Santo’s Party House: The Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church on Montrose Avenue in East Williamsburg, where artists may rent low-cost studio space. — Photos by Aaron Short

The need for affordable rehearsal and studio space has been well-profiled in Brooklyn. Visual artists have transformed former warehouses and tax preparation storefronts into studios and exhibition spaces, performers have used parks and rooftops for theater and dance. Concert promoters have thrown shows in loft spaces, former hotels, Masonic Temples and just about anywhere else they can find that is both cheap and underground enough so as to not arouse the attention of prying neighbors and the NYPD.

Add churches to the list.

Since Todd Patrick, better known as the iconoclastic concert promoter "Todd P" began booking shows in the basement of the Lutheran Church of the Messiah in Greenpoint, musicians, such as Williamsburg resident Monica Salazar, are thinking more about the neighborhood’s religious institutions and their underutilized rooms and corridors.

The Trinity Project’s Monica Salazar, on a tour of the church, considers the possibilities.

For Salazar, it started with a phone call. For nearly a year, she walked by Most Holy Trinity Church on Montrose Avenue every day on her way to the subway and wondered what was going on inside. After reading about Todd P’s activities, she decided to reach out to Friar Santo Chriccio and his brothers at the Franciscan parish to set up a meeting about the space.

"I was delighted that Monica took the initiative to contact us," said Friar Santo, who has served two terms at the parish since 1991. "In 1996, the only people who got off the train at Montrose were Latinos, or were undercover cops, or were looking for drugs. Now it is so different, we don’t how to respond to the community."

An idea began to blossom. Salazar took a tour of the church and was overwhelmed by the spaciousness and graceful quality of the rectory, the cathedral, its cafeteria, school auditorium and a three-story library and youth center tucked away from the busy street in a parking lot in the rear.

"I was totally overwhelmed with the amount of spaces, the variety of spaces and the endless stream of ideas and possibilities for the type of events we could incorporate," said Salazar. "I had a bit of a brain shutdown."

In December, Salazar reached out to friends who work in performing arts to visit the space and generate ideas for a collaborative usage that benefits both the Church and the artistic community. She called the nascent artist collective the Trinity Project. Within two weeks they found themselves directing the school’s Christmas pageant. They also discovered that the church is haunted.

Salazar wants to start slowly. She envisions using the cafeteria or basement in the church as a rehearsal space for theater groups and eventually bands. Others have suggested studio space for artists. In exchange, members could pay a low rent to the church or get involved in many volunteer activities such as mentoring Catholic school students, working in a community garden, or helping maintain the Church property.

"Basically, the program will be an exchange," said Salazar in a press release. "I believe strongly that this will help to bridge the gap between the non-artist East Williamsburg/Bushwick community and the arts community… the possibilities are pretty endless. And the amount of space available is prolific. This is an opportunity for artists [to give] back to this wonderful area of Brooklyn."

Religion is the "elephant in the room," Salazar acknowledges. Some people may not be comfortable volunteering with the parish due to religious differences or qualms about the Church’s stance on a number of issues.

“The art and church relationship is unique but goes back a long time. I am sure that there are artists who don’t want to work in or near a church, just as I am sure there are artists and their projects that the church would rather not play host to." But the "problem" solves itself: only artists who don’t mind the religion connection have expressed interest, says Salazar. "So far it’s been that simple."

The bottom line, says its founder, is that the Trinity Project aims to foster community. "There’s no reason artists and churches can’t find a common ground and help one another and build a better whole.”

"The area needs a lot of beautification and we hope to come up with a fair exchange," Salazar continues. "So much space is being underutilized and there are so many people around."

Volunteer with The Trinity Project Saturday, February 6, from 12-4pm at Most Holy Trinity. Meet at the Rectory at noon, at 138 Montrose Ave., between and Graham and Manhattan Avenues. For more information, e-mail monica@thetrinityprojectbk.org.