Pope Francis came and went, and our headlines remained the same. Congress missed an opportunity to make progress in our intractable abortion debate. Oregon families mourned loved ones killed in another shooting.

We yell about laws to address all these things, but there's something more that is needed. Something more foundational.

Bryan Carter runs the Gesu School, a Jesuit school in Philadelphia. He is one of many Catholics I met in Philadelphia last week who wanted to tell their Catholic stories as the world descended on the City of Brotherly Love.

Some of Carter's students tangoed for the pope during a festival welcoming him to town. Students at the Gesu School know how to tango because of a woman named Sue Shea, who founded the nonprofit Dancing With the Students to offer ballroom dancing to students, parents and teachers in impoverished areas of the city. Students learn a skill, have some fun -- occasionally getting gigs like a Phillies or 76ers game -- and learn respect, manners and confidence.

Carter explains that, in addition to "learning the tango, meringue, swing and waltz, our young men understand how to approach a young lady to ask for a dance; the young ladies now know how they should be approached by young men." And Shea, he says, "is not only a true champion for Gesu School and our children, but also hundreds of children throughout Philadelphia." Her program, founded 10 years ago, is currently in 10 schools around the area.

Needless to say, the visit of the first Jesuit pope from the Americas was a big deal for Gesu. But for Carter, it was much more than some of his students on center stage: It was an opportunity for renewal.

When the dancing stopped, there was prayer. Pope Francis passed Carter and raised his hand in blessing. This was not a close encounter with a celebrity so much as an experience of the universal Church, right at home. Carter was particularly moved by praying the "Our Father" on Benjamin Franklin Parkway with Catholics and non-Catholics alike.