Grassroots movement has raised awareness, $246K for Detroit’s historic churches

Detroit — Law enforcement monitoring parking lots; ushers struggling to find two seats for a couple arriving 10 minutes before Mass; large, century-old churches hosting their largest congregations in decades — no one can deny the success of Detroit Mass Mobs.

Formed in 2014 and drawing inspiration from the Buffalo Mass Mobs in New York, where area Catholics chose to attend Mass, en masse, at a historic church, Detroit’s version has helped recall the glory of old churches while sparking a nationwide trend.

Now, after two full years of the monthly events, Detroit’s Mass Mob scene is still going strong, showing remarkable staying power and continuing to make an impact in the city.

“Mass Mob has brought people and interest back to these old churches,” said Thomas Mann, one of the movement’s founders. “They remember these churches, where they attended school or where their parents attended Mass when they lived in the city.”

There have been 18 Detroit Mass Mobs since early 2014, with nearly each event attracting 100 to 110 percent of seating capacity. The added support for the host churches — which often see just a fraction of that attendance — has come in the form of $246,000 in total collections from the first 17 events, an average of $14,470.58 from each Mass. Collection totals from a Nov. 8 Mass Mob at SS. Peter and Paul (Jesuit) Church in downtown Detroit were not yet available.

While the one-time financial boost is surely appreciated, Mann said the most lasting benefit comes when people continue to visit the church or support it through small, monthly contributions.

“The totals are great, but they aren’t enough to save a church if it’s in dire financial straits,” Mann said. “One Detroit Mass Mob won’t save a church; it’s a shot in the arm and it helps, but it can’t save a church on its own.

“Mass Mobs help people reconnect with Catholic culture in the city,” he continued. “I don’t want to give the Mass Mob credit, but at St. Charles Borromeo Parish, I’ve seen a small increase in attendance and some people talking about the church long after they attended a Mass Mob.”

Mass Mobs have a bigger impact on weekly parish culture when they’re coupled with other parish initiatives, said St. Matthew Parish pastor Fr. Duane Novelly.

Approximately 1,300 people attended the June 7 Mass Mob at St. Matthew Parish in Detroit, with a collection five times greater than the parish’s routine weekly intake.

But Fr. Novelly said the lasting impact of the Mass Mob isn’t on the parish’s finances, but instead in general interest in the east-side parish.

“In terms of an overall boost to the numbers, we didn’t have that,” Fr. Novelly said. “But we gleaned from the Mass Mob knowing other people now know about all the good work we’re doing in the neighborhood.



“We strive to be an anchor on the east side of Detroit and stabilize our neighborhood. The Mass Mob reminded people that St. Matthew’s is still open, still a viable Eucharistic community.”

The Detroit Mass Mob Facebook page has 6,790 likes, a testament to how many people are interested in supporting Detroit’s historic churches.

“Detroit Mass Mob increases awareness and helps bring people back to these churches,” Mann said. “We’re seeing more interest from former parishioners; bringing people back to church who have stopped or were attending less frequently. We now are seeing families getting together to go to church, two, three and four generations going together.”

The biggest thing parishes can do to capitalize on Mass Mob events is produce its own initiatives to expand its impact on the community, Fr. Novelly said.

“We coupled the Mass Mob with the launching of our revamped website to promote the parish,” Fr. Novelly said. “We redid the website to promote the Mass Mob and promote the church. Now, we’re seeing additional small donations coming in. We used the event to push our online giving presence, and now we see some more people stopping by who were here for Mass Mob.”

The Mass Mob movement has expanded in the form of a second group in the Metro area, with Annamarie Barnes’ Traveling Catholic’s Mass Mob.

Barnes, who helped organize the original Mass Mob group in 2014, branched out in 2015 to visit a wider geographic area, seeking to support parishes experiencing financial difficulty.

“I decided to focus on parishes without historical distinction or the large building size, but are still struggling,” Barnes said. “I felt we could have more than one Mass a month and go outside of Detroit and visit some of the suburban churches that are struggling.”

Barnes reports the Traveling Catholic’s group averages 600 to 1,000 people, depending on the host church’s capacity. Like its predecessor, Barnes said the Traveling Catholic’s Mass Mob’s biggest impact comes in the form of people visiting the churches long after the event.

“I keep in touch with the churches that I’ve visited,” Barnes said. “St. Raymond Parish reported a lot of people have given back to the church long after the Mass Mob, and they are seeing more young people coming, because it’s where their grandparents came to church.”

Most agree Mass Mobs aren’t the magic bullet to fill a church every week — given the amount of effort it takes just to put on one event a month — but Mann said the impact of Detroit Mass Mobs has been overall positive for some of the city’s oldest parishes.

“Last year, we chose St. Francis d’Assisi for its 125th anniversary,” Mann said. “They wanted a lot of people there and thought there would be a good alumni turnout. Around 500 alumni came, and we brought 1,500 — that’s how much people are excited about Mass Mob.

“We are working on next year’s schedule already; we may even revisit some churches. We’re meeting soon to come up with some preliminary ideas, call and see if it’s all right, then we’ll release the schedule. It’s really exciting for everyone; we want to see these churches full and we want to keep them open.”

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Next Mass Mob

The next Detroit Mass Mob will be at noon Dec. 6 at St. Leo Church, Detroit, 4860 15th St. Visit detroitmassmob.com for more details. The next Traveling Catholic’s Mass Mob will be at noon Nov. 15 at St. Augustine Church, Richmond, 68035 S. Main St.