The Church has been a patron of the arts since before the Middle Ages. So, it shouldn’t surprise anyone when a parish centers a new project around artists.

At Divine Mercy parish in Williamsburg, a new cultural center, called The Green Door, has opened in what used to be a food pantry at St. Francis of Paola Church. Last weekend, it made its debut with a show titled, “Return to Light.”

“The Green Door was created to foster a sense of community in the neighborhood by Father Tom Vassalotti,” said local artist and parishioner Elise Jensen. “Along with Father Paul Anel of Heart’s Home, he reached out to me with the wish to connect with the many artists in the neighborhood.”

The result is an exhibit of paintings and sculptures by 17 artists, most of whom live within walking distance of the gallery.

“Some depict light in nature, some make installations interacting with light, or playing with viewers’ perception of light,” said Jensen. “Some refer to light either symbolically or metaphorically.”

The show opened on Feb. 2 because it represents to many the date when light begins to return to the world as winter morphs into spring. It’s Groundhog Day when people anticipate longer days. In the Church calendar, it’s the Feast of the Presentation when the baby Jesus was brought to the Temple and praised by Simeon as “the lights of nations.”

One striking creation in the middle of the opening room is a woven wire sculpture called “Glow” by Natalie Moore. A guide to the show introduces the piece like this: “A fire’s movement is a continuous dance, a meditation of change. We are drawn to the glow, yearning for warmth and energy, in awe of its power and just a little afraid.”

Mary Temple’s set of four screenprints depicts the entry of light into a room from four different directions. “Light Installations” presents “the idea of a shape of light moving through a space and describing the otherwise dark volume, speaking to finding one’s way – finding truth.”

One section of the gallery is devoted to a permanent exhibit of artifacts from the home of the Ferzola family on Kingsland Ave. There’s an old school bag from St. Francis of Paola School, an ice box, a Victrola with a Mitch Miller 78 rpm record, a Singer sewing machine, and photos from the early days of the area.

On a Saturday evening, Massgoers at St. Francis of Paola (one of three worship sites for Divine Mercy parish) stopped by to view the works on their way to church.

One longtime member of the parish said she enjoyed the show but was a bit surprised that the space was being used as an art gallery. She saw it as representing the changing make-up of the neighborhood.

Sue Pfautsch, a religious ed catechist, was giving guided tours of the exhibit while Joe, a lector, was checking in visitors.

“See you at Mass,” said Joe as the woman exited.

Just another way of connecting with people in the parish. In fancier terms, you might say it’s part of the New Evangelization.