Mercy keeps on rolling: mobile unit logs some 3,000 confessions

Some may remember this story from last year, about an ambulance converted into a mobile confessional, just in time for the Year of Mercy. NCR has this update:

As of Dec. 16, Fr. Michael Champagne had heard more than 3,000 confessions (well over 300 hours worth) and drove more than 6,400 miles with his team throughout the state — traveling in what they call the “Spiritual Care Unit,” a converted ambulance complete with confessional space. In response to Pope Francis’ calls to meet those in need where they are, the priest and his volunteer assistants have rolled up to some 140 stops — grocery outlets, health clubs. Mardi Gras, nursing homes, dance halls, shopping malls, among other sites. While the idea of a mobile evangelization station dates to 2012 when Champagne was a hospital chaplain, the actual conversion and deployment of the SCU was achieved as the Holy Year of Mercy got underway last year. The priest told NCRthat the SCU ministry has added “a second unit, a converted U-Haul trailer” nicknamed “Church-Haul” that is “especially used for nursing homes. We can roll in the wheel chairs.

And there’s this:

Jesus worked out of Peter’s mother-in-law’s house in Capernaum but he was also much of the time on the road encountering people where they lived and worked and socialized. This is a good model for the priest and for the Church’s evangelizing mission. Jesus did say we need at times to leave the 99 and go out to the 1. With poor Church attendance today, this might translate into leaving the 1 to go out to the 99. The idea is not to cater to laziness or to denigrate the value of the Sacrament, but rather to give greater access and availability of the Sacrament to those who may have been away for some time. In such a way we will encourage persons to return to frequenting the Sacrament of Confession in their home parish. It also gives a public witness to our Catholic faith, encourages a greater exercise of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and hopefully becomes an occasion of grace for many to return to the beautiful Sacrament of Mercy.

The priest behind this brainchild added: “We have seen literally hundreds return to the church after 30, 40 and 50 years. Getting on ‘their turf’ makes a tremendous difference in getting people back to practicing the sacramental life of the church.”