The Domestic Church

The basic unit of Christian community is a household, in whatever form it may be. We tend to think of being in Christian community as members of a parish church, but the domestic church—the church of the home—should be our primary place of prayer. The home as well as the parish should be active agents in the Christian formation of adults and children. We must create a Christian culture in our home; a culture of prayer, and worship, and joy, and true fellowship, and love. Where the Church is lacking, it is usually true that Christian homes are lacking also.

Starting where we are usually means starting from scratch. We want our homes to be places of Christian practice, but it can be difficult to know how to begin. Here are some ideas:

(1) Pray together. It sounds easy, but it is often the most difficult thing to begin. Start simple. Say a quick blessing before meals. Pray with each other before bed, or before or after dinner. Say the Lord’s Prayer, and some other prayers as convenient. Look in the Book of Common Prayer on page 136 for some short orders of prayer for individuals and families. If you’d like a longer form of prayer that includes readings from scripture, turn to the Orders for Morning and Evening Prayer, which is found in the prayer book in both Rites One and Two. Many people pray these offices daily, and they have been the life blood of holy men and women since the time of the earliest Christians.

(2) Study Holy Scripture together. Ask your priest how to use the Daily Office Lectionary if you’d like selections for each day, or simply bring home your Sunday bulletin and study the lessons appointed for the week. When you get into the habit of praying together, you can begin to include readings for each day.

(3) Set up a household Altar. Make a place in your home that is set up specifically for prayer. Having a prayerful focus helps keep families praying together. The household Altar doesn’t need to be complicated, either. You could use a small table against the wall and add a holy image, like an Icon of Our Lord or the Blessed Virgin, or a crucifix. Make sure your household Altar has a prayer book (or several), a bible, and perhaps some candles to be lit during the daily prayers. Some household Altars have a small font for holy water and a censer to burn incense. If you don’t have much space, you only need a corner or even a shelf. (Mine is in a room that doubles as a guest bedroom as well as an office!)

(4) Have your home blessed by a priest. Most parish priests (me included) would be delighted to bless your home. You don’t need to make it a large production, either. Traditionally, homes are blessed annually at Epiphany each January, but any time of the year is appropriate.

(5) Observe the Feasts and Fasts of the Church year. On Holy Days, have special prayers at your household Altar and celebrate with a special dessert or a fun activity. Deepen your household devotion with special prayers and observances in each season of the Church year, like the Advent Wreath. Make the life of your family reflect the rhythm of the church year.

(6) Observe Name Days and baptismal anniversaries. Since my patron is Saint Timothy, commemorated on January 26th, I always make sure to celebrate the day in some way. I was baptized at the Great Vigil of Easter, and give thanks each year on Easter Eve with special prayers. Some churches give the family a baptismal candle when a child is baptized. Burn it on the household Altar on special days to remember the gift of our baptism.

The domestic church is at the heart of being formed as a Christian. We can never expect our children to continue in the faith unless we make our faith a real, daily commitment and practice it together as part of our regular round of activities. More than that, the domestic church begins to infuse all the other household activities with the joy and peace of prayerfulness, transforming our families and our lives into the true light of Christ.