Every life is precious, everyone is made in the image of God and every person has inherent dignity, according to the Catholic faith. The Los Angeles Archdiocese, in alliance with the Diocese of Orange County, is hosting a webinar series to promote these articles of faith as part of Respect Life Month during October and November.

“We talk about the dignity of every human person a lot in Catholic teaching but we know that sometimes it's difficult to apply it to everyday life,” Katherine Domingo, director of the Office of Life, Justice and Peace for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, said. “This series is designed to answer questions about COVID-19, how we treat other people and whether it’s our responsibility to care for others even if we don't know them. People have questions surrounding the racial unrest we've seen, about how we vote and to bring morality into politics. Many people have real concerns about mental health right now with everyone isolated at home. We are looking at all of those topics from the very unique vantage point of the dignity of the human person.”

The webinars are free, open to the public and offer complimentary resources such as prayer cards, social cards and Mass intercessions for each week on the official Respect Life Month website.

Katherine Domingo | Provided

“We've had between 50 and 100 people attend each time so far,” Domingo told the American Catholic Tribune. “They've been good groups of people asking very important and lively questions. It’s also been great to see the different people that are coming out for each topic too. Although each topic can certainly stand alone, they all do fit a common theme and common line of thinking.”

The following topics are among the remaining webinars:

Addressing Mental Health Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic led by Dr. Aaron Khieraty on Thursday at 6 p.m.

“Dr. Khieraty wants to talk with us about mental health as it relates to our families and our children because here in Los Angeles County our schools are closed and our kids have been at home for about seven months,” Domingo said.

Care, Prepare and Connect Speaker led by Patty Barnett Mouton is scheduled Saturday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. and Thursday, Oct. 29 at 6 p.m.

“Patty actually works for the Alzheimer's Association and she partners with us in many ways as we help people in our parishes who are taking care of loved ones who are at the end of their life or dealing with serious illness,” Domingo said. “In this webinar she will talk from her vantage point of working with people who are caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's but she's also going to be talking about preparing for end-of-life decision making.”

Pregnancy Loss Healing Retreat led by Sharon St. Pierre is scheduled Monday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m.

“We have a very robust ministry for women who have lost pregnancies either through abortion or miscarriage,” Domingo said. “We like to have people come together and go through a healing process. We thought it was a good idea to have a virtual healing ceremony and a service so that people, whether they are the mom, the dad or extended family, can pray for and find healing for the little ones they've lost.”

Hope After the Pandemic: Building Solidarity, Resisting Throwaway Culture led by Charlie Camosy, author of "Resisting Throwaway Culture: How a Consistent Life Ethic Can Unite a Fractured People," is scheduled Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.

“He will talk about throwaway culture in the sense of abortion throws away the unborn for the sake of the parents' needs and desires and throwing away old people through euthanasia, assisted suicide or nursing home placement,” Domingo said. “Elders are put away and never visited again. He also talks about lost opportunity, especially in Europe, where a whole generation of young people could not find work that was dignifying to them.”