Building Home Shrines

2007-11-16T14:21:00.000-08:00

Introducing a new book by Constance Malewski, Building Home Shrines
ISBN: 978-0-9786293-1-1

Order your copy through one of the following links:

Amazon.com

Prairie Oak Oak Publishing

or ask your local bookstore to order it for you.

Makes a great Christmas gift!

News Release for Building Home Shrines

2007-11-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Jeffrey Goettemoeller, 660-528-0768
prairieoakpub@gmail.com

Bring Catholic Culture Home!

November 2007 — A convert to the Catholic faith, Constance Malewski enjoys bringing beauty and a sense of the sacred into the life of her family by building home shrines. “After a hard day, during times of stress, or while in prayer,” writes Connie, “it is a pleasure to sit or kneel at a home shrine. A beautifully constructed shrine will add to the attractiveness of a room, foster thoughts that turn one toward God, help us remember to pray, and bring a sense of well being and dignity to a home.”

In her new book, Building Home Shrines: Bringing Catholic Culture into our Homes & Schools through Art, Symbols, & Sacramentals, Connie explains how to make pedestals and backdrops, achieve unity through theme, materials, and color, share your faith by building shrines with children, and make “pocket shrines” to carry anywhere! Nineteen color photos by Stephanie Hesse illustrate these simple techniques and provide plenty of ideas to get started.

Constance Barrett Malewski resides in St. Joseph, Missouri. Her passion for traditional Catholic art led Connie to establish a business, “Colorful Saints,” in partnership with her sister, Kathy Hesse. Connie and Kathy restore sacred statues, that these reminders of God’s love may inspire future generations.

Building Home Shrines is available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, or contact Prairie Oak Publishing: 660-528-0768 or prairieoakpub@gmail.com.
Available wholesale from Wholesale Catholic Goods, Prairie Oak Publishing or Ingram Book Co.

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Building Home Shrines: Bringing Catholic Culture into our Homes & Schools through Art, Symbols, & Sacramentals by Constance Barrett Malewski. Photography by Stephanie Hesse. 2007, Original Edition, 8.5 x 8.5, 16 pages, 19 color photos. ISBN 978-0-9786293-1-1.
LCCN: 2007939303. $12.00

Prairie Oak Publishing; 221 South Saunders St.; Maryville MO 64468
Phone: (660) 528-0768
Fax: (866) 790-3987
prairieoakpub@gmail.com
http://www.prairieoakpublishing.com/

Publication Information for Building Home Shrines

2007-11-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

Author: Constance Malewski
Photographer: Stephanie Hesse
Publisher: Prairie Oak Publishing
Edition: 1st
LCCN: 2007939303
ISBN: 978-0-9786293-1-1
Pages: 16
Illustrations: 19 color photos
Binding: paperback
Dimensions: 8.5 by 8.5 inches
Price: $12.00
Publication Date: October 2007
Retail Availability: Amazon.com, Prairie Oak Publishing, barnesandnoble.com, or ask your local book store to order it for you.
Wholesale Availability: Prairie Oak Publishing, Ingram Book Co., Baker & Taylor

Table of Contents for Building Home Shrines

2007-11-16T13:35:00.000-08:00

from Building Home Shrines: Bringing Catholic Culture into our Homes & Schools

Introduction: Bringing Sacramentals into the Home
Chapter 1: Why Build a Shrine?
Chapter 2: Steps to Building a Shrine
Chapter 3: Location: Where can I Build a Home Shrine?
Chapter 4: Unity through Theme, Materials, and Color
Chapter 5: Pedestals and Backdrops
Chapter 6: Balance and Focal Point
Chapter 7: Building a Shrine to the Passion of Christ
Chapter 8: Building a Home Shrine with Children
Chapter 9: Building a Pocket Shrine

Introduction: Bringing Sacramentals into the Home

2007-11-16T13:21:00.000-08:00

(from Building Home Shrines: Bringing Catholic Culture into our Homes & Schools by Constance Malewski)

Follow me as we open the heavy doors and enter our church. Just inside, we can feel the cool water from the font as we dip our fingers into the holy water to bless ourselves. Moving forward, we are aware of the pungent aroma of the incense smoke which has curled upward in this sacred space for many years. We savor the rich smell and the welcoming light of the candles which burn along the perimeter of the church. Our eyes are drawn to statuary of Jesus, Mother Mary, and the saints, which seem to invite us to their friendship. We are treated to the clear and singing colors of the stained glass windows—homilies painted in light.

Any Catholic knows that these are the sacramentals, and we love them because they aid us in our worship in a most pleasing way by involving our senses. The sacramentals help to instill a sense of reverence and peace in us, and prepare us to receive and cooperate with God's grace.
I am a convert to the Church and I have certainly come to love and appreciate the sacramentals. Over time, I began to want to bring them more into my life and our home.

It all started with a statue that I purchased, but grew into the building of home shrines. Friends saw these little shrines in our home and seemed to enjoy them. They also had questions concerning how to put things together in order to produce something pleasing to the eye. That is one reason I decided to write this book. Also, I believe Catholic art and culture deserves a prominent place in our lives.

I have been in homes where various kinds of art is displayed depicting nature, movie stars, or race cars, for example. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this kind of art, it does strike me that the Catholic faith should receive at least as much representation in our homes. In this effort, I will illustrate the ways in which anyone can build a beautiful home shrine. I will discuss theme, materials, color, and construction. I hope that you will be more than anxious to get started on your first home shrine. (continued below)

A Note to Parents

Firstly, I congratulate you on the following of your calling to parenthood. As the mother of five, I know parenthood to be one of the most important, fulfilling, and terrifying of vocations. As parents, you are aware that today's children live in a media-driven world, and are exposed from a very early age to media-influenced culture.

I implore you to begin as soon as possible exposing your little sons and daughters to images of Jesus, the Blessed Mother and the Saints. Hang good Catholic art in your home. Have fun together setting up a home shrine. Tell the children the stories of the holy martyrs, and provide them with real heroes to admire and emulate.

I hope this book can be of some use in helping you to bring some Catholic culture into your home. If you do so, I know your children will feel warm and loved as the arms of Holy Mother Church extend, even more, into their lives. -- from Building Home Shrines
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