AUSTIN — Seminarian Kevin Lenius’ first Catholic Advocacy Day was summed up by one important takeaway: social-media driven angst and fury-filled rants often found on venues such as Facebook and Twitter are not reality.

And that’s a good thing.

The real political process, the one that matters and makes a difference in the lives of Texans and Americans, is on the interpersonal communication level and found in lawmakers’ offices and often initiated by constituents on days like April 4, 2017.

Catholic Advocacy Day was an example of democracy in action, and of the people taking their concerns to their elected voices in the statehouse.

“I learned how effective simple communication can be in advocating for those principles our Church holds dearest,” Lenius said. “My brother seminarians and I came to see that our world is full of political opinions, discussions, and arguments on social media and in social settings. Hardly any of the "ranting" ever makes a difference politically. To approach our legislators and present our opinions respectfully and with love, we were able to make a difference and actually speak up for those members of our society who have little voice.”

Lenius, an Abilene native, is a first-year Theology student at St. Mary Seminary in Houston. He made the trip with Thomas Shows and Deacon Timothy Hayter, the diocese’s two other seminarians at St. Mary’s.

Lenius and Shows joined Jerry Peters, the diocese’s pro-life director in meeting with Rep. Stan Lambert of Abilene for a half-hour. Lenius said he felt “well-heard” and left with Lambert’s assurances that he would conduct more research on a school choice bill because of the group’s advocacy for it.

Lenius said the tension in Austin over the immigration issue was palpable, even sobering.

“Hearing Bishop Vasquez of Austin speak on immigration was a sobering moment,” Lenius said. “He communicated that while we do need to secure our border and protect our country from criminals entering illegally, we cannot let bureaucracy blind us to those good people who are already here and who deserve our love and protection. Indeed, Christ himself was once an immigrant along with most of our ancestors.”

Deacon Hayter said Advocacy Day provides citizens the opportunity to plant conversational seeds with their elected representatives, a vital part of the democratic process.

“Advocacy Day calls to the minds of us as Catholics what the legal issues at hand are. It then gives us an opportunity to research these things and then connect what God seems to be asking of us in these situations with those who have the ability to make an impact on laws. It also brings together our bishops along with a large number of Catholics from across the state to show a united front. When this is done over time and consistently it can change one heart at a time, through the grace of God and us cooperating with it.”

Deacon Hayter said an apparent lack of knowledge and understanding of the issues exists, as well as a misunderstanding of where the Church stands on issues.

“It is important for Catholics to know and understand what the issues on the legal forefront are, as well as what Christ through the Church has to offer to these predicaments,” Hayter said. “In other words, the question is how can our faith shed light on the issues that we face as a society, and how do we enter into this dialogue in a way that is fruitful for those who such laws will later impact? The first step seems to be for us as Catholics to come to know and understand what the Church actually teaches about the issues and why.”

Both Hayter and Deacon Freddy Medina, who organized the event for the diocese, agreed that the highlight for them was the gathering of 20 bishops from across the state on the south steps of the capitol.

“It is so moving to see these holy men go to the political center of our state, knock on the door and ask to be heard,” Deacon Medina said. “And of course it was awesome to hear our Bishop Michael Sis speak on the capitol steps, asking for God to bless our legislators and asking our legislators to be bold and make positive changes to our laws to protect and empower all Texans.”