What do you think?
Rate this book
The Little Oratory: A Beginner's Guide to Praying in the Home
Keeping a faithful prayer life with your family isn't easy. From herding distracted children to managing the seemingly endless litany of prayers and devotions, our spiritual life all too often feels frantic and burdensome.
This isn't the way it should be. Our prayer life, our family life, and our work life should — and can! — be in harmony. When they are, our family is a powerhouse of grace, and Our Lord transforms our home into a little Eden — a little bit of heaven on earth.
With simplicity and holy wisdom, authors David Clayton and Leila Marie Lawler show you how to bring peace to your home by integrating your family into the calm, truly joyful way of Mother Church. Her feasts and seasons, prayers and devotions are gifts that draw us closer to God and unfold before us His marvelous plan of salvation.
To help you live the liturgical life of the Church more fully, David and Leila reclaim here an almost lost tradition that families used for centuries to build a beautiful bridge between home and church: the little oratory.
Consisting of a modest table and icons, the little oratory is a visible sign of spiritual awareness and devotion. It extends the Eucharistic worship of the Mass into the heart of your home, spiritually nourishing your family and preparing them to transform the world through prayer and charity.
Building your own little oratory is simple, and in these pages you'll discover just how easy it is. In fact, you likely have most of the pieces in your home already except, perhaps, the sacred art. That's why we've included here seven full-colored icons that are ready for framing, enabling you to get started right away!
By following the wise advice in this book, you'll discover the peace and love that flows from a home that is focused on Christ. You'll also learn . . .
--How to use sacred art to strengthen your prayer life.
--How to extend Catholic beliefs and devotions into every room of the house.
--Why the Liturgy of the Hours is important and how it can make your family holy.
--How to pray the Rosary with children and keep the rowdiest of them calm and reverent.
--The active role children can and should play in the prayer life of the family.
--What to do when only one parent takes the spiritual life seriously.
--How to overcome the feeling that you're too busy to pray.
--Practical ways to extend the liturgical life into your workplace.
--And countless other tips to help you practice your faith in the heart of your home.
This isn't the way it should be. Our prayer life, our family life, and our work life should — and can! — be in harmony. When they are, our family is a powerhouse of grace, and Our Lord transforms our home into a little Eden — a little bit of heaven on earth.
With simplicity and holy wisdom, authors David Clayton and Leila Marie Lawler show you how to bring peace to your home by integrating your family into the calm, truly joyful way of Mother Church. Her feasts and seasons, prayers and devotions are gifts that draw us closer to God and unfold before us His marvelous plan of salvation.
To help you live the liturgical life of the Church more fully, David and Leila reclaim here an almost lost tradition that families used for centuries to build a beautiful bridge between home and church: the little oratory.
Consisting of a modest table and icons, the little oratory is a visible sign of spiritual awareness and devotion. It extends the Eucharistic worship of the Mass into the heart of your home, spiritually nourishing your family and preparing them to transform the world through prayer and charity.
Building your own little oratory is simple, and in these pages you'll discover just how easy it is. In fact, you likely have most of the pieces in your home already except, perhaps, the sacred art. That's why we've included here seven full-colored icons that are ready for framing, enabling you to get started right away!
By following the wise advice in this book, you'll discover the peace and love that flows from a home that is focused on Christ. You'll also learn . . .
--How to use sacred art to strengthen your prayer life.
--How to extend Catholic beliefs and devotions into every room of the house.
--Why the Liturgy of the Hours is important and how it can make your family holy.
--How to pray the Rosary with children and keep the rowdiest of them calm and reverent.
--The active role children can and should play in the prayer life of the family.
--What to do when only one parent takes the spiritual life seriously.
--How to overcome the feeling that you're too busy to pray.
--Practical ways to extend the liturgical life into your workplace.
--And countless other tips to help you practice your faith in the heart of your home.
186 pages, Paperback
First published March 25, 2014
59 people are currently reading
471 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
March 4, 2025
A fabulous resource on how to cultivate a life of prayer and live liturgically as a family. Many tips and practical ways on how to implement this in your home.
