And that catastrophe is compounded for people with no money to pay their medical bills as they can lose their homes and every other asset they own.

So, St. Bede's of Santa Fe with remarkable compassion, paid all the medical bills not only for their own poor parishioners, but for everyone in need in New Mexico and in parts of Arizona.

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St. Bede's paid off $1,380,119.87 in medical debt for 782 households!

"I don't know if this parish has ever funded a program with such a great impact," said Rev. Catherine Volland.

St. Bede's Episcopal Church of New Mexico photo: facebook.com

"We were able to do it because every week we set aside 10% of donations to the church for outreach. Prioritizing service to others is our gospel imperative."

To do this St. Bede's turned to RIP Medical Debt (RIP), a nonprofit that buys unpaid medical bills.

Hospitals, doctors and other medical providers, if unable to collect their unpaid bills sell those bills to collection agencies for pennies on the dollar.

Those agencies then hound those in debt, getting as much money from them as possible.

But RIP also buys that debt.

Donors, charities, religious organizations such as St. Bede's, and others then buy that steeply discounted debt from them and forgive it.

Thru RIP, St. Bede's spent just $15,000 to buy that entire $1,380,119. 87 in debt.

Afterward, RIP contacted credit agencies to restore each person's credit history. The result is a godsend to those in need.

Editor's Note:To learn more, https://abcnews4.com/news/nation-world/church-says-it-paid-off... and https://ripmedicaldebt.org/.

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