‘Dancing With the Teachers’ Event Creates Student-Teacher Bonds at Cristo Rey High School

By Katie Vasquez

A pair of Cristo Rey Brooklyn High school juniors had a spring in their step when Currents News entered the classroom, but they weren’t in a dance class.

Two students and their teacher were rehearsing for an upcoming competition, one that they say is building a bond that is enriching their school experience.

“You know to go around the school and say, ‘I won,’” explains student Jasmyn “Jazzy” Heslop. 

“We just have a really good shot at beating the other teams,” adds classmate Sanovia Williams.

They are among 21 students and nine faculty who will bust out their best moves at the high school’s upcoming “Dancing With the Teachers” show. 

Christo Rey’s Principal, Deanna Philippe, says the event started in 2017 as a fundraiser. 

“It was a two fold idea,” she says. “One, to make sure that every 100% of the seniors go to the prom. And two: just to create a little bit more joy in the community.”

The competition took a break during the pandemic, but resumed its rhythm and flow in  2023. This time juniors were allowed to join the seniors in the activity. 

“We’re very competitive, like a lot of the students here,” Heslop tells Currents News. They love the rivalries and stuff like that.”

“I’m not sure how else to put it,” Williams admits. “I just feel like we have it in the bag.”

While the teams are competing for a trophy and bragging rights, the biggest reward from this competition is the bond it builds between the teachers and students.

“This time it’s something that I can teach them and I can give them,” Heslop says about being able to dance with educators in the school.

“It just reminds you that you always have so much to learn from the students, which I think is very important for every teacher to remember,”  teacher Brooke Matejka tells Currents News.

It’s allowing the dance partners to find their rhythm together on the dance floor, and on the sidelines.

“One of my favorite pastimes was teaching Ms. Matejka how to twerk, it was so fun,” says Heslop of the dancing experience.

“I don’t have a dance background at all,” explains Matejka of working with her students. “So [I’m] just learning some more basics about Hip Hop, and I’ve gotten a lot of fun music from them as well.” 

“With Miss Matejka, it was like an instant click,” recalls Williams. “So I’m glad I got to form that relationship with her, as well as Jazzy.”

This dynamic trio knows they are going put their best foot forward on March 21, because in their minds, they’ve already won.

You still have a chance to buy tickets and see the competition in person. 

Go to cristoreybrooklyn.org, and the link to purchase tickets is on the homepage. 

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 3/19/2025

Parishioners in the Diocese of Brooklyn are continuing their Lenten Pilgrimage, celebrating the feast of St. Joseph during the 2025 Jubilee.

Pope Francis continues to improve at Gemelli Hospital –  he has stopped using an oxygen mask and reduced his need for high flow oxygen.

A Brooklyn Catholic high school is putting its own spin on “Dancing With The Stars.”

Catholics Receive Plenary Indulgences During Lenten Pilgrimage on Feast of St. Joseph

By Jessica Easthope

Joyce Peters says there’s no better time than Lent to have a rebirth of her faith life.

“This is the most wonderful time of the year for me. Because I know that I’m a sinner and God is merciful and kind,” she tells Currents News.

Peters received her third plenary indulgence March 19 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights. The co-cathedral is one of six designated Jubilee shrine churches on the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Lenten Pilgrimage pathway.

 Peters has visited every church since the pilgrimage began on Ash Wednesday. 

“I’m 82, I want to see God’s face,” she explains. “I sin every day. And I say, ‘Father, forgive me, for I have sinned. Save my soul and I’m sorry’  And I ask God to forgive the others who have wronged me.”

The rector of the co-cathedral, Father Christopher Heanue, says it’s not hard to receive a plenary indulgence, but the criteria promotes deep spiritual reflection. 

“Recognizing our sinful nature, but we’re yet we’re hopeful, of what’s to come,” he tells Currents News. “We’re hopeful for change. We’re hopeful for conversion. And that’s the season of Lent. That’s what it means to be a pilgrim of hope. And that’s what it means to receive that plenary indulgence. It’s a time of change. It’s a time of conversion.”

