How to Make a Personal Prayer Space

Do you have a space in your home that is devoted to prayer? A quiet spot you can retreat to daily and spend time with God? This week, I am encouraging you to make one if you don’t already have such a place. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but it can be a wonderful way to enhance your habit of daily prayer.



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The light of Christ shines in the darkest places.


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Just as Jesus withdrew to pray in a quiet place, we too can make a personal prayer space where we can rest in God.


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1. Pick a spot.

It can be indoors or outdoors. It can be in your bedroom or in the living room. Be creative! What is a place where you can find some quiet alone time on a regular basis?

2. Consider the seating.

Will you use a chair or a couch, a bench or a kneeler? You want a spot where you can be comfortable, but alert.

3. Add reading materials.

Keep it simple, but store your spiritual reading or other prayer aids where they will be ready when you are. A reading resource that I am currently using is the series of prayer books, The Better Part, by Fr. John Bartunek.

4. Add holy images.

You can start very simply. Do you love a certain crucifix, picture of a saint or a holy card? Display it where you can see it in your prayer space to help you focus during your prayer times. To inspire you: Here is the stunning Immaculate Heart of Mary print I recently purchased and set up in my living room.

5. Now you need some candles!

Candles are an easy way to add a sense of prayer and reflection to any space in your home. I like to use votives set up in front of holy images as well as dollar store finds like St. Michael or Our Lady of Guadalupe pillar candles that burn for a long time. Candles can also add fragrance to your prayer space, so consider what scents you would liek to have there.

6. Include sacramentals.

Maybe a bottle of holy water (here is the small bottle I use to keep it handy) or other prayer items like your favorite Rosary or chaplet beads. Do you have any other holy items that are blessed? Bring them in!

7. Consider music.

If you like to listen to music during your prayer time, have your space set up for this. I just keep my wireless earbuds in the drawer nearby so I can use some of my favorite apps for prayer: Hallow and Pray as You Go. If you prefer to use a speaker or your computer, make sure you have a space setup for those things as well.

And that’s it! Start small, with whatever small steps makes sense for you right now, but know this: You will be blessed by making a small space devoted to prayer in your home. If you have a new or old space set up, I would love to hear about it. Email me the details, or better yet, send photos! I would love to see.

At the end of today’s show, I share my response to a “keeping up with fitness even when it’s winter outside” question. I, once again, encourage everyone to check out my beloved Peloton app. 

My newest book is one that I wrote with Dan, the Manual for Marriage, a beautiful resource for every couple. In it, Dan and I share reflective essays on marriage and family life, but it also features a large collection of prayers, Scripture passages, hymns, and stories from the saints that will encourage and support you in your married relationship.  

I have received so much feedback from all of you about my newest book and the first chapter that I shared with you at the end of episode 210Giving Thanks and Letting Go: Reflections on the Gift of Motherhood is a book in which I share from my heart about the very real changes, challenges, triumphs, and joys of being a mom in an “emptying nest.” You can read that sample chapter at Ave Maria Press. (Use the coupon code BEAN20 to get 20% off your order!)

My book, You Are Enough: What Women of the Bible Teach You About Your Mission and Worth, is available for order! Use the code, GIRLFRIENDS to receive ten percent off your order. Don’t miss out on this special available exclusively to listeners of the Girlfriends podcast. 

Have feedback or an idea to share? I would love to hear from you!

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Megan Madden

Megan Madden is a homeschooling mother with a passion for writing and speaking on authentic femininity and virtuous womanhood. In 2017, she began graduate studies in marriage and family at the International Theological Institute in Austria. After moving to Kraków, Poland to work with university students, Megan more personally continued her research on the complementarity of man and woman, particularly on the question of what it means to be a woman. She delved into the study of renowned Catholic writers on women such as St. Edith Stein, Gertrude von le Fort, Alice von Hildebrand, St. John Paul II, and St. Teresa of Avila.

The results were the development of Megan’s online ministry A Mother’s Lace, as well as speaking opportunities and her book with Ascension: Mary, Teach Me to Be Your Daughter.

Megan lives outside of Oxford, England with her husband, who is a lecturer in theology, and their five children.

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