A Manhattan church is about to get mobbed up next week.
Michael Cadigan is stirring the faithful to fill the pews at St. John the Baptist Church on Aug. 24 by borrowing from the flash-mob concept, calling on worshippers to spontaneously assemble for the noon mass at the church across from Penn Station.
“We seek to restore and revitalize New York City’s Catholic churches, and boost church attendance,” said Cadigan, 25, of Queens.
Cadigan’s group calls itself NYC Mass Mob — and members refer to themselves as Mass Mobsters.
“People hear Mass Mob and they think they’re going to be seeing the cast from ‘The Sopranos.’ This is not the case,” joked Cadigan.
The idea for mobbing Masses was spawned in Buffalo late last year, bumping numbers in traditional Catholic enclaves from below 100 to 400-500. It has since spread to cities such as New Orleans and Philadelphia.
Cadigan said NYC Mass Mob’s first venture in June was a success, when an extra 200 parishioners filed into St. Matthew Church in Crown Heights.
Members can vote on the group’s Web site for which church they think should be the next to be mobbed.
Organizers get the word out through social media and hand-delivered letters to parishes.