'Mass Mob' Churchgoers Unite to Fill Empty Pews at Historic St. Louis Church
Typically the Sunday after Easter is when worship attendance takes a dip. But not for one struggling inner-city Catholic church located in Missouri.
Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, a St. Louis congregation founded in 1849, was the subject of a grassroots effort known as a "mass mob" on Sunday.
A congregation that generally only has around 75 attendees, the mass mob dramatically increased the ranks to approximately 500.
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Michael Kress, director of Mission Advancement at Most Holy Trinity, told The Christian Post about some of the planning that went into the mass mob.
"Our concept was to get about six parishes to gather together and agree to support each other hosting by a mass mob," Kress said.
"Hosting this event brought a lot of energy to everything we do and to bring attention to our urban churches, even as many of our urban neighborhoods continue to struggle."
Additional help came from Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, who agreed to preside over the first mass held on Sunday at Most Holy Trinity.
Kress also told CP how he loved "the idea of bringing people from various regions together to worship God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."
"It is a one-time boost to visibility, but a longer-term boost to new relationships and inter-church dialogue," Kress continued.
"We also had a wide age range with at least one 98 year old in attendance down to my own son, who is a newborn. If mass mob can continue to bring together different races, age groups and socio-economic backgrounds to an urban church, then I think it will be an on-going success."
The St. Louis-based mass mob movement drew its inspiration from earlier versions found in Buffalo, New York and Detroit, Michigan.
Mass mobs were inspired by the concept of "flash mobs," which involves a group of people doing some sort of performance or actions in a public space.
Alan Oberst, organizer of Buffalo mass mob, told CP in an interview last October that their group was created for multiple reasons.
"We have been concerned about church and parish closings, the lack of appreciation for urban parishes, and the feeling that urban parishes have been 'left behind' in Catholic America (not just in Buffalo), even as they are on the front lines of social and economic challenges facing their surrounding neighborhoods," said Oberst.
"Also, we wanted to find a way to 'invite' people to visit the beautiful and inspiring grand churches in the city, supporting them with their presence and contributions, even if for a single Mass."
According to Kress, the next St. Louis – based Mass Mob will be held on June 7 at the Visitation St Ann Shrine.
