How to Make Your Home a Domestic Church

“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.

I recently spoke with Relevant Radio about my experience of having my home enthroned to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary. An enthronement, which you can learn more about from the Sacred Heart Enthronement Network, involves a prayerful ceremony in which an image of Jesus (often with Mary) is displayed in a prominent place in your home, such as on a fireplace mantle or a wall where it will be visible to anyone who enters your home. The ritual symbolically and literally makes Jesus visible as the center – the King – of your home. Many graces are associated with the enthronement, including the ability to make a holy hour in front of the images if you cannot get to adoration and the fostering of family prayer.

Similarly, you can host the Pilgrim Virgin Statue. She is referred to as a “pilgrim” because she travels from home to home with help from lay members of the Legion of Mary and stays at each home for a week before moving on. Again, it is an occasion to grow deeper in love with the Blessed Mother and her Son, as well as to create a physical space for family prayer. 

Sanctify your home in little ways 

Small daily, weekly, or monthly ways to build the domestic Church within your home  include sanctifying your common rituals with prayer, for example, before meals or bedtime. Do your children know how to offer their day to God with a morning offering prayer or perform an examination of conscience at the end of the day? Have you had your pets blessed on the Feast of St. Francis?

You can also celebrate things that are specific to your family, such as everyone’s baptism day (a sort of birthday) or saint name day (also akin to a birthday). Make an annual tradition of re-learning about that saint and celebrate with treats.

The goal, by the way, is not to become competitive, and the point is certainly not to post your celebrations to social media. Too often moms in particular feel the need to become a Catholic “influencer.” These celebrations are done for the benefit of your soul and those of your family. 

What if I am single?

All of the examples above apply if you are single! Anyone can host the Pilgrim Virgin statue, have their home blessed, or celebrate a particular feast day. Given the trend of delay in marriages and the growing interest in the role (some may say vocation) of single people in the world, being a faith leader in your community is a natural fit until the responsibilities of leading children and a family come or even if they never come. God uses each one of us to spread the goodness of His message, no matter our station in life.

Start today

How you create your own domestic church will be personalized to you. As with the beauty of the Saints, each one of us is unique and yet we all bear the image of God within us. Accordingly, our lives will reflect God in different ways. Performing these small actions is a way to keep the dark out and the light in, which our world desperately needs. Note also that each of these ways naturally provides an atmosphere for social enjoyment – which you should make the most of! When my family had our home enthroned, I made a quiche and sweet tea for everyone to enjoy over conversation following the ceremony. The gathering was simple and good. We all crave connection with our Maker, and with each other, to feel fully human. Embrace these simple ways to proclaim your home as an image of the domestic Church.