May 30, 2014
There is not one among us who couldn't stand to pray more and pray better. That is why thousands of books have been written on the subject of prayer. The Little Oratory is one of the latest ones to be released, and it is billed as a beginners guide to prayer in the home. But what exactly is an oratory? If it wasn't for the definition in the first chapter, I would had to have
Googled the word to know that it means a sacred space for prayer and private worship. Before telling us how to build this little oratory, the book first expounds on the Christian life and the importance of family life in the home.
The authors then give advice on how to order and organize the house, room by room. For example, the master bedroom is meant to be ordered and neat. It is okay to have a crib in it, but all the items for the baby including diapers and toys must be in a certain place, and not strewn about. That's nice in a magazine, but not always practical. I do agree with the authors when they say that the living room or den need not be centered around the television, and I also agree that shelves provide great assistance no matter what room of the house. We then begin the chapter of making and placing the home altar. Included in the chapter on "Making the Little Oratory at Home" is tips for linens, candles, prayerbooks, etc. All of these tips are fine, but I disagree with their section on iconography. The author's equate iconography to just another form of art and put it on equal ground with Western art, like Michaelangelo. Iconography is more than art, and it is not even about creating "beautiful art." Icons are prayer and designed to aid in worship. That is why they have specific rules when being written. They should also never be framed, as suggested by the authors. So yes icons are better than Western art and different than Western art.
The next few chapters deal with praying and reading Scripture. We are given an overview of the Liturgical Year and each individual season in one chapter. In the next chapter, the reader receives a crash course on praying the Liturgy of the Hours. Included in this chapter are the importance of the Liturgy of the Hours, as well as versions one can use online or buy. Unfortunately, there is no instruction on how to actually pray the Liturgy of the Hours, and this is not a prayer rule you can just pick up and figure out on your own. It's a bit complicated, and I would recommend the book The Everyday Catholic's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours if you are serious about learning how to pray it. Chapter 7, "Devotion," details each month of the year and the special devotion associated with each, i.e., May being devoted to Mary. Chapter 8 discusses praying the Rosary and the value of it.
There are some closing chapters, which include difficulties you may encounter as well as encouragement to not only transform your home life, but to transform the world. The book then contains eight appendices. Some of them I found very helpful like "Devotion to Mary" and "The Sacred Heart." However, I found the appendix on the "Jesus Prayer" a bit troublesome. The authors were correct in what the prayer is and how the prayer is prayed, but they don't demonstrate knowledge otherwise in this prayer. There is a passing clause about people praying this prayer a set number of times, under guidance of a spiritual elder. However, they flippantly mention the breathing exercises associated with this prayer. This prayer can be very dangerous without supervision from a spiritual elder, especially when trying to adapt the breathing and postures that are associated with it.
Overall, I am very conflicted by this book. I found myself disagreeing with as much as I agreed with. There are parts that are absolutely brilliant and parts that I absolutely object to. So I guess I would recommend you to read this book carefully. You do not have to adopt everything mentioned in this book. If you find a section troubling or if something seems impractical to you, discuss it with your spiritual advisor.
Googled the word to know that it means a sacred space for prayer and private worship. Before telling us how to build this little oratory, the book first expounds on the Christian life and the importance of family life in the home.
The authors then give advice on how to order and organize the house, room by room. For example, the master bedroom is meant to be ordered and neat. It is okay to have a crib in it, but all the items for the baby including diapers and toys must be in a certain place, and not strewn about. That's nice in a magazine, but not always practical. I do agree with the authors when they say that the living room or den need not be centered around the television, and I also agree that shelves provide great assistance no matter what room of the house. We then begin the chapter of making and placing the home altar. Included in the chapter on "Making the Little Oratory at Home" is tips for linens, candles, prayerbooks, etc. All of these tips are fine, but I disagree with their section on iconography. The author's equate iconography to just another form of art and put it on equal ground with Western art, like Michaelangelo. Iconography is more than art, and it is not even about creating "beautiful art." Icons are prayer and designed to aid in worship. That is why they have specific rules when being written. They should also never be framed, as suggested by the authors. So yes icons are better than Western art and different than Western art.
