St. Michael’s Catholic Academy Students Usher in Lunar New Year

By Jessica Easthope

At this Flushing, Queens, Catholic academy, a dragon’s body stretches the length of the gym and a lion dances across the floor.

Shaking and pouncing, both are operated by students and part of a Lunar New Year celebration.

Eighth grader Taron King is participating in the celebration for the first time, and he tells Currents News that he has already made lasting memories.

“You get to bond by having the lion. It’s like the lion brings you together, just like how the lion brings everybody together for the New Year’s celebration,” he explains. “It teaches me to learn about other people’s cultures and it also helps you make a lot of friends.”

St. Michael’s, located in the heart of Flushing, embraces Chinese culture all year round. Even so, assistant principal Sister Martina Hou says the Lunar New Year is their biggest event by far.

“When they leave St Michael’s they will have learned about cultures from all over the world,” she tells Currents News. “It’s very important we teach kids and create every opportunity for them to have these experiences.”

In addition to the lion and dragon dances- there’s a traditional girls’ fan dance.

Eighth grader Genesis Lin leads the way, and shares what it means to her: “Part of cultural appreciation is sharing it with others. I’m always proud to be Chinese but this boosts the confidence.”

The students have been practicing for more than a month, and the dragon dancers have been working with Hinwai Tsang, the Grand Master for the Asian United and Culture Exchange Council.

“I’m always excited when I see the kids playing or learning the dragon dance and lion dance, because it’s part of important culture,” he says.

2025 is the year of the wood snake representing wisdom, adaptability, and intelligence. It also promises profound shifts in growth and creativity.

“It’s going to be a lucky year, and everything should be moving forward in a good way,” hopes Tsang.

The Lunar New Year is celebrated on January 29.

Pulse of the Parish: Catherina Cassiliano, Our Lady of Guadalupe

It’s been a few years since Our Lady of Guadalupe in Brooklyn was forced to shut down its school. But in the summertime, kids are flocking to the Bensonhurst church for camp. And because of that, they’re coming back to the parish in other ways too. It’s all thanks to the hard work of camp organizers, especially its director.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 1/29/2025

Students at St. Michael’s Catholic Academy in Flushing joined billions worldwide in celebrating the Lunar New Year, welcoming the Year of the Wood Snake with special festivities.

Bishop Robert Brennan marked the Lunar New Year by emphasizing faith, renewal, and hope, encouraging believers to embrace spiritual growth during the Jubilee Year.

An eighth grader at St. Michael’s Catholic Academy, who arrived in the U.S. without knowing English, became fluent in just one year thanks to the support of his school, teachers, and friends.

80th Anniversary of Auschwitz Liberation: Survivor Stories at Holocaust Memorial Tolerance Center

Monday, Jan. 27, marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The granddaughter of a survivor wants to make sure his story and the stories of others are never forgotten.

Dana Arschin is the storyteller at “The Holocaust Memorial Tolerance Center” on Long Island.

To hear more stories of Holocaust survivors, go to hmtcli.org.

Bishop Brennan Kicks Off Catholic Schools Week with Mass and Winter Wonderland Tour at St. Ephrem’s

Bishop Robert Brennan kicked off Catholic Schools Week with a Mass on Sunday at St. Ephrem’s in Dyker Heights. Students and faculty from the Brooklyn Catholic Academy joined the bishop for the celebration. Following the Mass, Bishop Brennan was given a “Winter Wonderland” tour of St. Ephrem’s by their student ambassadors. The shepherd got to meet the teachers, visit classrooms, and admire students’ artwork, essays, and other projects.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 1/28/2025

It’s Catholic Schools Week in the Diocese of Brooklyn, and academies across Brooklyn and Queens are marking the occasion in special ways – from STEM study to helping California wildfire victims.

This week also is one of Holocaust remembrance. New York City is offering an in-person opportunity to learn about the annex where Anne Frank and her family hid during World War II.

One Holocaust survivor who lives in Brooklyn is speaking about the pain of her experience as a child in the hope that history will never repeat itself.

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy Students Write Letters of Support to West Coast First Responders

by Katie Vasquez

Firefighters in the Los Angeles area are overwhelmed as flames destroy property and lives on the West Coast, and those on the East Coast watch in horror.

“To see it destroyed like that, it’s devastating. just devastating to me,” said Janice Ray, a 1st grade teacher’s assistant at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy.

“Every day just gets worse and worse. It’s really bad. I feel really sorry for the animals and people over there,” said Mason Clinton, a 6th grader at the school.

It’s why all 300 students at the Forest Hills school are starting Catholic Schools Week with a show of support, writing letters to California first responders and members of the Pasadena Humane Society.

“Thank you for saving our beloved animals from the wildfires,” wrote 3rd grader Samuel Ortiz. “You protect the animals and give them shelter. They are part of our ecosystem.”