In order to receive the grace of a plenary indulgence and be free from the temporal punishment of your sins you’ll need to meet certain conditions like:

  • making a pilgrimage to a designated Jubilee shrine church
  • confessing your sins 
  • receiving the Eucharist
  • praying for the intentions of Pope Francis

“We make that easy here at the co-cathedral,” explains Fr. Heanue. “Mass offered every day, our church is open every day, allowing people to come and pray. And so it’s a great way for them to celebrate this Jubilee year.”

WATCH: Parishioner’s Generous Donation Offsets Costs for Youth Ministry to Travel to Jubilee in Rome

June 19 marked the feast day of St. Joseph, the spouse of Mary and the foster father of Jesus – the significance of the day was another reason to make a visit to the co-cathedral.

The Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on that Wednesday was Sheila Lopez’s fifth stop on the Lenten Pilgrimage. It’s journey she says has already enriched her life.

“It’s so refreshing to see all these new people and everyone so happy and involved. And be a strong participant in your faith,” she tells Currents News. “It’s not something that’s not able to be done.”

WATCH:  Diocese of Brooklyn Faithful Complete Lenten Pilgrimage

If you were unable to come to one of the six designated Jubilee shrine churches on the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Lenten Pilgrimage, you can still make a visit and receive a plenary indulgence any day from March 19 until the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. 

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 3/18/2025

One couple from a parish in Queens is sending out a warning to fellow parents about the dangers of viral social media challenges.

Pope Francis is still working as he recovers at Gemelli Hospital – he wrote a letter to an Italian newspaper appealing for world peace.

Two sisters are new moms after giving birth just a day apart, and they both say they’ll take however many children God wants to give them.

Lenten Pilgrimage, Prayer Journey Goes to Saint Ephrem’s Parish

By Currents News

The Diocese of Brooklyn’s Lenten Pilgrimage continued March 17 with pilgrims making their way to Saint Ephrem’s parish in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for an evening prayer. 

Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan led the benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, marking the last service of the day at the church.

Earlier that day, the pilgrims gathered for a morning Mass with students of Saint Ephrem’s Catholic Academy, a spiritual rosary, and private prayer.

Bishop Brennan’s message to the pilgrims at the end of the day encouraged them to anchor themselves to Jesus Christ, calling him the only hope that wouldn’t disappoint.

The next stop of the Lenten Pilgrimage will be at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on March 19. The Prospect Heights parish is one of six diocesan Jubilee shrine churches faithful can visit during the pilgrimage. 

Currents News will have full coverage of that stop on March 19. 

Choking Game Dangers: Parents Send Warning to Others About Deadly Online Challenge

By Jessica Easthope

The issue Currents News is reporting on is one that has been around for generations, and is making a comeback on social media.

It’s something that became a nightmare that Frank and Tina Kotnik wake up to every single day: their 15-year-old son Markus died accidentally while participating in a viral internet challenge. 

Ever since, the Kotniks have advocated for regulations and internet safety, but mostly for parents to be aware of what they weren’t.

Anyone would think Frank Kotnik’s 1976 Pontiac Firebird Formula was his pride and joy, but his real pride and joy sits in the front seat. It’s a photo of his son, Marckus. 

“Markus was as I would put it, an All-American boy, outgoing,” Frank Kotnik tells Currents News. “He loved sports, he loved going to car shows and was helping me rebuild my first car. He was in his glory when he was doing that, and it all came crashing down.”

Frank and Markus restored it together but recently Frank began to use the bright red muscle car to raise awareness: Markus accidentally strangled himself on May 11 2017 while playing “the choking game,”  a viral trend that encourages viewers to asphyxiate themselves until they lose consciousness.

“All these other parents bring their kids to the car shows. I said, ‘I’m going to reach out to them,’” he explains of his choice to bring the car to shows with the photo in the passenger seat. “You don’t want to live my nightmare. Markus is always with me. And people come over and I pass these pamphlets out to parents and grandparents alike, saying, ‘If this could happen to us, this could happen to you.’”

