Having just returned home from daily Mass, Catherine Hicks must now switch gears to talk to a reporter. But switching gears comes naturally to the star of the long running WB series "7th Heaven," who --- in addition to acting --- is working with Catholic Relief Services to bring awareness to the suffering caused by the famine and violence currently going on in Darfur, The Sudan.

A lifelong Catholic, Hicks appears in public service announcements airing on various cable channels and has a grassroots t-shirt campaign to bring awareness to the crisis. Hicks will also appear Dec. 7 on the Soap Network talk show "Soap Talk," wearing her black shirt with white letters proclaiming, "Sudan, Stop the Violence," and discuss what's happening.

Getting people to pay attention is a challenge, Hicks admitted, noting that the Sudan crisis is fast getting buried among many other world crises. But she persists, mindful of the lessons she learned while attending Catholic school in Scottsdale, Ariz., where the nuns taught students the importance of thinking beyond one's own backyard.

"They made us aware of Africa in the first grade," she said. "It's that awareness that the Catholic Church has always taught. We're a ministering church."

She said that growing up in the Arizona desert had a special impact on her spirituality.

"Everything was desert to Christ," she said. "Why didn't God pick Paris to reveal Himself? There was nothing to do [in Scottsdale] but pray, really."

Hicks got her first acting job in 1975 on the soap opera "Ryan's Hope." She worked pretty steadily from then on, including a notable appearance in the film "Star Trek IV" as Dr. Gillian Taylor. However, in the mid-1990s, she had hit a slow spot in her career and in her life.

"My dad had died and I had gotten a home for my mom," she said. "I was out of the loop professionally. You climb your way up, but it's a cycle."

The fact that roles for women over a certain age are few and far between had caught up with Hicks by the early 1990s. Then producer Aaron Spelling came calling with an unusual offer --- a TV show about a family with seven children trying to cope in the modern world. Oh, and the father just happened to be a minister. Hicks read for the part of the mother, Annie Jackson-Camden.

"Aaron Spelling had offered me the role and saved the day," Hicks said.

The show, "7th Heaven," debuted on the fledgling WB network to critical acclaim and continues to be one of the network's most popular shows, now in its tenth and final season --- a phenomenally long run.

Hicks has been involved with Catholic Relief Services for over 10 years. She said that she got involved with the organization because of its extensive reach and its focus on charitable works.

"It's not about converting people," she said. "I think they're effective. There are just so many crises and CRS is there. They were in Rwanda."

She hasn't visited Africa due to family concerns, but appreciates other celebrities who do.

"If they made a trip, that's an effort right there," she said. "It's dangerous, it's uncomfortable."

As for her own work, "I can be somewhat effective just talking about it and asking everyone to share."

Which is mostly the point her t-shirt campaign. She hopes that wearing her "Stop the Violence" shirt will get people thinking about what's going on in Darfur.

To donate to Catholic Relief Services or purchase a t-shirt, call CRS at (877) 435-7277 or visit www.crs.org.