By JP Misheff, January 17, 2026
It’s important to have priests around, for many reasons. They perform a vital and totally unique function within the Roman Catholic Church. Given life can throw some pretty wild curve balls at us as we journey along, it might make sense to want priests nearby and available to us in as wide — and even as random ways — as possible.
Have you heard of the priests being offered all-inclusive stays at resorts and cruises in exchange for offering Mass and other Sacraments? For those who appreciate it, the benefits of such an arrangement are truly fulfilling. Resorts in California and Hawaii are now engaging in the practice — and by many accounts it’s proven very fruitful for all involved: it offers rest and reset for the priest, and the Sacraments to guests. It’s known as “clergy hospitality.” One could scoff at the idea, but who could deny the warm presence of a sincere and humble priest — especially in an unforeseen time of need?
If you were curious about an even more unique situation, God does not disappoint! Ever since 2020, Father Geoffroy Genin, of the parish of Haute-Maurienne in France, has been offering once-a-week confession to skiers who wish to receive the sacrament — in a chairlift heading up the mountain at Val-Cenis ski resort in the French Alps.
The trip up is a quick one at 6-7 minutes, which, according to Genin is no problem — it allows the person confessing “to get straight to the point of what they want to express.”
And what if a single ascent is not enough? “I go back with the person a second time,” he says.
There are some days this writer could use more like 5 or 6 trips 😉
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