A Place Above The Door For An Epiphany Blessing

In the Exodus home, I’m deliberately designing a white, flat lintel above every exterior door so there’s a place for an Epiphany blessing inscription. It’s a small detail, but it makes room for a Catholic tradition that matters to me.

For an Epiphany blessing, the priest comes to the house, walks through it, blesses it and puts an inscription above the door. In a house with eight-foot ceilings, there’s usually enough space above the doorway. But the inscription ends up drawn right on the paint.

I want to think about that before the house is built. If we know this is something a family will do, we can give it a deliberate place. That’s why I’m designing the lintel with a flat, white surface for the priest to write on.

Maybe you’re not Catholic. Maybe you’d use that same spot to write “have a nice day.” The detail leaves room for something meaningful to the people who live there.

I think these little decisions can matter to a family over time. We have to stop long enough to consider the things people actually do at home, including their traditions. My hope in sharing this detail is that more people start thinking about what they’d like their homes to make room for.