The older students guided the younger ones in their penmanship, passing down their knowledge and a lesson in charity.

“I feel like the first responders over there will really enjoy them. and it will give them motivation, because coming from a whole school, it’s just amazing,” said Mohit Kapoor, an 8th grader at the school.

Some students also turned into support animals, donating two dollars to dress down as furry friends.

Jan. 28 was service day as part of Catholic Schools Week, and the school was happy to spread the lesson.

“We teach religion in the school, you teach kindness and being helpful and so on and so forth. But this actually is a lesson where they’re actually doing something hands-on and they’re very, very excited about,” said Ray.

It’s one that just might be sinking in for these students.

“I didn’t dress up as an animal because I didn’t have any animal stuff, but I still donated money,” said 8th grader at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy, Matthew Stalzer.

Our Lady of Mercy anticipates they will donate a total of $1,000 to the Pasadena Humane Society, and all the letters will be mailed out by the end of the week.

Bishop Robert Brennan Takes a Closer Look at St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy

By Jessica Easthope

St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy is hoping to show Bishop Robert Brennan they’re a cut above the rest. Bishop Brennan visited the Flushing, Queens, school Jan. 28 to celebrate Catholic Schools Week to cut the ribbon and bless a new art room and STEM lab.

“We blend together the arts and sciences, the academic learning, but with that sense of faith, with the sense of friendship with Jesus Christ,” Bishop Brennan said.

The day started out with a greeting and came full circle for the eighth graders who had their class rings blessed by the bishop during Mass, a special moment for pastor, Father Gregory McIlhenney.

“To have Bishop Brennan come and to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and tie all these things together just brings that Catholic identity and that foundation that we stand on as Christians here to northeast Flushing,” Fr. McIlhenney said.

The highlight of the day happened when the school came under the microscope. Bishop Brennan took a closer look with sixth graders who were examining threads.

“He’s spending time with us in the church, around the school, he’s blessing the new first floor, all the classrooms, the STEM lab, the art room. It’s helping us grow closer to God, so Catholic Schools Week, it’s one of my favorite weeks in the whole school year,” said sixth grader Matthew Albanese.

Principal Debbie Hanna said the bishop’s visit tied in the national theme of Catholic Schools Week, “United in Faith and Community.”

“He spent the most time in the STEM lab, and he went over to every table and he looked in the microscopes, and he engaged with the kids. And I said, ‘Well, this is an a-ha moment.’ He’s here, it’s happening and he’s happy to be with us. And I was really happy that he was,” Hanna said.

Bishop Brennan will also be visiting Good Shepherd, St. Stanislaus Kostka in Greenpoint, and Resurrection-Ascension Catholic Academies during Catholic Schools Week.

TONIGHT AT 7: St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy Unveils New STEM Lab

By Currents News

The Queens Catholic Academy is under the microscope as we mark Catholic Schools Week in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Bishop Robert Brennan is blessing a new lab that will help students succeed in math and science. Meanwhile, schools across Brooklyn and Queens are showcasing the quality experience of a Catholic education.

How a Jewish Boy Found Safety in the Catholic Church During the Holocaust

By Katie Vasquez

It’s been nearly 15 years since Mireille Taub lost the love of her life, David.

They were married for 52 years and shared the experience of being Jewish in Nazi-occupied France during World War II.

“They had to wear stars of David… food was rationed…they couldn’t use public transportation of any kind,” she says of the experience of Jews living in France at the time. “Not allowed into the theaters, into the parks, public places.”

When David was 10-years-old his mother sent him 400 miles away to the French countryside to live with a family she trusted. One day he received a visit from a Catholic priest, Father Darius Durand, that changed his life.

“He said, ‘I expect to see you at church tomorrow.’ And David, who is very outspoken like his mother had been, said, ‘I’m not converting.’ And the priest said to him, ‘I don’t expect you to convert. I expect to save your life.’” Mireille says.

David became a fixture at the local church as an altar server and also participated in the Catholic Boy Scouts.

“I think he also loved being part of a group where he was accepted,” explains Mireille. “And that was very important to a little boy who was afraid he’d lose his identity.”

When the war ended David returned to his parents in Paris, but shortly after he received a letter from Father Durand.

“The persecution will have matured your soul and while you’ve given me the opportunity to get to know you and perhaps to be somewhat good to you, I keep a very good memory of you and of the good example that you have given to your little friends,” the letter reads.

Decades later, when David was 75-years-old, he wrote how the French priest was a blessing during a horrific time.

“I kept this letter so many years because he was so important to me during that time,” David wrote.

Mireille knows how much Father Durand’s compassion meant during a period when there was little: “He definitely appreciated the priest, his kindness and his concern for him,” she says. “Isn’t that what humans are supposed to do? Be concerned. And the great horror of war, that war, otherwise, is that a respect for human life is totally abandoned.”