Anglicans and prayer rooms

What do some of you think of a dedicated prayer room in an Anglican church? Anglican home?

Yes -- No -- Maybe So
Size
Furniture
Altar
Windows -- or not
Prayer benches
Icons
Art
Wall hangings
Color of paint
Carpet or bare floor
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.

Prayer Room Images (from Google)
Any favorites among these?

...Scottish Monk

 

Yes, I have a small shrine with a statue of Our Lady on a desk, with votive candles, an Icon of Christ the Pantocrator on the wall, and a BCP with the English Ritual to supplement it. I eventually want to get a stationary censer too

 

The church itself is the prayer room so why have another set aside? Anything set aside could be coming in and meeting rooms to allow those people in church the space to be able to pray how they prefer to pray

At home
For me, I do not have a specific room because I prefer to be aware of presence of God in whatever I am doing and requires no special place or words. I can just be with God anywhere. Communion is great or after I have received communion because I have learned how to relax with God most weeks and be with God and that kind of is my 'feeling' whenever I just be with God in my life. I don't use words in my personal prayer.

 

There is a place for an Oratory in Christian homes, it is a place set aside for prayer and worship. There are too many distractions in this world as is. Eastern Orthodox Christians have special places for prayer complete with icons and incense. I encourage you Rhi, to look up on Domestic Oratories. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11271a.htm

 

Scottish Monk, this is more akin to my taste.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oN5K_WcO5.../f6edvhFuyYU/s400/Newman's+Private+Chapel.JPG

 

CatholicAnglican...

Here is a video clip of Cardinal Newman's Private Chapel.

...Scottish Monk

 

It is very close to what an Anglo-Catholic oratory would look like

 

"My house shall be called a house of prayer" -- our priest always starts off with a couple minutes of silent prayer for us to focus on what we are about to participate in. The whole service in fact is chock full of prayers.

Almost anywhere is my prayer room. Work cubicle, car, hallway, closet, outdoors, etc although wife and I say compline in our bedroom with nothing other than '79 BCP.

 

I understand what you are saying but I find that I am the only one who distracts me from prayer and it don't matter what I have in place it is me who distracts me. Plus the way I pray is so simple and doesn't require anything. I will look it up to see what you are saying but for me. My life is prayer per se. Life is prayer not just my life. I simply enjoy being with God and aware of His Presence and I can do that without any aide to guide me. I can be anywhere and just become aware of God. Its beautiful and so easy and requires nothing but our hearts. It certainly isn't ritual based and need nothing special. I am no longer searching for God. I have found God. I don't need anything to be with God, just my heart and it has taken long enough to find God per se and I don't need incense and candles and music and .... Yes they have a place in church to help people who are still searching for God and need that build up to find him and I take part in creating that build up for others, for me, I have found God and can be with him wherever and it is so good and complete and just so right. If I look up this website would you try this way of prayer too which is perfectly valid prayer as it was a priest who helped me find this and yes I can safely say I do not have to seek God anymore before being with Him. I do not need any words, any candles any incense, any bells etc. They have a place in community worship and I enjoying lighted candles at home but they are simply that I enjoy them and not there to create the right atmosphere in my home as I don't need that to be with God. I have learned how to just simply enjoy being with God without any materialistic rituals to get me to be with God

 

Rhiannon you must be a Calvinist

 

Our Church has a prayer room. It is just a small room with chairs around the sides. There is a cross on the wall and a needlepoint picture that someone has done of the Last Supper. On Sunday's we have two members from the prayer group in the room for anyone who would like prayer and then on Monday's we have our weekly prayer meeting.

After my husband died, I made our bedroom into a bed-sitting room and I have my prayer spot there. I have an altar with a Cross, a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a picture of the Shroud of Turin, a small bottle of water from the Jordan River and a candle. While it's true we can pray anywhere and we should, I love having my prayer corner where I can meet with the Lord with no distractions.

 

Kammi...

Thank you for your post about the prayer rooms in both your church and your house. Your prayer spot in your home is very interesting--particularly the additions of an altar with a Cross, statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, picture of the Shroud of Turin, bottle of water from the Jordan River, and a candle. All representative of our Lord's life here on earth. Yes, I agree that a personal prayer corner where a person can meet with the Lord is important in every home.

 

While I can appreciate having a space set aside in a home. Most of us do not have the space. Coming from a RC backgound, there are many Eucharistic Chapels near where I live. There is a real sense of holiness upon entering. It is a shame ECUSA churches don't have at least one in a metro area.

 

In our Diocese, the Cathedral sits in the middle of our downtown business district, and they have the church open Monday thru Friday during normal business hours, and encourage the downtown folks of all faiths to come in and pray. At our local parish we do have a dedicated prayer room, but most prefer to enter the Sanctuary to pray. Personally, I believe we fall short in encouraging individual/family prayer time at home, the evening Compline is a beautiful way to end the day!

Jeff

 

My home parish was at the end of my block growing up. They left it open 24/7. I can't tell you what a blessing it was to have access to a sacred space whenever I needed it.

 

It's a shame in this day and age, thieves think nothing of robbing churches.

 

Maybe a retired cop turned Priest would change things up a bit.

Jeff

 

Let us all pray for the return of 24/7 access to sacred places.

...Scottish Monk

 

I found this image of a prayer chapel Our Lady of the Pines posted on Wild Wonder West Virginia (Facebook).

Nice!

 

I think Prayer rooms are ok in the home or even just a space in a room or a quiet area, but there not really needed in churches as there built for worship which is what prayer itself is.