The next few chapters deal with praying and reading Scripture. We are given an overview of the Liturgical Year and each individual season in one chapter. In the next chapter, the reader receives a crash course on praying the Liturgy of the Hours. Included in this chapter are the importance of the Liturgy of the Hours, as well as versions one can use online or buy. Unfortunately, there is no instruction on how to actually pray the Liturgy of the Hours, and this is not a prayer rule you can just pick up and figure out on your own. It's a bit complicated, and I would recommend the book The Everyday Catholic's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours if you are serious about learning how to pray it. Chapter 7, "Devotion," details each month of the year and the special devotion associated with each, i.e., May being devoted to Mary. Chapter 8 discusses praying the Rosary and the value of it.
There are some closing chapters, which include difficulties you may encounter as well as encouragement to not only transform your home life, but to transform the world. The book then contains eight appendices. Some of them I found very helpful like "Devotion to Mary" and "The Sacred Heart." However, I found the appendix on the "Jesus Prayer" a bit troublesome. The authors were correct in what the prayer is and how the prayer is prayed, but they don't demonstrate knowledge otherwise in this prayer. There is a passing clause about people praying this prayer a set number of times, under guidance of a spiritual elder. However, they flippantly mention the breathing exercises associated with this prayer. This prayer can be very dangerous without supervision from a spiritual elder, especially when trying to adapt the breathing and postures that are associated with it.
Overall, I am very conflicted by this book. I found myself disagreeing with as much as I agreed with. There are parts that are absolutely brilliant and parts that I absolutely object to. So I guess I would recommend you to read this book carefully. You do not have to adopt everything mentioned in this book. If you find a section troubling or if something seems impractical to you, discuss it with your spiritual advisor.
January 14, 2016
I found this book to be helpful in some practical aspects. However, as an inveterate rule-follower, I had a difficult time separating out what they were recommending as essential and what they thought was optional. I'll have to think on it a while, but I imagine this kind of prayer-practice might require my lifetime anyway. The color icons in the back are lovely and I'm glad to have them. Also, the images that head the chapters are great line drawings of certain icons, perfect to copy and give the kids to color.
October 11, 2017
In my circle of friends, this book is a popular one. Widely-praised and encouraged, I figured I would give it a shot.
The concept, overall, is good... but much of the message seemed old-fashioned to me. Perhaps it's because there is such a difference between my life and the life that is described....
While I took away a few ideas on how to create a focal point in our home for prayer, most of it I felt didn't apply to me.
The concept, overall, is good... but much of the message seemed old-fashioned to me. Perhaps it's because there is such a difference between my life and the life that is described....
While I took away a few ideas on how to create a focal point in our home for prayer, most of it I felt didn't apply to me.
July 22, 2024
I learned so much from this book ❤ Highly recommend!
January 5, 2015
I loved this book. It was very clear in explaining what an oratory was and the importance of having one. I liked the explanations of the various prayers with the months and days. I particularly liked the practical suggestions for each room in the home, ideas to implement in various months, and the illustrations! Oh the illustrations throughout are adorable and lovely. The art in the back (which can be taken out due to perforation) is beautiful. I decided that I really did agree that the person who washes dishes deserves to look at something beautiful, so I cleared off my sink's ledge and made it lovely. If others read this review, I would also recommend checking out Leila's blog at [corrected]: http://www.likemotherlikedaughter.org/ which is her daughters' and her attempt at maintaining the collective memory on any number of homemaking and life making concerns.
July 25, 2014
This book is a rarity among books aimed at helping parents cultivate a fruitful family spiritual life in the home. It is practical, without missing the deeper point behind the devotions it discusses. It is realistic, while encouraging us all to try and deepen our prayer life in the midst of our season of life. I also thought it was excellent that there were suggestions for people in all stages of their journey, from those just starting to encourage an environment of prayer in the home, to those who already have a solid foundation but are looking to continue growing. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to develop a family commitment to prayer.
August 17, 2014
This book employs a highfalutin vocabulary and unnecessarily complex sentences to express its ideas, but is nonetheless a great introduction to family prayer with lots of emphasis of how to handle to special problem presented by the presence of small children. The practical instructions on how to set aside a part of the house for the purpose of prayer will be useful to many and undoubtedly bear fruit for the families who try it.
