A catholic home?

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Hi - I’m in the process of coming back to the church, through convalidation and reconcilliation, and I would like to make my home a more ‘Catholic’ home. I would like people to come in and know that it is exactly that. I also want my faith to be for all week and not just Sunday. I quite like statues and pictures (although I’m afraid I do not go much on Sacred Heart stuff for some reason - sorry 😦 )

Can anyone suggest any nice, tasteful pieces I might add to my home for this. My DH is not a Catholic but won’t mind if I can pass it off as art 🙂 (Is it idolatry to have a statue of the Mary and light a candle in front of it before praying?)

I would also like to introduce daily prayers or readings but don’t want it to turn into a ‘Mum’s into something else and we’re all sucked in’ - if you understand that. How do I convince my kids it is going to become our way of life, rather than just a novelty, a flighty thing where they think I am just ‘paying lip-service’ and there will be ‘something else’ again next month 😊 Maybe there are some nice devotions out there?

Also, and apologies if I should start a different thread for this, I will be taking my kids back to mass with me - they have been to other churches with me on my road ‘back home’ ! - but not to mass - should I get a book to explain what’s going on - and can anyone recommend one. They are 10 and 8 years old. I know its probably a silly question but, if you don’t go to a Catholic school and have instruction, do they just ‘learn as they go along’ - the Gloria, Creed etc? Do I just make the decision for their first Holy Communion? Its just a bit tricky as I just want to say ‘this is the True church and I shouldn’t have messed you about’ but at those ages they won’t understand. ( Ooh so annoyed at myself - could have been so much easier had I followed my own feelings rather than be swayed by others :mad: )

Many thanks for any advice.
 
Just talk to your children. Tell them all of these things. Your children will appreciate the reverance. Explain to them that God has been speaking to your heart and it is very important that we do these things; pray before meals, before bed, etc. Buy them prayer books, crucifix for their room, and a rosary for their birthdays, Christmas, etc. Children love these special things as well.

Talk to your church about enrolling them in religious ed and make arrangements for them to begin their Catholic journey.

Live as if these things are important to you. Your life will change and so will their’s.

Pray and study and God will guide you.
 
Hello!

I have an area in the house where I live devoted to prayer. This is where my main pictures, plaques and prayer materials ar kept. It is my spot. In my bedroom there are also pictures and candles to adorn God… I keep my Bible and related material on my coffee table. As well as a couple of my favorite pics and a statue of my Guardian Angel. There is no mistaking a house where God lives, beacuse there is the absense of “bad” stuff.

As a child I too loved getting Rosaries, religious mementos, small stautes and prayer books. I loved having my own missal for church. Set an example for your kids and they will follow your lead I believe. They may balk at first, only keep at it with them. Make praying the rosary a family arrair daily. Get books about the saints and read with them. The Divine Mercy is a relatively short devotion that you can do as a family. Get involved with church sewardship as a family. These activities will reinforce your beleifs and should help foster in them the same beliefs.

I wish you many blessings in your transition back into the Faith!
 
Just be as open and honest as you were with us. Do not hold anything back, tell them why this is important to you. Also if you are looking for art one place I look is ewtn.com/ Just click on religious catalog. For someone like me it is nice because I do not live by a catholic bookstore and it is a good way of making a donation to ewtn.
 
mrs_miggins said:
Hi - I’m in the process of coming back to the church, through convalidation and reconcilliation, and I would like to make my home a more ‘Catholic’ home. I would like people to come in and know that it is exactly that. I also want my faith to be for all week and not just Sunday. I quite like statues and pictures (although I’m afraid I do not go much on Sacred Heart stuff for some reason - sorry 😦 )
Click to expand...
I think you will like the image of the Divine Mercy:
http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/7773/divinemercyjesus.th.jpg

and Lady of Perpetual Help:
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/3586/olphelp.th.jpg
 
I think you might be interested in the book The Catholic Home by Meredith Gould.

Though it will take some time, compassion, and patience to develop, I hope your family comes together to live out daily the love that brings real meaning to the symbols, statues, decorations, etc. around the house. I recommend that you initiate spiritual devotions, celebrations, etc. that your children feel comfortable with and that can be done frequently communally or individually (i.e. prayer before meals, in the morning, and at bedtime, the Guardian Angel prayer, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, etc.). Start small and frequent, then go from there.

Yes, I think that enrolling them in R.E. classes would definitely supplement your children’s catechesis; but nothing is a substitute for prayerful parental involvement at home. At least until middle school, you are the biggest influence on their lives. My wife and I teach 5th grade R.E. at our parish, and we can tell which kids have parents that are spiritually involved in their lives and which kids do not. We can spend a few hours teaching them all sorts of things about our faith; but it only lasts if the faith is lived out at home. I encourage you to teach your children all that you can about the faith in ways that they will understand it, appreciate it, remember it, and live it.

God bless you in your efforts!
 
I have a lot of Catholic objects on display in my home, but my favorites are
  1. Da Vinci’s Last Supper painting in my dining room, and
  2. A small olive wood crucifix with a rosary draped over it, displayed on the wall next to my kitchen counter, which is the most prominent place in my house. It’s a great conversation-starter when family and friends visit.🙂
 
mrs_miggins said:
(Is it idolatry to have a statue of the Mary and light a candle in front of it before praying?)
Click to expand...
Hi “mrsmiggins” 👋 First of all, I wanted to say… WELCOME HOME! :hug1: I’m so happy for you! I am also a Cradle Catholic-revert. I know what a joyous experience this is for you! And God bless your DH… for his gracious acceptance. You are both in my prayers.

I wanted to address this particular part of your question, because this is a common misconception, held by many Protestant denominations and other non-Catholics.

It is not “idolatry” to have a statue(s) of Our Lord, Our Lady, or the Saints. These items are used by us Catholics as “visual aids” in prayer and devotions. As Mother Angelica (of EWTN) puts it… “they are Holy Reminders”. When we pray before statues… we are not praying TO the statue (which would be idolatry); we are praying to the PERSON the statue represents… Our Lord, Our Lady, or a particular Saint.

You could also view it this way. Is it “idolatry” to keep family photos? Certainly not. 😉 Remember, then… that camera’s and photographs didn’t exist at the time Our Lord and Our Lady lived on the earth. A statue helps us, to have a visual image of these “Loved Ones”. Making it easier for us to talk with them, and think about them… as we go about our daily routine.

I hope this helps in some way. God bless. 🙂
 
Hi everyone, thanks for all your encouragements and advice 😃

I will definitely order a copy of that book, thanks, vppoole, that’s exactly what I’m looking for - something to bring in little traditions to enrich the kids faith.

dang71 - those pictures are beautiful - I especially like the Madonna of the Streets - I have found a place in the UK that sells it as a print so think I will treat myself - or as I have a birthday coming up, put in on my list !

I spoke to my kids this evening, very relaxed, about them starting classes soon for First Communion. They were absolutely fine 🙂 I said if they had any queries or concerns they could always voice them - my daughter said she would be frightened to go up for communion by herself but I said I would be there and she was ok. I asked my son, the 8 yr old, what he knew of communion and he was really knowledgeable. I guess it helps that, though they don’t go to a Catholic school, their school is a parish school right beside the Anglican church and the vicar comes in regularly to give them lessons. My son is the one who always insists on saying grace before dinner - he bows his head and says with much solemnity ‘and please look after the unfortunates’ at the end. We often call him Preacher James as he always came out of church with some lesson for us. (Although maybe now we should change that to Father James - if that’s not disrespectful or anything :o )

So all in all, it’s looking good 👍
 
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