The City Gates

Chicken Sandwiches and Kindred Spirits

By Chris Pelicano (bio - articles - send a comment) | August 02, 2012 3:49 PM

I just came back from a long lunch with friends I didn't know. Yes, I went with my wife and a couple of our kids to Chick-fil-A for lunch. So did a lot of other people—not only in my small town but all across the country.

We parked in an overflow parking lot, waited for an hour inside the building before placing our order, being served, and eventually eating. During our wait, we spoke with Chick-fil-A staff as they went about their duties, fellow waiting patrons, and each other. There were no protest signs, no speeches, no chanting, no media, no politicians trying to capitalize on the "captive audience", and no overt displays of heterosexuality (unless you consider moms with small kids in-tow an overt display). There were, however, lots of smiles, lots of courtesy, and lots of patience—on our part and the part of the busy staff.

The lunch crowd was visually diverse—young, old, married, unmarried, students, professionals, manual laborers, retirees, veterans, parents, grandparents, babies, etc. This was not a formally organized community or organizational event. But, we all knew why we were there—to silently stand with Chick-fil-A in acknowledging the reality of marriage as it has always been defined—the union of a man and a woman.

What struck me was that the conversations among patrons were quiet, sincere, and ordinary—like one would have among friends. We were by our presence collectively affirming the fact of marriage. There was no need to attack or tear down advocates of same-sex "marriage". We all just knew that there is no such thing as "same-sex" Marriage. ... and we all knew where to go to get a good chicken sandwich.

An appeal from our founder, Dr. Jeffrey Mirus:

Dear reader: If you found the information on this page helpful in your pursuit of a better Catholic life, please support our work with a donation. Your donation will help us reach five million Truth-seeking readers worldwide this year. Thank you!

Progress toward our June expenses ($13,107 to go):
$30,000.00 $16,892.93
44% 56%
Sound Off! CatholicCulture.org supporters weigh in.

All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!

Show 1 Comments? (Hidden)Hide Comments
  • Posted by: AgnesDay - Aug. 03, 2012 1:09 PM ET USA

    Our closest Chik-Fil-A is thirty miles away. We didn't make it, but plan to go by over the weekend.

Think with the Catholic Leaders: Subscribe to Catholic Culture Insights Newsletter
Donate to Support this Site: Your contribution will be put to good work.
Tour the CatholicCulture.org Site
Shop Amazon to Raise Money for Catholic Culture

Recent Catholic Commentary

Thankfully, electing a pope is not like electing a president. 1 hours ago
Excellent critique of bias in New York Times abortion coverage 1 hours ago
Pope Francis the Frank 24 hours ago
“Illegals” are not “Immorals”: A Persistent Immigration Fallacy June 18
News coverage of the Vatican: the blind leading the blind June 18

Top Catholic News

Most Important Stories of the Last 30 Days
Vatican document demands governments protect refugees CWN - June 6
Pope acknowledges 'gay lobby' influence in Vatican CWN - June 11
Pope confirms he is completing encyclical on faith begun by Benedict XVI CWN - June 13