May 21, 2015
This is a short and helpful text on the practical side of setting up a home that is centered around worship. Honestly though, this could have used stronger editing. There seemed to be too many digressions (like on how to choose paint colors for your walls or how to launder soiled linens) and overwrought language. But there were definitely pieces of text I found helpful, especially for those of us who are converts trying to raise kids in the faith.
February 5, 2015
This book speaks beautifully and practically about the importance and practice of prayer in the home -- as the home the "domestic church." It articulates so well why the family and the home need to be the environment for cultivating a culture of prayer. The authors demonstrate why such a family culture ultimately transforms the world.
August 28, 2014
This book "is a superbly designed and right-sized volume on bringing beauty into the home"
Read the rest at my review in my column for The Catholic Post:
http://readingcatholic.com/back-to-sc...
Read the rest at my review in my column for The Catholic Post:
http://readingcatholic.com/back-to-sc...
July 31, 2019
An excellent book about praying at home and how to incorporate it into family life.
Read
August 23, 2015A Lovely Book
A thoughtful book that delves into the physical and spiritual whys of having a home oratory. The addition of art for the prayer corner is especially nice to have.
A thoughtful book that delves into the physical and spiritual whys of having a home oratory. The addition of art for the prayer corner is especially nice to have.
September 24, 2019
Years ago at a conference, I was asked "If Jesus came to your house, would he feel welcome and a part of your family?" The question resonated with me then and it rings in my ears to this day.
As I meander about our home, I reflect on where Christ is. This applies not just to the physical elements that comprise our home, but to the interactions, behaviors, and routines of our family members.
This book took that original question I heard at a conference to new heights.
As a possible head's up, this book has the potential to make you feel inferior, which is NOT the authors intents, from my opinion. Though reading through tougher sections, it could make you feel inept in the realities of your own efforts and what you could be doing more of.
I think indeed the definition of success in creating a prayerful home and a prayerful soul is ultimately in the effort.
By challenging yourself to add any of the recommendations and ideas in this book, you will build your soul and your family's soul in a positive direction and a closeness to God.
Remind yourself that this is another tool in your toolbelt and not the master of all that must be done. It is another wonderful resource that I will recommend as a staple for our home.
As I meander about our home, I reflect on where Christ is. This applies not just to the physical elements that comprise our home, but to the interactions, behaviors, and routines of our family members.
This book took that original question I heard at a conference to new heights.
As a possible head's up, this book has the potential to make you feel inferior, which is NOT the authors intents, from my opinion. Though reading through tougher sections, it could make you feel inept in the realities of your own efforts and what you could be doing more of.
I think indeed the definition of success in creating a prayerful home and a prayerful soul is ultimately in the effort.
By challenging yourself to add any of the recommendations and ideas in this book, you will build your soul and your family's soul in a positive direction and a closeness to God.
Remind yourself that this is another tool in your toolbelt and not the master of all that must be done. It is another wonderful resource that I will recommend as a staple for our home.
April 23, 2025
The main argument of this book is have a home altar/prayer corner in your house for your daily prayers. For some, the nuts and bolts of why and how this is an important aspect in the domestic church may prove revelatory and insightful. For myself, and perhaps for many religious homes, having a prayer corner is something that is often already taken for granted as a good and helpful practice. For what I gathered from the book, I felt that it could be condensed into an article or an extended essay, but nevertheless, there are many beautiful explanatory passages that could be helpful for all, even if that means skimming through the very detailed suggestions and recommendations that may not be as pertinent. I would certainly recommend it for those who are interested in learning about this and establishing this practice in their homes.
May 3, 2019
Date approximative. I really enjoyed this book and, contrary to many books of the kind that I have read, I implemented its suggestions in my life! I guess it’s because they’re all centered around one thing, an oratory that one can easily create with whatever you already have, and the suggestions are basically small things that seem easy to apply immediately. I will definitely read this book many times.
October 8, 2020
Great begging primer for what worship at home can be. Written from a Catholic standpoint bet applicable for lots of Christian folks. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that it's a book that is begging to be a hard copy book with beautiful color photos. I kept earning for the beauty of photographs to not only describe what the author was suggesting, but also just the beauty of God's people worshiping.