“I came home and I went upstairs, and I was calling his name. And then I went into the bathroom, and I found him,”  recalls Markus’ mother Tina. “And it was so hard, I screamed. I tried to get him down first, and I couldn’t and I opened the windows. I screamed, then my husband came in. It was just so hard.”

Searches on several social media platforms populate with videos depicting these dangerous challenges, waiting to be viewed by anyone with a device.

Judy Rogg, one of the nation’s most prominent choking game experts, spoke with Currents News about what the Kotnik family is going through. She runs Erik’s Cause, a non-profit dedicated to spreading awareness and providing education for adults and children about the dangers of viral social media challenges. 

“You know, even smart, strong kids can make dumb choices with deadly consequences,” she tells Current News over Zoom. “And why? Because their brains aren’t fully developed to think through all of the consequences.”

Fifteen years ago, she was a victim of the choking game. Rogg’s 12-year-old son Erik died playing it on April 20, 2010.

“What happened to Eric is just every parent’s worst nightmare,” she recalls. “And, at the end of the day, it turns out that he left me with an underserved mission. And his underserved mission is to get the word out there about pass-out games, eventually online challenges,and harms in general.”

Rogg is a strong supporter of KOSA, or the Kids Online Safety Act – legislation first introduced to congress in 2022 aiming to establish a series of guidelines and tools to protect minors from harmful material online through a “duty of care system.” 

“Challenges are really a stepchild of internet harms,” Roggs explains. “There are no public databases. There are no formal ways of registering a death or an injury.”

Over the years education has become her main focus, because the legislation can only go so far without it. 

“For me, my primary purpose is the education,” she says. “Because unfortunately, I don’t see legislation happening anytime soon. Only because of the multi-billion dollar efforts of Big Tech to remain unregulated.” 

Rogg and the Kotniks are living examples of what happens when the darkest parts of the internet grab hold.

“If somebody would have told me, maybe I would have had that conversation. Maybe that would have saved him,” wonders Frank Kotnik. “We don’t want to see any other family live the nightmare, what we are going through, over this nonsense. These online challenges, like the choking game.”

All they can do is hope their efforts save one life. 

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)  Bill passed in the Senate with unprecedented bipartisan support, but was met with criticism in the House over censorship and free speech. It is set to be reintroduced in the House in 2025.

For more information about the dangers of the choking game – and for training programs for adults – go to erikscause.org

TONIGHT AT 7: Parents Warn Others About the Return of Dangerous Online Trend

By Currents News

Social media trends appearing on popular online platforms have turned deadly.

What began as a way to get clicks and “likes” online has taken lives, and one couple from St. Prancras parish in Glendale, Queens, is sending out a warning to other parents about the potential dangers of viral trends.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 3/17/2025

Following in the prayerful example of Saint Patrick, hundreds gathered in the iconic New York City cathedral that bears his name for Mass.

The Vatican has released the first photo of Pope Francis since he was admitted to the hospital more than a month ago.

In the Diocese of Brooklyn one parishioner is handing down his bagpipe expertise to young people year-round – not just on March 17.

Parishioners Rally Outside of St. Jerome Church To Support Haitian Community Amid Immigration Concerns

By Currents News

Parishioners in the Diocese of Immigrants showed their support for the Haitian community on the evening of March 14. 

The pastor of St. Jerome Church, Father Hilaire Belizaire spoke at a rally outside his East Flatbush church, defending Temporary Protected Status (TPS). 

‘Because of the program, hundreds of thousands of Haitians have been allowed to live in the U.S. through TPS after a devastating earthquake in 2010.

Recently, their stay in the country has been cut down: the deadline for their return to Haiti moved from February 2026 to August 3, 2025.

Father Belizaire told his Haitian parishioners that they are not alone, saying that God and the Brooklyn community are standing behind them.