The Bishop Philius and Helene Nicolas Senior Residence Project (BPHN), named in honor of the church’s founding bishop and first lady, will be an 89-unit apartment building for seniors ages 62 and older who earn less than 50 percent of the area median income (AMI).

The residence, at 1488 New York Avenue, will consist of 88 studio rental units and one one-bedroom super’s unit. It will also include a community room, common area space, laundry facilities and on-site social services.

Additionally, there will be a 10,575 sq. ft. community service facility located on the first and cellar levels that the congregation has envisioned as a medical office suite for geriatric primary care.

The construction of this $45 million project has been financed through discretionary capital allocations from Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams of $1 million and Councilmember Jumaane Williams of $500,000, the Senior Affordable Rental Apartment (SARA) program of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and Bank of America’s debt and equity financing programs.

The building will be developed by BEL Community Housing LLC, which is a partnership between Brisa Builders Development LLC; Evergreen City LLC, an M/WBE affordable housing development group; and Lemle & Wolff Dev. Co. It was designed by Heritage Architecture and Rodney Leon Architects.

“The Bishop Philius and Helene Nicolas Senior Residence Project is our answer to God’s call to serve the community and meet a fundamental human need—shelter. God has rewarded our faith by bringing to fruition a project that we’ve been speaking about for the past 12 years. This building will enable us to expand our capacity to help our neighbors live a better life. We are grateful for the opportunity to fulfill our mission on this earth and work with great partners to strengthen the East Flatbush community,” said Rev. Dr. Samuel Nicolas, senior pastor.

“Through the unwavering efforts of Borough President Adams’ Faith-Based Development Initiative, another church was able to expand their ministry to include building shelter for the residents of the Brooklyn community during a housing crisis. Evangelical Crusade Christian Church, in partnership with the development team and the City of New York, had the faith to see their vision come to fruition and are able to celebrate that victory with this ceremonial groundbreaking. I am honored and humbled to have been a part of this journey,” said Ericka Keller, Managing Member,  BEL Community Housing LLC.

***

17th-century church in Park Slope hosts Martin Luther King Interfaith service

The Old First Reformed Church, founded in 1654 and marking its 365th anniversary this year, will host a Martin Luther King Interfaith Commemoration on Sun., Jan. 20 at 3 p.m.

“This service of music, readings and prayer will bring together six communities for an afternoon of justice and hope,” wrote the Rev. Steven Paulikas, rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Park Slope. Old First Reformed Church is at Seventh Avenue and Carroll Street, a few blocks north of All Saints.

***

Brooklyn chapter of Organists’ Guild announces competition, youth event

The Brooklyn Chapter of the American Guild of Organists is currently accepting applications for its fourth annual George R. Mathison Memorial Scholarship Competition.

The chapter established its annual George R. Mathison Memorial Scholarship Competition in honor of its friend and colleague. The competition’s purpose is to encourage excellence in the performance of organ music, and to inspire, educate and nurture future generations of organists.

The 2019 competition will take place on Mar. 2, at Grace Church Brooklyn Heights. Candidates will play the church’s 69-rank 2001 Austin pipe organ.

The prize pool totals $2,000, with a first-place prize of $1,000, a second-place prize of $650, and a third-place prize of $350. The application deadline is Feb. 2. For more information, including eligibility and repertoire requirements and the application form, visit https://www.brooklynago.org/2019-scholarship-competition.

***

Children in grades three to six who have had some experience with the piano are invited to hear, play and explore the pipe organ. A free event, titled “Pipes, Pedals, and Pizza,” will take place Sat., Jan. 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Brooklyn Chapter of the American Guild of Organists sponsors the event. For more information or to reserve a spot, email [email protected].

***

From the original Eagle Archives:

Bishop McDonnell dedicated New Redemptorist Church

The Brooklyn Eagle of Sun., Jan. 14, 1894 reported, “To-day Bishop McDonnell will dedicate the new church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help which the Redemptorist fathers have built at Fifth Avenue and Fifty-Ninth St. [in what is now Sunset Park]. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. and an imposing gathering is expected. The first church of one of the regular orders in the diocese of Brooklyn  will thus be formally consecrated to its sacred purposes. Bishop McDonnell gave the Redemptorists permission to locate in the Diocese in the autumn of 1892.”

A brief report in the following day’s Eagle mentioned that the neighboring Diocese of New York was well-represented at the dedication.

The Redemptorists were founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori (born 1696) in Naples to serve the poor and spiritually-abandoned.

---

Related Articles

Catholic officials in Brooklyn agree to an independent oversight of clergy sex abuse allegations

April 17 | Associated Press

13 men plead not guilty for role in Brooklyn synagogue tunnel scuffle

April 11 | Jake Offenhartz, Associated Press

Mosques in NYC struggle to house and feed an influx of Muslim migrants this Ramadan

April 2 | Philip Marcelo, Associated Press

How Hakeem Jeffries’ Black Baptist upbringing and deep-rooted faith shapes his House leadership

February 28 | Darren Sands, Associated Press