Lighting the Way: Create a Family Prayer Corner Before Advent Begins

Just in time to get ready for Advent, Sarah Damm shares three steps to creating a family prayer corner in the heart of your home.

As a young mom of three little girls, I longed to cultivate a spiritual life within our home. This desire led me to create a designated prayer corner in our family room. Our humble altar was a foldable TV tray with just enough surface space for placemats I purchased in varying liturgical colors. Atop it, I displayed small images of Jesus, Mary, and a rotating cast of saints during their feast-day months: Saint Thérèse of Lisieux in October, Saint Cecilia in November, and Saint Lucy in December, just to name a few.

The very first liturgical season that we gathered in our new family prayer corner was Advent. There, we taught our children about waiting and anticipating the arrival of Baby Jesus at Christmas. We lit our Advent wreath, sang hymns, and incorporated a countdown calendar, which added to the excitement that it was almost Christmas. One of our sweetest traditions involved the girls adding pieces of hay to a manger whenever they performed a good deed. By Christmas morning, they had made a soft, warm place for Jesus to lay His sweet head.

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Preparing Your Home for Advent Prayer

While Advent may still feel like a distant point on the calendar, the crisp late-October chill reminds us that this beautiful season will be upon us in no time. Therefore, now is a perfect time to consider creating your own family prayer corner — a dedicated space that will be ready to welcome a new liturgical season and the commencement of a new liturgical year — this Advent.

Whether your family is new to the rhythm of liturgical prayer or seasoned with spiritual traditions, a prayer corner is a visible reminder that your home is a domestic church: a place where faith is lived, shared, and nurtured.

Below is a step-by-step guide to creating a family prayer corner just in time for Advent.

Choosing the Right Location

The prayer corner I describe here was the first of many sacred spaces my family established over the years. As my children have grown, so have our spiritual practices. Today, our family room mantle serves as a focal point for my own prayer time as well as for our weekly family Rosary.

When choosing the right location, focus on intentionality. Find a quiet, easily accessible space that can be dedicated to prayer. It doesn’t need to be grand or expansive — even a small nook can be transformed into a place for prayer. The goal is to create a reverent and peaceful atmosphere that invites both individual reflection and communal prayer.

Consider these possibilities:

A corner of the living room
A hallway nook
A mantel or shelf

Furnishing Your Prayer Space

A family prayer corner should reflect the beauty, goodness, and truth of our Catholic faith. Incorporate religious items that also hold meaning and significance to your family. These items are more than decor; they are tangible symbols that draw us closer to God.

Begin with the liturgical color of the season. For example, violet for Advent symbolizes penance and preparation.

Next, center your space on Jesus by hanging a crucifix above the altar or displaying a tabletop one.

Consider other items to enrich your family’s faith:

A Bible
Holy water
Images of saints
Rosaries hung on small hooks or placed in a bowl

As Advent approaches, add items specific to the season:

An Advent wreath
A Jesse Tree
A small Nativity scene

Establishing a Prayer Routine

Once your prayer space is set up, the next crucial step is to use it regularly. By consistently integrating prayer into your family’s daily life, your children will create spiritual habits that will last a lifetime.

Ideas for establishing a family prayer routine:

Each morning, pray the Morning Offering before school.
Return to the prayer corner in the evening to pray the Rosary or another prayer practice, such as a novena or litany.
During Advent, light the Advent wreath. Sing beloved hymns like O Come, O Come Emmanuel, read the daily Gospel, or hang ornaments on the Jesse Tree.
Encourage older children to spend personal prayer time in the family prayer corner, which will nurture their own unique relationship with the Lord.

Dedicating Space for Christ’s Coming

A family prayer corner is more than a decorative feature in our homes; it’s a physical invitation to encounter Christ in the daily rhythms of life.

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As Advent draws near, may a dedicated prayer space bless our children with cherished memories of Catholic traditions experienced through family prayer. And throughout the years, may our families treasure the blessings that flow from gathering together in prayer, right in the heart of our homes.

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Lighting the Way: Create a Family Prayer Corner Before Advent Begins