Cathy Frazier grew up in a home where religion and politics were discussed around the dinner table, and she and five of her siblings were known to divide into partisan camps. Decades later, she’s decided to delve more deeply into influencing policymaking by volunteering as a district leader with the Catholic Advocacy Network.

A parishioner of St. Louis, King of France in downtown St. Paul, Frazier is working to help parishes in Minnesota legislative District 52, which includes her home in West St. Paul, to identify ambassadors who can keep their parishes informed about what’s going on at the state and U.S. capitols.

Thanks, in part, to her parents’ influence, Frazier has always voted and, in some years, participated in the local March for Life. Attending last year’s Catholics at the Capitol event organized by the Minnesota Catholic Conference motivated her to get serious about political involvement.

“I’ve always felt as a Catholic and as an American citizen, it was somehow my duty to be involved in the political process,” said Frazier, 52.

She was attracted to the district leader role’s emphasis on civic responsibility from a nonpartisan, faith-based perspective. “That’s what I think the Catholic faith can really offer now, especially with all of the partisanship on both sides of issues,” she said. “I’ve felt like the Catholic social teaching and Catholic moral teaching [have] always been straight down the middle, and … it has a lot of common sense in it and a lot of tolerance.”

An MCC initiative, the Catholic Advocacy Network is a growing effort to engage Catholics in community-based advocacy. The district leader role is new, and Frazier said it’s still taking shape. She noted that it can feel uncomfortable to talk about policy — especially in a divisive political climate — but she sees that as a small sacrifice. “This service is not just to your Church, it’s to your country,” Frazier said.