The Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana recently unveiled the first mobile confessional that will bring the Sacrament of the Reconciliation to the faithful wherever they may be – and it is being commissioned just in time for the Holy Year of Mercy.

KATC.com is reporting on the unusual idea that involved converting an old ambulance into a mobile confessional.

The outside of the ambulance is decorated with the Divine Mercy image of Jesus and the bold words “SPIRITUAL CARE UNIT” on the side. A verse from the Gospel of John is printed on the passenger door: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.”

Inside, the ambulance has been remodeled into a place for prayer and confession. It has also been equipped with Bibles, rosaries, holy water, and other items conducive to prayer and preparation to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

“It’s a way that we can give some pride and public expression of our Catholic faith that is not just meant for the walls of the church, but on the streets,” said Father Michael Champagne, a diocesan priest, to KATC.

“We need to go to where people are,” he added. “People come to the church as a center of worship and pray, but we also have to do outreach.”

The mobile confessional is not only meant to attract people to the Catholic church, but it makes confession more accessible to people with busy schedules.

“Pope Francis is asking us to go out of to the peripheries of the church,” said Bishop Michael Jarrell. “And now we have the means to do that.”

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