Creating a home shrine tips (also what if I want a Crucifix and the Divine Mercy Image?)

[PazzoGrande]

What are some good tips for creating home shrines?

I am thinking of making one with some stands side-by-side (think of tall book cases without the shelves, just a big statue or image taking up the whole space).

http://forums.catholic-questions.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13124&stc=1&d=1330074059

The central one (marked 1) would be dedicated to Jesus. But, I’d like to have both a crucifix and a Divine Mercy Image, but I can’t figure out how to properly display both. The crucifix would block the view of the Divine Mercy Image, which I worry might be disrespectful.

I could put the crucifix or the Divine Mercy Image in another part of the room, but it feels a little too confusing. Seems to me as if the things dedicated to Jesus should be at the very centre of the room and spreading them out to different parts of the room isn’t a good idea. What’s a good way to display both?

The parts marked 2 are for Mary and Saint Joseph. I’m thinking Mary should go on the left and Saint Joseph would go on the right. Is this proper? The more important person or thing is usually placed on the left of the centre (the object’s right, but the viewer’s left). So I figured Mary should be on that side.

The parts marked 3 are for my patron saints; the parts marked 4 are for other various saints that I have devotion to. Is there a special order in which these should be placed? It seems that we keep our saints in a certain order of precedence (I’m thinking of how, for example, the Litany of Saints has a specific order).

What are good things that I could put in to help with meditation and keep the area with the dignified atmosphere that it should have?

Can anyone share tips on this? There aren’t many good sources online, which come to think of it is too bad because we all should have some sort of prayer area at home. It’s something that I plan to put work into and it would go on for a long time and I just want to make sure I’m doing this correctly and in a dignified way.

 

[odile53]

I like the concept. Have you considered locating the crucifix and the Divine Mercy image next to each other, so that #1 would actually be 1 A and 1 B, then you could add additional items from there. What you mentioned about the statues of Mary and Joseph are technically more correct, but I think it might be lost on most people.

To make the rest of the display more conducive to prayer and meditation, strive for a balance of color and form that you find most aesthetically pleasing. There’s no right or wrong way. Since statuary is expensive, I think that’s why you don’t see many displays of private collections and shrines on the internet.

My sainted grandmother, rest her soul, had a lot of statuary that she had collected during three different trips to Rome and a trip to the Holy Land. There were at least twenty statues of various saints on a high shelf that ran around the walls of her dining room. There wasn’t any specific order to them, other than a crucifix which dominated one end wall of the dining room and a bas-relief of the Last Supper on the opposite end wall. After she died, we divided up the statues among her grandchildren. Someplace I have a printed picture of what it all looked like when it was all together.

 

[PazzoGrande]

I like the concept. Have you considered locating the crucifix and the Divine Mercy image next to each other, so that #1 would actually be 1 A and 1 B, then you could add additional items from there. What you mentioned about the statues of Mary and Joseph are technically more correct, but I think it might be lost on most people.

To make the rest of the display more conducive to prayer and meditation, strive for a balance of color and form that you find most aesthetically pleasing. There’s no right or wrong way. Since statuary is expensive, I think that’s why you don’t see many displays of private collections and shrines on the internet.

My sainted grandmother, rest her soul, had a lot of statuary that she had collected during three different trips to Rome and a trip to the Holy Land. There were at least twenty statues of various saints on a high shelf that ran around the walls of her dining room. There wasn’t any specific order to them, other than a crucifix which dominated one end wall of the dining room and a bas-relief of the Last Supper on the opposite end wall. After she died, we divided up the statues among her grandchildren. Someplace I have a printed picture of what it all looked like when it was all together.

Thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut.

About the colour, you’re totally right about that; too bright colours are so distracting. I’m thinking of going for a deeper red. It would have a royal feel.

Then again I have it as a small mission in life to keep Catholicism relevant. I’m pretty young (27 years old) and I like encouraging the youth to take Catholicism seriously. As such, I was thinking maybe the room should be in a cooler colour, like have a blue carpet (darker than medium blue; perhaps cobalt, or maybe even something closer to navy). If it looks too archaic, youth might dismiss it off and say it’s just for old people, which is a shame.

