Places of worship

Places of worship within the home

The following pages are based on an article in the Independent Magazine on 25.11.00 written by Marina Cantacuzina with photographs by Brian Moody.

Devon Curriculum Services are grateful to the above for permission to use their article as the basis for these pages, which are designed to supplement the work in Key Stage 2, Unit 9 of the Devon, Plymouth and Torbay Scheme of Work for religious education.

Suggested activities for pupils (in shaded boxes) could be adjusted for particular pupils.

Some members of faith communities set aside a part of their home for the purposes of worship. On these pages you will find examples of some Christians and a Hindu family who have established very distinctive places that enable them to develop their spiritual lives.

A windowsill, the corner of a room, the inside of a cupboard can become a place of great personal and spiritual significance. The people on these pages have converted a whole room or even built a special place in which to pray.

Find out why

Find out what they have put in their place of worship

Find out how they use it

A Hindu Temple

Chandra and Athiswara Vadivale converted the large shed in the garden of their home into a Hindu Temple and over the years have added two extensions. It is about 23 metres long and the inside is decorated with statues of deities (murti), fruit, flowers, garlands and photographs.

"The prayer room in a Hindu household is the heartbeat of the family," says Chandra, who often spends two or three hours a day in his temple. Early every morning, his daughters tidy the shrine before joining their parents for prayer. Afterwards he goes off to work in his accountancy business.

On special occasions, other Hindus who come to share the puja join the family.

Explain what you think Chandra meant when he said: " The prayer room in a Hindu household is the heartbeat of the family."

Use this picture to describe the contents and use of a shrine.

This Oratory (a small chapel, especially for private worship) is used by a priest in the Church of England

Tony and Morag Bushell were planning an extension to their home and realised that some of the planned storage space could be put to better use.

"We decided to put in a window and have a place to pray away from the clutter of family life."

Why do you think Tony and Morag find this a good place to pray?

In addition to the items you can easily identify, Tony and Morag have placed a Russian icon, some marble from Iona and a salt crystal from Poland. Try to find out why they may have included these.

Try to find out more about icons and this one in particular.

A Russian Orthodox private chapel

Fr. Paul converted his basement into a Russian Orthodox Church. Fr. Paul says: "The most important thing is not only that we have a place to worship God, but a place where we can also introduce other people."

To make a church he had to build an icon screen. Find out why? Find out what happens behind the screen and what the priest brings out to the congregation.
How do members of the Russian Orthodox church use icons?

Last year 27 people turned up to the Christmas celebration, which in the Orthodox Church is held on January 6th.

A Roman Catholic chapel

For centuries, the liturgy in the Roman Catholic Church was in Latin. From 1962 the church allowed the services to be in the local language. So in England the services were in English. Joe and Clare Bevan are among a minority of Roman Catholics who found that the reforms did not meet their spiritual needs. They wanted to continue to worship God in the traditional way.

In their home they built their own chapel where they attend Mass every day. Father Michael Crowdy is an 86 year old priest with similar views. He lives with the family and says the Mass. In the picture is Fr. Michael, Joe and Clare Bevan and their children.

What is Joe and one of his children doing in this picture?

Would Clare be able to perform this task? Would Roman Catholic laws allow her to be a priest?

Why is her head covered?

What is meant by the "spiritual needs of the family?

Lord and Lady Monckton's Roman Catholic chapel

Lord Monckton was stranded in Dunkirk in 1940 and vowed that if he came out of that dreadful experience alive he would build his own chapel as a thank offering to God.

The altar and pews came from local churches that no longer needed them.

The Monckton's go to their local church on Sundays and use their own chapel for prayers during the week.

Mass is said only when a priest is staying with them. However, when somebody lost the key to the local church, the congregation came to the chapel - it was quite a squash since it only seats 12.

A Quaker hermitage

A hermitage is a place where a hermit (a person who chooses to live alone for religious reasons) practises his/her spiritual life. Dorin Barter has been a hermit for the last 20 years and says it is the place where she can follow the "rhythm of her soul." She finds the silence and lack of stimuli helpful to her. She spends at least 4 hours a day in the hermitage.

There is a working desk and a 'thoughtful' desk. One wall is covered with a board on which she pins her thoughts, jottings and writings. "The board becomes a picture of how I have travelled."

