We need access to quiet, sacred spaces like our churches to help bring our hearts and minds to God more easily. But for most of us, getting to church as often as we’d like isn’t always possible. That’s why a home altar is such a valuable practice. It allows us to create a sacred space right in our own homes and bring God into our daily lives.
In this guide, our team will walk you through how to create a home altar that will help your family build the habit of prayer—complete with examples and photos of altars from our own homes to inspire your setup!
Where to Put Your Home Altar
While personal prayer corners are often tucked away in a bedroom or office, a family altar is best placed somewhere visible and easily accessible so everyone can use it throughout the day. That said, there’s no one “right” location for it. It really depends on what works best for your family and the amount of available space you have in your home.
Ideally, the space itself will allow you to sit or kneel comfortably in front of the altar. Just as church is designed to invite you to stay and pray, a home altar should create the same opportunity for reflection and devotion.
If you have children, consider how they’ll interact with the space during family prayer time too. Can everyone gather comfortably? Are there any distractions nearby that need to be minimized? Does the setup encourage age-appropriate prayer, perhaps with prayer cards or books for children to explore on their own?
What to Include on Your Catholic Home Altar
Your home altar does not have to be elaborate to be effective, but including a few key items—like a crucifix, a rosary, or devotional images—will help your family focus on God.
Here are some common devotional tools many people include on their home altars:
- A crucifix placed at the center of your altar helps keep your family oriented towards Jesus. In fact, if space is limited, your home altar can be as simple as a single crucifix that brings you to daily prayer.
- The Bible, the Catechism, and quality Catholic books on the history of the faith and the lives of the saints encourage deeper engagement with Scripture and Church teachings.
- A well-placed image, statue, or prayer card of Mary or the Holy Family reminds you to seek the Blessed Mother’s intercession as you grow closer to Christ.
- A rosary for each family member makes it easy to pray together. A rosary guidebook can also help those who are still learning the prayers of this devotion.
- An image, icon, or statue of a saint or a particular devotion your family has can focus prayer further.
- Candles symbolize the light of Christ and can be lit during family or personal prayer.
- Holy water provides a tangible reminder of baptism and God’s grace in your home.
While not a requirement, some families like to decorate their home altars according to the liturgical seasons. Once you have your home altar set up, feel free to add seasonal decorations if you feel called to it!
12 Ways to Use Your Home Altar in Your Domestic Church
A home altar encourages us to come to prayer each day and offer our prayers to God as a “sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15). Whether praying alone or as a family, here are some ways you can use your altar to center your day on God:
- Pray a full family rosary or a single decade together each week.
- Gather for night prayers or evening reflection.
- Celebrate a saint’s feast day and ask for their intercession.
- Pray a novena for family intentions or special needs.
- Offer a short morning prayer before school or work.
- Read and reflect on the daily readings as a family.
- Review the Sunday mass readings together before attending church.
- Practice Lectio Divina to meditate on God’s word.
- Contemplate a sacred image or icon during Visio Divina.
- Light a candle while offering prayers for intentions or in gratitude.
- Use the altar as a quiet space for spontaneous personal prayer or journaling.
- Pray the Angelus or other short traditional prayers at set times during the day.
Home Altar Inspiration from Our Team
To give you some ideas for your own home altar, a few members of our team have shared how they arrange their family prayer spaces:
Jonathan’s Home Altar
“I have altars everywhere: by my bed, on my desk, by my couch, in my office, and in the living room. I even have one in the closet that I can throw in my suitcase for travel. The one by my couch gets the most use. That’s where I do my personal prayer time. But the one in our living room is our main family prayer space and where we keep a basket of rosaries.”
Adam’s Home Altar
“We keep our family altar in the living room. We wanted to provide a sacred space in a common area for any one of our family members to access or be reminded of prayer throughout the day. It’s also the place we gather for night prayer so it’s where we conclude our day together as a family.”
Mary’s Home Altar
“Our home altar is in the living room and is the first thing you see when you walk through the front door. It faces east, a daily reminder that His mercies are new every morning.”
Madeline’s Home Altar
“Our altar’s contents and decor change with the liturgical seasons. We put holy or church-related art on our TV when we don’t watch it. For example, the artwork on the TV for Holy Week is crucifixion related and for Advent we put up the Annunciation.”
Emily’s Home Altar
“We put our altar in an area of our house that we walk past constantly when we’re home. It’s a great visual reminder to reorient our thoughts towards God. We like to switch out the art selections throughout the year based on whatever challenges we’re going through and what encouragement we need.”
Maria’s Home Altar
“Ours is kind of a whole wall. Bible enthroned with Sacred and Immaculate Hearts. The San Damiano cross means a lot to us—Jesus said to St. Francis to go rebuild his church! We have a relic of St. Augustine with Sts. Michael and Gabriel flanking it. There’s a crate of children's bibles and spiritual books. Our rosaries are on other tables in the room.”
Bringing It All Together
When you pray at your home altar regularly, it will help draw you and your family closer to God. Simply choose a space that works for your home, arrange your devotional items, and start praying together! Your domestic church will be stronger for it.