Blue would definitely have a meditative atmosphere; but I also worry that it might make my mind drift off since as I understand it, those colours make you very rested and could encourage sleep.

Beige is also an option but personally I find that to humdrum. It might work for a living room, but I think shrines should have richer colours just to underline their dignity and significance.

About lighting, I’m thinking votive lights for Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the tabletop sort (I liked the hanging kind but I find those too distracting since they block the view). The other ones could have track lighting or that sort of spot light.

 

[anodos]

The central one (marked 1) would be dedicated to Jesus. But, I’d like to have both a crucifix and a Divine Mercy Image, but I can’t figure out how to properly display both. The crucifix would block the view of the Divine Mercy Image, which I worry might be disrespectful.

Can the crucifix hang up higher on the wall above the middle of the unit (unless these are floor-to-ceiling cases)?

The parts marked 2 are for Mary and Saint Joseph. I’m thinking Mary should go on the left and Saint Joseph would go on the right. Is this proper? The more important person or thing is usually placed on the left of the centre (the object’s right, but the viewer’s left). So I figured Mary should be on that side.

Correct, the more honored figure should be on Jesus’s right. This is also the “proper” way to set up the manger scene as well (two years ago I had no idea that there was a right way to do it).

I love the idea, especially in red and deep blue, maybe with hints of gold.

 

[Snugglebugmom]

You might want to browse through this thread for inspiration, there are some really great pictures in it. Good luck with building your home shrine, please post pictures when you are done!

 

[PazzoGrande]

Can the crucifix hang up higher on the wall above the middle of the unit

Thanks for the response. The central one for Jesus won’t be to the ceiling, but I do hope to make it six feet or so, so it would be rather hard to see putting a crucifix there.

 

[odile53]

In terms of color, meaning the color of the carpet, I have dark blue wall-to-wall carpet in four rooms of my house, put down by the prior owner. It’s not “meditative and restful,” it basically turns the three rooms that have northern windows into black holes!

A more neutral, lighter toned carpet will not distract from your statuary, and will help tie the look together, in my opinion. I’m basically saving my nickels and dimes to get this awful dark blue carpet torn out and replaced with something a little more conducive to being able to see where I’m going.

If your shelving has molding, you could install LED lighting behind the molding so that it will highlight each piece of art (statue or painting.) You’d want something like this

homedepot.com/Lighting-Fans-Indoor-Lighting-Under-Cabinet-Accent-Lighting/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbvlu/R-202849131/h_d2/ProductD

I wouldn’t go with halogen lighting, as it heats up the area quickly. You don’t want to degrade paint with heat. LED will be cheaper to run than incandescent or halogen, also. Plus, I’m thinking that excessively bright spotlighting might give your display a look that would be more reminiscent of a religious goods store rather than a private home shrine. Think indirect and soft rather than focused and bright for the display.

If you’re using the room as a sort of private meditative space, you will want to consider a couple of comfortable chairs as well as a couple of small tables and bookshelves to store spiritual books. Additionally, you’ll want a couple of good reading lamps for spiritual reading. That’s where you want your bright light, to avoid eyestrain.

When I started to work with a spiritual director, he encouraged me to set up a space, even if it was a corner of my living room or bedroom, with comfortable seating and good lighting, so that I would be able to spend much time in lectio divina without getting fatigued from trying to read in an uncomfortable space (bad lighting, uncomfortable chair) as well as having some sort of religious artwork to use as a focal point for meditation. My current little sacred space is a corner of my bedroom with a good reading chair, a footstool, a full-spectrum lamp, and a 12 x 18 framed print of the Divine Mercy image next to a small bookshelf. It is comfortable enough that I can literally spend a few hours reading there, the footstool lends itself to being a kneeler if I am so moved, and yet I’ve never fallen asleep in the chair. Very comfortable, very soothing, yet it lends itself to promoting alertness in study and prayer. Just some considerations.

I hope that you will post some pictures of your sacred space as you assemble it: I think quite a few people here will be interested in following your progress!