WKBW video screengrab
CV NEWS FEED // One of many Buffalo, New York, diocese churches slated to be closed in 2025, St. John Kanty Church, drew nearly 300 people to Mass on Nov. 24, thanks to the Buffalo “Mass Mob.”
The Buffalo Mass Mob, now in its 49th event over the past decade, uses social media to rally crowds to attend Mass at declining churches like St. John Kanty, boosting attendance and raising funds in support of these parishes.
“Our idea was to give them a little boost, show a little support for the parishioners,” Buffalo Mass Mob co-founder Christopher Byrd said, according to WKBW, ABC’s Buffalo affiliate. “It’s like losing a member of your family when these churches close.”
Byrd, who was baptized at St. John Kanty and grew up attending Mass there, estimated that the Buffalo Mass Mob increased attendance at Sunday Mass from about 50 people to about 300 Nov. 24, according to NBC’s Buffalo affiliate, WGRZ.
Amid its ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, the Diocese of Buffalo announced the closure and merger of 80 churches across the region. National Catholic Register reported that Bishop Michael W. Fisher described these closures as part of the Diocese’s Road to Renewal initiative, citing the “harsh realities” of declining church attendance, fewer priestly vocations, increasing secularization, and “the horrendous toll” of the clergy sexual abuse scandal as key factors behind the decision.
The number of active priests in the Diocese of Buffalo has declined sharply over the years, from 418 in 1990 to 130 today, according to Spectrum News.
The Buffalo Mass Mob, which has about 3,500 followers on Facebook, also makes an effort to fill the donation baskets during the Mass in financial support of the church.
“I’m sitting here and thinking that a year from now, this is going to be gone,” Byrd said, WGRZ reported. “For me and others, it’s like losing a family member.”
Built in 1892, St. John Kanty was one of five churches designated as historical landmarks and will be protected from demolition, CatholicVote reported.
“I think it was really special to be here and see everybody happy, smiling,” St. John Kanty parishioner Diane Czajka said, according to WKBW. “I wish it wasn’t us, I wish we would have stayed open.”
