“The beacon of the Catholic church to immigrants has rarely shown more brilliantly” than in Postville, Iowa, writes Samuel G. Freedman in The New York Times. Freedman, one of the great religion writers at work, is referring to a tiny church that has become a literal sanctuary for hundreds of longtime Postville locals who also happen to be illegal immigrants, following a massive federal raid on a meat-processing plant. Freedman is clearly on the side of the immigrants and their aged pastor, Father Ouderkirk. It’s hard not to be after reading his story; it’s designed to elicit not just sympathy but solidarity. And so should it be, regardless of one’s views on immigration — this is journalism meant to make us understand faith in action.