Open Doors, Fundraising Gala Celebrating 175 Years of Mission and Community

St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church and Pro-Cathedral invites friends and supporters to celebrate 175 years of mission and community at Open Doors, a fund-raising gala on Thursday, October 27, at 6:30 pm, 157 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. All are welcome and may purchase tickets here.

The event will kick-off with cocktails at 6:30 pm, followed at 7:30 pm by dinner and the program, which will include honoring Groundswell NYC Youth Arts Project and the Volunteers and Partners of St. Ann’s Pop-Up Pantry with the Spirit and Service Award, entertainment by four extraordinary musical artists and an exciting raffle and silent auction.

The Groundswell NYC Youth Arts Project brings together artists, youth, and community organizations to use art as a tool for social change. During its 20 years, Groundswell has completed 500 murals, working with youth and teaching artists in collaboration with hundreds of community-based organizations, neighborhood groups, and government agencies throughout New York City.

Since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, the Volunteers and Partners of St. Ann’s Pop- Pantry have faithfully served those in the community who are experiencing food insecurity, organizing purchased and donated non-perishable staples and fresh produce and offering nourishing food to all comers every Tuesday morning.

Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon and New York City Councilmember Lincoln Restler will attend and present special Proclamations. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso will also attend. All are members of the gala’s Honorary Committee that includes elected representatives and other community leaders.

The featured musical performers include:

Gabrielle Stravelli. Singer, teacher, cabaret performer, recording artist, Gabrielle is an award-winning performer with a rich and varied career.

Michael Winther. Broadway actor, singer, cabaret artist, Michael also performs regularly in TV, film and regional theater.

Michael Kanan. Celebrated New York pianist, composer and vocal accompanist for singers Jane Monheit and Jimmy Scott. He has toured all over the world, recorded several CDs and DVDs, and made many TV appearances, including The David Letterman Show and The Conan O’Brien Show. 

Pat O’Leary. Bassist Pat O’Leary has toured the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Australia, and Japan with a veritable who’s who of jazz greats including Lionel Hampton, Illinois Jacquet, Diana Krall, Hal Galper, Bob Dorough and Teri Thornton.

St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church and Pro-Cathedral is a historic landmarked house of worship and community commons in Brooklyn Heights. The parish welcomes all for sanctuary and solace and offers the opportunities to celebrate music and the arts, participate in civic discourse, and engage in service for the common good. In addition to serving its neighbors through the Pop-Up Pantry, it works with organizations that aid migrants, the homeless and struggling families, at which parishioners volunteer. Its many community partners include the Brooklyn Folk Festival, Brooklyn Book Festival, the Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, Grace Chorale of Brooklyn, and Books Are Magic.

In 2018, the Rt. Rev. Lawrence Provenzano, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, designated the church as the pro-cathedral, a place in which the bishop can speak directly to the concerns of parishioners in Brooklyn and Queens, the two New York City boroughs of the diocese.