During this Lenten season, Carrie Gress encourages families to take the opportunity to remove extra clutter from the home, especially through almsgiving.

“Bringing order, either by donating items we don’t use, decluttering closets, or finding better ways to organize what we do use and need, does two things: it honors the gifts we have been given, while also freeing us mentally and spiritually to focus more on our family’s needs and our own spiritual needs,” said Gress, co-author of the book Theology of Home: Finding the Eternal in the Everyday.

She also encourages families to find artful and meaningful ways to decorate their homes to highlight their Catholic faith, especially in line with the liturgical seasons.

“Home is the place where we raise our families, where we invite others in, and it is the place where our faith can be made explicit, in beautiful and compelling ways,” said Gress.

In the book, Gress and co-author Noelle Mering, guide readers into purposefully thinking about how to make home on earth better equipped to get all those living in them to Heaven.

“The crossovers between home and church are abundant and found in many of the things we love about our homes, elements like light, safety, comfort, nourishment, forgiveness, and order,” said Gress.

The goal is for our homes to constantly remind us of who we are and whose we are.

The coronavirus pandemic had already moved Catholic families into setting up spaces in their homes for worship.

“One thing that I have seen come out from the pandemic is the renewed understanding and importance of having a special place or home shrine in our homes, dedicated to God,” said Father Carlos Rojas, priest at St. Cecelia Catholic Church in Clearwater.

A new emphasis was placed on the domestic church, or church of the home where families grow their faith.

“God wants to be in our midst and central to our daily lives,” said Father Rojas.

Some of the suggested items to have in your home are a crucifix, the Bible to pray with, images of our Blessed Mother, St Joseph and images from a preferred saint or devotion.

“It’s a good to have the items blessed by a deacon or priest to make a direct connection between your “parish church” and your domestic church,” said Father Rojas.