Have You Ever Considered Building a Home Chapel?

Catholics in good standing attend mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of obligation.  They receive the Eucharist only after cleansing their soul of sin through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  But what of the buildings in which we worship?

Parishes offer all a place of worship.  Sometimes the building is very humble.  Other times the building is temporary. It may become a gymnasium for a future school.  But In many cases, the building is grand with works of art adorning the walls, ornate reliquaries, and architectural flourishes of great craftsmanship.

Such décor makes it easy to lose one’s thoughts in prayer.  Even stained-glass windows older than any living human can offer visions to assist one’s soul in meditation.  These structures were built for the Glory of God, not humans.

Criticism of the Grandeur

Secularists (as well as many protestants protesting the Church founded by Christ) often point to the grand nature of many church buildings and cathedrals as evidence of Catholic hypocrisy.  “Look at the wealth and treasures the Catholics have!  The priests claim to take vows of poverty, yet wear gold embroidered vestments!  So much for giving to the poor!”  The accusations are limitless.

There is a major flaw in this argument.  The origin and ownership of these buildings and treasures is not understood.

Sweat Equity

Parish buildings do not just appear or sprout up from the ground.  Taxes are not levied on the populous to build these structures.  Faithful Catholics donated their often hard earned money to fund the construction.  Many old parishes within North America were actually built by the parishioners.  Although one is hard pressed to find a stone cutter or wood carver in North America today, these skilled professions were alive just a few generations ago.

The ‘grand buildings’ critics often point to as the Hypocrisy of the Catholics are actually evidence of Catholic generosity.  The faithful gave their time and sweat to willingly build these grand places of worship.  These places are shared by the faithful across generations.  Regardless of the required legal standing for ownership imposed by governments, priests & bishops are merely stewards.

Comparison to the Secular Cathedrals

The secular world also has cathedrals for worship.  Usually found in large cities and on college campuses, these places of worship are called stadiums, fields, arenas, or ballparks.

Although some old stadiums had grand architectural designs, the grand modern sports complexes have shifted their focus.  Emphasis is now on comfort when building these modern secular cathedrals.  Domes and air-conditioned suites have replaced the humble outdoor stadium from a generation ago.  Individual seats replaced the old, shared benches.  Hot dogs and soft drink are yielding to indoor bars and dining.

Each stadium for the American National Football League built in the last 10 years cost over $1 billion dollars.  The most recent in Los Angeles exceeded $5 billion.

Moreover, these stadiums are not going to be passed on to future generations for centuries.

Private funds are sometimes used to pay for these modern sports complexes.  However, many stadiums are funded through private funds and tax dollars contributed by the municipality.  This is nothing like voluntary donations.  Think about that.  Municipalities give rich businessmen tax dollars to build these massive billion-dollar commercial money factories.  So much for giving to the poor. And so much for the middle-class families, unable to pay the $391 average price for NFL tickets, who were taxed to build the stadium.

Man Caves

This secular world spills into many of our homes.  As I have visited friends, I have seen many basements and workshops adorned with cultural regalia and artifacts.  These ‘Man Caves’ can be quite grand.

Often these ‘chapels’ include reliquaries displaying autographed baseballs, drumsticks from rock bands, or other class 2 secular relics.  Other man caves display hunting trophies such as dear heads or mounted fish.  Sometimes the cave walls are festooned with movie posters or car parts.

But something that I found missing is all nearly all of these man caves is evidence of a spiritual life.

Domestic Church

Our families and homes are the domestic church.  The family is each person’s first teacher.  From one’s family, one will first learn who God is and to prayerfully seek His will.

Praying together, following Catholic traditions together, and going to church together are all actions of a domestic church.  Many resources are available on how to build a domestic church within your home.  However, just as décor in a Catholic Cathedral sends message, the furnishings of the domestic church also send a message of what is important.  What message will a child receive when told to pray and embrace the peaceful teachings of Christ, while the walls of Dad’s workshop display a huge Halo video game poster and Motor Trend’s Lowrider Girls Calendar?

Home Chapels during Lockdown

When parishes ended in-person mass under the fear of Wuhan Covid-19, the domestic church changed.  Mass was often live streamed through the internet.  Many families turned their living rooms into temporary chapels in front of a TV with candles and other sacramentals pulled from storage for the first time.

With the lifting of leadership-imposed and self-imposed restrictions, what will come of these practices?  This is a subject Catholic Stand authors like Loreto Xavier have addressed over the last year.  Although one may return to in-person mass, why let a home chapel be temporary?

Home Chapels Outside North America

Catholics in North America often can not fathom a world without driving to mass every Sunday.  In many parts of Asia where Catholicism does not earn you the right social credits, the only recourse is to pray at home.  Risking mass in secret is a danger for both the priest and the family hosting him.

Be that as it may, many Catholic homes in Asia have a chapel – sometimes hidden, sometimes in plain sight. (I know this because I have seen them.) These devout Catholics offer us an example of Faith in secular hostile environment.

Building a Domestic Chapel

The Conference of Catholic Bishops has long list of Tools for Building a Domestic Church.  Included in the list is having a crucifix in a prominent place in the home, and in every bedroom.  This simple practice sends a clear message to everyone in the home about what is important.

But, why stop there?  How many homes have family treasures stored away in an attic or under the bed chest?  Why is your great grandfather’s World War I stainless steel trench rosary hidden away in a shoe box?  How come grandma’s first communion prayer book is buried in the bottom of a footlocker?  Why is your grandparents wedding certificate rolled in a tube and stored in the basement rafters?  These items are family relics of sinners who strived to do God’s will.

As part of a domestic church, what would be the benefits of turning the corner of a room, just one square meter, into a permanent chapel? Such a chapel could be built to include what one personally finds inspiring. It would also be a great place to display family relics.

What if one’s man cave focused on one’s spiritual life instead of the secular?