leila suggests it, but I also think it aligns perfectly with Montessori principles. Meg knows that it is “her job” to empty the match dish every morning. I can tell that it makes her feel important and special to have a job of her own, and I think it also deepens her personal investment in the whole home altar.

Giving her legitimate reasons to interact with the little altar is the most effective way to forestall destructive interaction with it. Any time I find the girls starting to play with the rosaries or the other items on the table, I try to stop that immediately, but I also try to offer them the chance to use those items properly. “Would you like to light the candles and say a prayer instead?” “We aren’t using these rosaries right now, but when Daddy comes home tonight we can pray the rosary!” “Oh! Would you like to empty the match dish?” It’s amazing how much respect the girls can show if they have the chance to use real items the correct way.

Vase: I am planning on letting Meg try her hand at flower arranging (which is another classic Montessori activity), to give her another “real job” associated with the little oratory. We are building up to that project. I will probably swap the vase for a smaller alternative when she is ready to arrange the flowers herself.

Easel: $12 at a local store. I wanted to put it on the altar table, but the table is too small, so I have decided to put it on the end table and make the whole corner into our “little oratory.” I am using the easel to display the saint of the day when possible, either in a book or a separate picture. If I don’t have anything appropriate for that day, I can also display a mystery of the rosary from a rosary book we are working through, or other religious art.

End Table Doily: another wedding gift

“Picture Book of Saints”: a Christmas gift from Meg’s godfather

(You can see in some pictures that I have put a few religious books on the shelf under the end table, for use during prayer or to be displayed on the easel.)

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This is only a beginning, of course. I still want a rosary hanger. Since I ended up using a whole table for my “home altar”, the rosary rack doesn’t need a shelf after all. I have my eye on this one (without the names).

It’s traditional to hang more art around the home altar. This would also help balance out the rosary rack once we have one, so I would like to hang up the little icon currently on the table, and add something else to the wall as well.

I would also like to add a beautiful statue (probably of Mary), but I don’t actually have one at the moment. Besides, I might need a bigger table if I add too much more. I do appreciate the simplicity of what we have for now.

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As for using our “little oratory,” I have good things to report so far. It has been easy and fruitful (at least in my opinion) to “dress it up” for recent feasts and solemnities:

St. Patrick’s Day (The candles hadn’t arrived yet.)

St. Joseph’s Day

Solemnity of the Annunciation

(If I get my act together, there should be another post about our recent solemnity celebrations forthcoming.)

The girls have been much more interested in praying (Lighted candles help!), and I’ve enjoyed it more myself as well. I feel a little more oriented towards eternity with this little altar in the corner of my living room, and I enjoy basking in its simple beauty throughout the day.

So! I’m a few years late getting on board with this trend (I’m pretty sure little oratories were all the rage in the Catholic blogosphere when “The Little Oratory” was published in…2014?…), but I feel God’s hand bringing all these threads together for our family. What about you? Do you have a space like this in your home?