September 16, 2025 // Diocese

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Clare Hildebrandt

Reporter

Catholic Young Adults Flock to Culver’s for Community

After catering to busy crowds throughout the weekend, Monday, typically, is a slow day for most restaurants. That isn’t the case for the Culver’s on the east side of Fort Wayne on Monday evenings.

Each week after attending Mass at nearby St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Catholic young adults pack the restaurant, where they enjoy Butter Burgers and Concrete Mixers with Bibles and rosaries in hand. The conversation is loud, with topics ranging from the Catechism to simple life updates.

“This isn’t the normal. … This isn’t usual,” said Nathan Mills when talking about regular get togethers at the Midwest fast food chain. “And I really like that.”

What have become known as “Culver’s Mondays” began as Mills was looking for more Catholic community in Fort Wayne. A student at Purdue University Fort Wayne, Mills felt it was easy to get lost in the crowd and was seeking authentic relationships with other Catholics.

“I just wanted a group, and so I took a chance,” Mills told Today’s Catholic. “I randomly went to St. Charles, and I saw this huge group of young adults in the back at Mass. … I thought we could go get some food afterwards. It was only a few of us, but we decided to do it again the next week and the week after,” he said.

Now, “Culver’s Mondays” consistently bring 20-30 young adults to Mass every week, followed by socializing afterwards.

“It has kind of exploded now,” Mills said. “It is a super casual thing and was never a formalized event. Now, we go every week. This has been happening for about two years now, every Monday. I mean what is better than a Mass and Culver’s combo?”

Mills continued: “I’ve had so many conversations with people at the tables that help me learn more in my faith or even help other young adults better understand the faith. I’ve grown so much in my knowledge of the Church because of it. The funny thing is … we’re not in a setting where you would think we’d talk about faith. We’re not in a church, not on retreat; we’re sitting in a random restaurant in Fort Wayne,” he said.

“The people who come to Culver’s desire to pray the Mass and grow in that desire,” Mills added. “It shows this group was founded on something good and special. It is to help improve our spiritual lives. … Even after our hangouts at the restaurant, [some of us] will look at each other and say, ‘Hey, how about adoration at St. Jude’s at 10 p.m.?’ It’s spontaneous, and people put themselves out there to do these good things.”

Ana Furnas first attended a Culver’s night after hearing about it from a young adult retreat in town. As a hairstylist and nail tech who began working right out of high school, she felt a deep need to find a young Catholic community.

Furnas, who said she had “kind of lost her faith a little bit” after high school, told Today’s Catholic that she had heard about the weekly get togethers during a retreat in Fort Wayne. She began attending and said she now feels deeply connected to the community.

“I feel like both [going to Mass and eating at Culver’s] are just so impactful, because at Mass, we’re all there together – not talking but praying together. Then at Culver’s, I feel like it’s just like a sense of like a big family. … They don’t judge you. I view everyone as brothers and sisters in Christ,” Furnas said.

Ellen Perkins is an employee at Culver’s who frequently works on Monday nights. She enjoys interacting with the group of young Catholic adults.

“We [the Culver’s employees] aren’t surprised anymore [when so many young adults walk in]. At first, we were, but now my manager knows they come in every week,” she told Today’s Catholic.

Perkins, as a Catholic herself, has now become a Culver’s night regular when not working behind the counter.

“I was happy when they came in and when I found out there were a group of young adults who were Catholic and coming from Mass. … It made me so happy! People say they don’t have enough time to go to a daily Mass once a week, but seeing them proved to me that there is always time to go to Mass,” she said.

Stefan Magner is a college student in the area who was looking to grow in his faith. He told Today’s Catholic that attending Culver’s nights on Mondays has led to Christ-centered friendships and spiritual growth.

“It is just a great thing to go to Mass and then hang out with your friends,” Magner said. “There is always that core Catholic value of going to Mass. I have met some of my best friends through going to Culver’s, and it’s a great place to invite people to explore a Catholic group,” he said.

“If there is someone new to the community who is looking for friends, Culver’s is the place to come for the Catholic community and faith,” Magner added. “I’ve just seen my prayer life grow so much just through Mass and the things that come out of Culver’s – like other get-togethers and things.”

Both Magner and Mills often attend late-night adoration together afterward at St. Jude. When reflecting on it, Mills said, “It’s kind of crazy to think that all this started at a fast-food restaurant.”

Clare Hildebrandt is a staff writer for Today’s Catholic.