In the United States there’s a cultural idea of “separating Church and State” but the interesting thing is that there’s a great freedom for business owners to express a religion not just within the culture of the business, behind closed doors, but out in the open, in customer-facing scenarios. What steps can business owners take to “Catholicize” their businesses?
In-N-Out’s Subtlety
The famous American burger joint In-N-Out Burger has verses of Scripture all throughout its packaging:
- On the soda cup: John 3:16 For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting.
- On the milkshake cup: Proverbs 3:5 Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not upon thy own prudence.
- On hamburger and cheeseburger wrappers: Apocalypse 3:20 Behold, I stand at the gate, and knock. If any man shall hear my voice, and open to me the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
- On the Double-Double wrapper: Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good and giveth strength in the day of trouble: and knoweth them that hope in him.
This first started in 1987 and current owner Lynsi Snyder has continued the trend herself, adding verses from Proverbs (24:16) and the Gospel of Luke (6:35) to the fry boat and coffee and hot chocolate cups.
You might not have your own restaurant in which to share verses from Scripture, but you likely have emails and company manuals and newsletters. What’s to stop you from adding an IHS or an AMDG to the bottom of an email signature or to the final page of company manuals? Or, with less subtlety, a crucifix to your own wall or on top of your desk. Never miss an opportunity to give testimony to the faith that should light you from within.
Keeping Holy the Sabbath Day
While it has recently been drawn into the web of DEI, Chick-Fil-A has been famous for its insistence on closing on Sundays. Once again in America, Protestants lead the way in standing up for their faith.
But as Catholics we have more than Sunday to keep holy: we have all of our Holy Days of Obligation. In consultation with clergy, you might consider closing your business on those days, not just to enable you to get to Mass easier and sanctify the day in general, but to give your employees an unexpected day off. Does this mean they will suddenly become interested in Catholicism and ask to go to Mass with you? Not necessarily. But one way they will never be curious is if you don’t even try to showcase your faith to them in these small ways.
Insist on Decorum
One of the most important ways we can honor Our Lord is through our speech and it should be clear that blasphemy will never be permitted in your workplace. While such a restriction may be more legally difficult in other places, in the United States employers have the ability to mandate that certain types of speech in the workplace will simply not be tolerated.
Just as a Catholic home should be an extension of a church, i.e. a place where Our Lord is welcomed and worshipped, so should businesses owned by Catholics, even if the business isn’t explicitly oriented towards the Faith. Don’t miss the opportunity to share what animates your life with your employees. You never know who is looking for answers, and you never can guess how Our Lord might use you as a vector for actual graces.
