Detroit — Thom Mann believes Metro Detroit Catholics have always wanted to see Detroit’s beautiful, historic inner-city churches filled again — many have even wanted to visit themselves — but just needed “a little push” to do so.

But what started as a little push has turned into a tidal wave for the once-fledgling “Mass Mob” movement, which began in early spring and has blossomed into a resounding “amen” as pews have become packed with every successive outing.

The latest, on Aug. 10, saw more than 2,000 people attend Mass at a historic Polish church that hasn’t heard that many “Peace be with yous” in at least three decades. St. Albertus Church on St. Aubin Street, which closed as an active parish in 1990 but continues to operate as a center for Polish heritage in the city, was the site.

“At first we thought having them once a month would be too many — how would we fill them up? But now, we’re overflowing,” said Mann, who with four others serves as the principal organizer for the Mass Mobs, five of which have been held so far.

Since the first one April 6 brought 150 people to St. Hyacinth Church on the near-east side, congregations have grown “exponentially,” Mann told the Catholic Television Network of Detroit, drawing 400 (St. Charles Borromeo), 900 (St. Joseph), 1,800 (Sweetest Heart of Mary) and now more than 2,000 to St. Albertus, with congregants spilling out the doors.

Anthony Battaglia, another of the organizers, said the turnout has been “beyond my wildest expectations.” Battaglia, who works with the social media team at DTE Energy, said he first learned about the idea for the Mass Mobs in this newspaper, and decided to get involved.

“I was reading an editorial in The Michigan Catholic, I believe in April, and the editorialist was writing about the Buffalo Mass Mob project, and basically said ‘We could have one of these in Detroit, and all we would need is someone to organize that,’” Battaglia said. “And reading the story, I thought, ‘I have background in social media. Why not be the organizer?’”

It was soon afterward Battaglia learned of other efforts to start up a movement aimed at helping Detroit’s aesthetically breathtaking, but now mostly empty, Catholic churches regain some of their lost vigor. Joining efforts with Mann, AnnaMarie Barnes, Teresa Chisholm and Jeff Stawasz, he took to social media to promote it.

Battaglia said the draw for visitors is obvious.

“Not only is it a great spiritual experience, but you get to learn so much about the history of this community, the history of these churches in Detroit, the history of the people who came here, some of the struggles, and just what went into the creation of some of these massive churches,” Battaglia said, adding that even non-Catholics can appreciate such history.

In addition to social media, Mann credits the massive amount of traditional media attention with giving the Mass Mobs the initial boost they needed.

But he said despite the fact that parishes can desperately use the increased collections — Sweetest Heart of Mary’s Mass Mob raised $23,000, or 11 times its usual Sunday total — “the goal isn’t just to have everybody show up one Sunday for church.”

“It’s to bring people back to their faith, and I’ve seen that happen,” Mann said. “The church I attend regularly, St. Charles Borromeo, we have had an increase in attendance (since the Mass Mob). It hasn’t been 400 every Sunday, which I would love to see, but we usually get about 100, and last Sunday we had about 150 people there.”

St. Albertus Church, while not an active parish, hosts Mass several times a year with permission from the Archdiocese of Detroit, which sold it to the Polish American Historic Site Association in 1991. The association raises money to maintain the 129-year-old church, including its awe-inducing historic stained-glass windows and painted murals.

Fr. Eduardo Montemayor, SOLT, who celebrated the Aug. 10 Mass, told the congregation it was great to see the Holy Spirit at work among organizers and participants.

“Jesus has faith that we can transform Detroit,” he said. “That we can rebuild the Church in Detroit.”

The next Mass Mob will be at noon Sept. 28 at another historically Polish church, St. Florian in Hamtramck. Visit www.detroitmassmob.com or www.facebook.com/DetroitMassMob for more details.

CTND coverage

To watch a short time-lapse video with interviews from the St. Albertus Mass Mob, or to listen to Fr. Montemayor’s homily, visit the Archdiocese of Detroit’s YouTube page. For more photos, visit gallery.themichigancatholic.com.