A church on wheels will roll into Greenock later this month

The Mercy Bus will visit Inverclyde as part of a tour of the West of Scotland.

The idea came through the Paisley Diocese Synod and there was a move towards mission and evangelisation.

Helen Border, of Friends of Divine Mercy Scotland, explained: "I thought we could take the church to the people where they are in their daily lives and I asked Bishop John if we could take a Mercy Bus and have priests hearing confessions on the top deck and the Friends of Divine Mercy Scotland offering divine mercy chaplets, miraculous medals and other literature.

"Going out into the streets to invite people of good will to come aboard the Mercy Bus, those with and those without faith for a chat or if they wished to avail themselves of the sacrament of reconciliation."

By the time the bus went on the road they had 22 priests signed up to hear confessions.

Businessman Brian Soutar kindly donated a bus and driver to help the group.

The group's reach has extended to feeding the homeless as well sharing the group's faith with them.

Helen said: "I have so many stories of how we have touched lives, people who were so broken but when they left the

Mercy Bus they had hope and felt they could go back to church.

"What was amazing is the number of lapsed Catholics that come on the bus and have not been to confessions for 20,30 and 40 years because of a bad experience in their own parish because of what a priest said.

"A lady had been told by a priest 40 years ago to stay with an abusive husband and she said I have never stopped going to mass but I do not take Holy Communion or go to confessions.

"After speaking with her for a little while I told her our priests on the bus would not speak like this and all she had to do was forgive the priest and go to confessions and she could then fully participate in the Holy Mass."

The lady spoke to former Monsignor Denis Carlin, former parish priest at St Mary's in Greenock.

Helen said: "She went to Fr Denis Carlin and after a very long time came down the stairs crying with happiness and saying what a wonderful priest Fr Denis was.

"She thanked and cuddled me so tightly saying thank you so much for brining me back to God."

The bus will visit Cathcart Square in Greenock on July 31 between 11 and 3pm.

There will be a closing mass at 2pm on Saturday August 3 in the High Street in Paisley.