Spend some moments over the next few days thinking about the sort of things you would want to place on your board.

Questions

Try to explain why these people created these special spaces, what is in them and how they are used.

Make a list of questions you would like to ask any of the people here.

Do you have a special place where you go to think deeply? Are there any items in it that are important to you or which you would like to add to it if you could?

Places of worship within the home

The following pages are based on an article in the Independent Magazine on 25.11.00 written by Marina Cantacuzina with photographs by Brian Moody.

Devon Curriculum Services are grateful to the above for permission to use their article as the basis for these pages, which are designed to supplement the work in Key Stage 2, Unit 9 of the Devon, Plymouth and Torbay Scheme of Work for religious education.

Suggested activities for pupils (in shaded boxes) could be adjusted for particular pupils.

Some members of faith communities set aside a part of their home for the purposes of worship. On these pages you will find examples of some Christians and a Hindu family who have established very distinctive places that enable them to develop their spiritual lives.

A windowsill, the corner of a room, the inside of a cupboard can become a place of great personal and spiritual significance. The people on these pages have converted a whole room or even built a special place in which to pray.

Find out why

Find out what they have put in their place of worship

Find out how they use it

A Hindu Temple

Chandra and Athiswara Vadivale converted the large shed in the garden of their home into a Hindu Temple and over the years have added two extensions. It is about 23 metres long and the inside is decorated with statues of deities (murti), fruit, flowers, garlands and photographs.

"The prayer room in a Hindu household is the heartbeat of the family," says Chandra, who often spends two or three hours a day in his temple. Early every morning, his daughters tidy the shrine before joining their parents for prayer. Afterwards he goes off to work in his accountancy business.

On special occasions, other Hindus who come to share the puja join the family.

Explain what you think Chandra meant when he said: " The prayer room in a Hindu household is the heartbeat of the family."

Use this picture to describe the contents and use of a shrine.

This Oratory (a small chapel, especially for private worship) is used by a priest in the Church of England

Tony and Morag Bushell were planning an extension to their home and realised that some of the planned storage space could be put to better use.

"We decided to put in a window and have a place to pray away from the clutter of family life."

Why do you think Tony and Morag find this a good place to pray?

In addition to the items you can easily identify, Tony and Morag have placed a Russian icon, some marble from Iona and a salt crystal from Poland. Try to find out why they may have included these.

Try to find out more about icons and this one in particular.

A Russian Orthodox private chapel

Fr. Paul converted his basement into a Russian Orthodox Church. Fr. Paul says: "The most important thing is not only that we have a place to worship God, but a place where we can also introduce other people."

To make a church he had to build an icon screen. Find out why? Find out what happens behind the screen and what the priest brings out to the congregation.

How do members of the Russian Orthodox church use icons?

Last year 27 people turned up to the Christmas celebration, which in the Orthodox Church is held on January 6th.

A Roman Catholic chapel

In their home they built their own chapel where they attend Mass every day. Father Michael Crowdy is an 86 year old priest with similar views. He lives with the family and says the Mass. In the picture is Fr. Michael, Joe and Clare Bevan and their children.

What is Joe and one of his children doing in this picture?

Would Clare be able to perform this task? Would Roman Catholic laws allow her to be a priest?

Why is her head covered?

What is meant by the "spiritual needs of the family?

Lord and Lady Monckton's Roman Catholic chapel

Lord Monckton was stranded in Dunkirk in 1940 and vowed that if he came out of that dreadful experience alive he would build his own chapel as a thank offering to God.

The altar and pews came from local churches that no longer needed them.

The Monckton's go to their local church on Sundays and use their own chapel for prayers during the week.

Mass is said only when a priest is staying with them. However, when somebody lost the key to the local church, the congregation came to the chapel - it was quite a squash since it only seats 12.

A Quaker hermitage

There is a working desk and a 'thoughtful' desk. One wall is covered with a board on which she pins her thoughts, jottings and writings. "The board becomes a picture of how I have travelled."

Spend some moments over the next few days thinking about the sort of things you would want to place on your board.

Questions

Try to explain why these people created these special spaces, what is in them and how they are used.

Make a list of questions you would like to ask any of the people here.

Do you have a special place where you go to think deeply? Are there any items in it that are important to you or which you would like to add to it if you could?