The Catholic Church is not a faction of the Republican Party—and Democrats are not the only ones who sometimes view the defense of religious freedom as a pothole instead of a stop sign.

'City of Dignity,' by Sean T. Dempsey, S.J., tells a story of how progressive religious leaders, organizations and institutions worked to shape Los Angeles into a city where dignity flourished through their grassroots organizing and activism in the decades after World War II until the mid-1990s.

What did four Shreveport neighborhoods with plunging crime rates have in common? They had Friendship Houses, opened and operated by Community Renewal International.

My sister, who has Down syndrome, never had dolls that looked like her growing up. Today, my kids can play with a Barbie who has Down syndrome, which allows all children to welcome people with disabilities.

When we get behind the wheel, it is easy to see other human beings as mere obstacles. We need to acknowledge that driving can distort the moral sense of Catholics and all good people.

I would like to offer three anecdotes from my life that I hope will speak to what the Writers Guild of America is fighting for and why Catholics should care.