August 16, 2020
Finally read this, but it was annoying actually and strange. Like why are they writing about how to clean the correct way?? And the hyper focus on the Liturgy of the Hours and chant/how to sing (in the appendix) was just a tad odd. I plan to look up iBreviary but it was good that I already had our prayer table made so I wouldn’t feel like I had to do all their suggestions. Not keeping this one.
August 22, 2018
This is a great little reference and self help book for making your own little prayer altar in your home to share with your family! It has some spiritual commentary and advice as well as a lot of guidance for the practical side of things.
May 3, 2021
I love this very practical book. There were parts that I just skimmed because I pretty much knew the material. Other parts were very helpful in giving me ideas for a home altar and pointing to information on how to sing the psalms without having to becoming a chant expert.
November 1, 2017
This book is so well written in both tone and content!
July 1, 2018
Glad I purchased this. I have a feeling I’ll be referencing it for quite a while.
October 1, 2018
This is a good practical guide to making the home a more prayerful place. Not something I would sit down and read cover to cover, but I enjoy drinking in little snippets of it.
February 7, 2019
I love Leila Lawler
January 3, 2020
Only lost a star because some of the appendices went a little into the weeds on technical/philosophical points; otherwise an excellent practical guide.
Read
October 29, 2020This book is very helpful and we'll written.
February 27, 2017
Very basic look at incorporating prayer into your family life.
April 21, 2024
This was yet another book that took me far too long to finish, but it was not due to lack of interest, just adjusting to motherhood. When able to sit down and read it, the book easily drew me in with its different methods of how to incorporate prayer multiple times daily regardless of where one is and within the home, specifically with the little oratory and its various elements. As a cradle Catholic, I am sometimes struck by what I am oblivious to about my faith, and specific prayers and the little oratory were previously unknown to me. As far as the prayers go, some I had heard of, but only had a vague or even little idea of what they were about, and others were new to me. The Catholic faith is vast with its 2000 year history, so I was not terribly surprised to learn of prayers unfamiliar to me. The little oratory really stuck out to me, though. How come I had not heard of it before? Why don't more people have such a set-up in their homes? Now that I have a child, the pressure is on me to raise her in the Catholic faith, and I think a little oratory could help with that. The book gave me great ideas of how to set it up, so I have been keeping my eye out for little religious items that could potentially be used in the little oratory, and it will be fun to change it up for the different seasons of the liturgical year. Unfortunately, as of this writing, I have yet to arrange a little oratory in my home, but I hope to get around to it sooner or later. I also found it interesting that this book mentions the collection of straws during Advent for the manger of Jesus by having children doing good deeds, earning a straw per deed in the hopes that they will earn enough for baby Jesus to appear in their manger bed of collected straws on Christmas Eve/Morning. The only other place I have heard of this activity is from my husband whose family did it when they were children.
September 27, 2022
A nice introduction to bringing the liturgical life to your home.
But what I would really love to see is a big, beautiful coffee table book excessively illustrated lavishly photographed with home altars, wayside shrines, Icons, grottos, Mary gardens. Different homes, seasons, feasts, devotions, traditions, families but the same Faith vibrantly lived at home. And maybe for a nice juxtaposition a chapter sharing photos of the monastic life (maybe not haven't decided.)
Like an interior design book. Not a how-to so much as a grand tour to soak in and ponder.
Does this exist? It should.
But what I would really love to see is a big, beautiful coffee table book excessively illustrated lavishly photographed with home altars, wayside shrines, Icons, grottos, Mary gardens. Different homes, seasons, feasts, devotions, traditions, families but the same Faith vibrantly lived at home. And maybe for a nice juxtaposition a chapter sharing photos of the monastic life (maybe not haven't decided.)
Like an interior design book. Not a how-to so much as a grand tour to soak in and ponder.
Does this exist? It should.
July 25, 2014
This is a great read. It is the perfect mix of practical advice and spiritual thought. Every Catholic family should have it as a go to resource for including Catholic faith in the home. It also come with some beautiful religious art prints that are perforated for easy removal and framing. I would say because of that fact and the size buy this book in paper and not as an e-book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews