Founded in 2013, Buffalo Mass Mob was created to highlight Buffalo’s historic city churches and support congregations facing declining attendance and limited resources. Similar to a flash mob, a Mass Mob encourages people from across the region to gather at a selected church for worship, providing a one-day boost in both attendance and the collection basket.

“The concept is simple,” said Christopher Byrd, co-founder of Buffalo Mass Mob. “We want to showcase Buffalo’s historic churches, but we also want people to experience them as they were intended to be experienced, as active places of worship. Many of these churches have fallen off the public’s radar. A Mass Mob allows visitors to participate in the living history of a parish while gaining a deeper appreciation for the vital role these churches play in Buffalo’s cultural, spiritual, and architectural heritage.

Through its events, Buffalo Mass Mob continues to celebrate the city’s rich religious heritage while fostering community support for the historic churches that remain an important part of Buffalo’s identity.

St. Casimir Church is located in the heart of Buffalo’s Kaisertown neighborhood at the corner of Casimir and Weimar Streets. St. Casimir Church traces its roots to 1890-1891, when Polish immigrants in Buffalo’s growing Kaisertown neighborhood established a parish to meet their community’s spiritual and cultural needs. The current church, dedicated in 1929, was the vision of longtime pastor Rev. Anthony Majewski, who worked with architect Chester Oakley to create an extraordinary Byzantine-inspired design unlike any other church in Western New York.

Recognized as one of Buffalo’s architectural treasures, St. Casimir became known for its magnificent dome, rich artwork, and distinctive blend of Eastern Christian and Polish devotional traditions. The church has long stood as a landmark of Kaisertown and Buffalo’s Polish-American heritage. In 1976, the Archbishop of Kraków, Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, who later became Pope John Paul II, celebrated Mass at Saint Casimir during a visit to Buffalo.

Today, St. Casimir remains an active parish and a testament to the faith, sacrifice, and enduring legacy of Buffalo’s Polish community.

Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/2257487928365007/