I love looking at prayer closets on Pinterest. It's so amazing! An entire little room in your house devoted to prayer. But if you're like me, you can't afford to give up your precious storage space. Fortunately, there are many ways to create a small (but largely effective!) prayer space in your home. This post will take you step by step through setting up your own prayer space and give you some examples from other Catholic Teen Life Readers.
Step 1: Find a Spot
Some people put their prayer space in a corner with a kneeler. Some have a whole table devoted to it. I've used a shelf on a bookshelf in the past, and am currently using the top of a cabinet that holds my prayer books, journals, and spiritual reading. The ideal spot for your prayer space would be in a quiet area of the house (if possible!) such as your bedroom, and it will probably help if it's at your eye level in a spot where you will frequently see it. My own is positioned where I can sit on my bed when I pray in front of it. The following are some ideas of surfaces you could use:
A bookshelf
A nightstand
The top of a dresser or chest.
The corner of a desk
If you REALLY don't have a lot of space you could hang pictures up in the corner of your room and sit/kneel in front of it when you make use of your prayer space.
An end table near a chair
The top of a cabinet
It's very helpful to have a comfy chair or kneeler (or in my case, bed) nearby, so you don't have to stand up the whole time you're praying.
Step 2: Collect your Materials
This is the fun part!! Collect materials that you'll want to use in your prayer space. These could include:
Holy cards
Pictures of Jesus, Mary, and the Saints
Catholic artwork
Crosses or Crucifixes
Candles (I found mine at Dollar Tree!)
Small statues
A candle/room spray/essential oil diffuser (if you have a certain scent that you only use during your prayer time, over time your brain will begin to associate that scent with prayer and it will help you to relax and focus on your time with God.)
Prayer intentions list
Bulletin board (for pinning up your pictures, holy cards, etc.)
White or chalkboard (for writing prayer intentions, quotes, etc.)
Doily or cloth for underneath your statues. (Some people change the color of their cloth depending on the Liturgical color.)
Flowers (I use dried flower petals and put them at the feet of my statue of Our Lady.
Basket/ container/ box with a lid to place nearby to put Bibles, journals, spiritual reading, etc. in.
Rosaries or chaplets
Fairy lights (or at least a lamp) for near or on your prayer space surface if you function better with as much light as possible.
Holy water or oil
Pictures of people or circumstances that you want to pray for
A speaker or earbuds for listening to worship music or meditations
Whatever else you use to pray!
It may be helpful to have a separate drawer or container where you store all of your materials that are not in use. You don't want to make your prayer space so cluttered that it's distracting, so an alternate space for some of your items may be useful. It's also very fun when you get to switch it up once in a while! Want to make your own prayer space but aren't sure where to find some items for it? Check with your parish office. They will most likely have a table (or even just a box) where people have discarded their own or a loved one's no-longer-used religious items. You can find some pretty neat stuff!! You can also shop online or in bookstores for Catholic artwork, books, candles, and more.
Step 3: Use it!
Since you've put all that effort into creating a beautiful prayer space, you should use it! It can be helpful if you commit to praying for a certain amount of time each day or at a certain time in the day. You could have a priest come and bless your prayer space and invite your family to come and pray with you (or on their own) in your space. Maybe they'll be inspired to create their own!
One Last Note:
If you REALLY don't have enough empty space for a dedicated space for prayer, then make it a mobile space! Fill a container with your rosary, Bible, and whatever other books you need, and a crucifix, and voila! You've got your own prayer space. Just sit the crucifix in front of you (wherever you are) and spend some time with the Lord. :-)
Some examples from CTL readers:
(if you have your own and would like a picture of it to be added to this post, feel free to subscribe and reply to the confirmation email with a picture of your prayer space.)
Here's my own prayer cabinet:
Comments