Church history will repeat itself when the Rt. Rev. Lawrence Provenzano, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, re-designates St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn Heights as pro-cathedral of the diocese at a festive celebration on Sunday, Sept. 16 at 5:30 p.m. The church previously had that diocesan designation from 1869 to 1885.

The celebration, to which the public is invited, will begin with a procession from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, along Montague Street, to St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church for a 5:30 p.m. liturgy.

Representatives from across the diocese as well as other faith and community leaders from the region will attend.  In addition to Brooklyn and Queens, the diocese includes Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

“As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the diocese this year, this pro-cathedral designation is both a recognition of the historic role of St. Ann & the Holy Trinity in our diocese and it is a mission-focused strategy to reinvigorate our ministry to the people in the City of New York, especially the 5 million people who call Brooklyn and Queens home,” Provenzano said. “St. Ann & the Holy Trinity will become the official place from which the bishop of the diocese can speak to the people of New York City.”

The rector of St. Ann & the Holy Trinity, the Rev. John Denaro, said, “The designation of St. Ann & the Holy Trinity as pro-cathedral is a privilege that affirms our church’s enduring significance as a house of prayer and community resource. We joyfully accept our new responsibilities to the bishop, fellow Episcopalians and neighbors, and embrace this larger opportunity to extend Christian hospitality.”

The pro-cathedral will serve as an official “seat” or cathedra of the bishop and it will host special services on occasion as well as ministry events and programs.

The bishop added, “The pro-cathedral also gives all of our Brooklyn parishes an impetus to explore together new ways to serve their communities.”

The Diocese of Long Island was created in 1868 at a special convention hosted at Holy Trinity Church.  The rector, the Rev. Abram Littlejohn, was elected the first bishop of the diocese. The consecration of Bishop Littlejohn was held on Jan. 27, 1869, in Holy Trinity Church, which then served as the pro-cathedral of the diocese until 1885, when the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, New York, opened.

St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church is located at 57 Montague St, Brooklyn, at the corner of Clinton and Montague Streets.