Bringing Church Home
Sweeping in the Seasons
As will quickly become evident even if I had chosen not to add this disclaimer: this blog is geared towards moms (and dads, too!). I have 3 little ones wreaking havoc in my home and at random intervals away from crowd control, I have been trying this past year to gather ideas to help teach the liturgical year to my children…and myself, I must admit. After all, I am a convert! This forum will be a place to share those ideas. There will be lots of link-age, lots of suggestions, and, hopefully, lots of inspiration. I steal ideas from Greek, Russian and Antiochian alike (and Western…yikes!).
I mentioned above that I have 3 little ones (4 and under, mind you) and so time limits me to focusing on just the Twelve Great Feasts of the year and the major fasts. And we already have two coming up real quick! However, that will be subject for another blog very soon. For now, here are some simple ideas to help start coloring your homes with the richness of our faith:
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Although these can easily be purchased, if you are budget conscious like myself, print out the different icons for the Feasts and Fasts and have them laminated. During the appropriate season, bring out each icon to adorn your prayer altar.
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Start coordinating your housekeeping with the church year. I think it very appropriate to schedule deep cleanings prior to the major fasts of the church. Spring cleaning before Lent. Summer before Saints Peter and Paul. Fall before the Dormition and winter before the Nativity Fast.
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If you are really adventurous, buy appropriately colored place-mats, table runners or candles to adorn your dining area during the church year. Follow the colors of clergy vestments as outlined here. Have your children redecorate the home as the church seasons change.
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To prepare yourself and your children for the Feasts and fasts, choose one verse from the scripture readings for the particular feastday and spend the week(s) preceding memorizing it together as a family. Read it a meal time and prayer times to help the little ones. Print out the scripture in large type and hang it on your prayer wall as a constant reminder.
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This is one of my favorite things we do in our home. I got the idea from Making God Real in the Orthodox Christian Home by Anthony Coniaris (I highly recommend it): A prayer chain! Hang a piece of thin rope or some ribbon on the wall near your prayer altar. Attach photos of family, friends or people who are in need. This serves both as a visual reminder to encourage us to constantly pray for others and as a useful tool for the little ones during prayer time. Allow them to hold the photos and encourage them to pray for the people in the photo they are holding. Here is a photo below to serve as an example (this is when we were first putting it together…it’s jam packed with photos now):
These are just a few ideas to get started with and I am always open to more. Together, let’s start sweeping into our homes the seasons of the church year!
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I recommend these books…
http://www.ecpubs.com/browse.html
Go to Domestic Church Series
“The Twelve Great Feasts” series is great.
“Bless Us - O Lord” The children’s prayer books are also good.
From Theobooks:
“A Guide for the Domestic Church” http://www.theobooks.org/product.cfm?product_id=102
“Come Bless the Lord Icon Packet” http://www.theobooks.org/product.cfm?product_id=173
Great blog! This is what I have been thinking alot about as well. As a convert myself it has taken some effort to bring Orthodoxy Home. I have 3 children under 5. These are great ideas! I will suggest my wife check it out. I look forward to the other posts that are forthcoming. This is a very important topic. I think that how you respond to Orthodoxy at home helps shape your life at Church. ……good stuff!