IGBM's First Bursary Cohort Return from the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies 2026

Jo Millea, Director of Formation for the District of Ireland, Great Britain and Malta, together with Nic Mifsud (De La Salle College, Malta) and Emma Biggins (St Cassian’s Pastoral Centre) — the first cohort of recipients of the Brother Alfred Calcutt Bursary for Lasallian Studies — completed the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies at Manhattan University in New York, USA, from 28 June to 11 July 2026.

The Buttimer Institute is an intensive three-year formation programme. Each summer, participants gather for two weeks to study the life and work of Saint John Baptist de La Salle and the origins of the Lasallian mission. Through study, prayer, and community, participants deepen their Lasallian identity and return equipped to animate the mission in their own contexts.

Each of the three participants shared their reflections on the experience.

Jo Millea

The opportunity to delve more deeply into the life of Our Founder, and to connect with colleagues from all around the world. Each session would include a Mission Moment in which we heard about the different ways that the Lasallian Mission is lived out across Ministries. This really opened my eyes to the diversity that exists within the mission but how deeply we are all connected.

Buttimer provided time and space to immerse myself in the life of De La Salle and was brought more fully to life through deep conversation, reflections and sharing. The overall experience was enriched in a powerful and moving way through community reflections led by Doug Brummel. These moments helped to nurture bonds between the group through thoughtful, creative and reflective activities.

Buttimer helped me to look again at this wonderful charism that St John Baptist de La Salle has entrusted us with and through the weaving of stories and experiences from colleagues from all around the world, I feel we have been able to look again at the challenges that our world presents today and ask ourselves, what would De La Salle do? How might we light the way for others through the example of our Founder, and I find that this gives me hope for the future and for our service to young people and all of those entrusted to our care.

A rich and diverse extension to our Lasallian community through the connections and friends made.

Nic Mifsud

What stood out most was that Buttimer was much more than an academic programme. The study was important and often demanding, but it was the combination of study, prayer, reflection, community and conversation that made the experience so meaningful.

Exploring the life of Saint John Baptist de La Salle in greater depth allowed me to encounter him not simply as the Founder whose name appears on our schools, but as a real person who had to make difficult decisions, face opposition and live through uncertainty.

The international dimension also stood out. Living and learning alongside Lasallians from different countries, cultures and educational settings reminded me that we are part of something much larger than our individual schools. Despite the differences between our contexts, we share the same concern for young people and the same desire to keep the Lasallian mission alive and relevant.

I was particularly moved by our exploration of the periods when De La Salle experienced doubt, disappointment and uncertainty making the mission far from straightforward and plain sailing.

I was also moved by the honesty of the conversations among participants during a moment of retreat. People spoke openly about leadership, faith, struggle, responsibility and the realities of their own schools. These conversations reminded me that the Lasallian community is created when people are able to share not only their successes, but also their questions and vulnerabilities.

The connections with my work at De La Salle College Malta were constant. As Head of the Junior School, much of my daily work involves decisions, structures, policies and the practical demands of running a large school. Buttimer reminded me that structures must always serve the mission and that the mission is ultimately about people.

De La Salle did not begin with a complete plan. He listened, adapted and gradually allowed himself to become more deeply involved in the lives of the teachers and the students they served. That challenges me to remain close to the real context of our students, educators and families

The experience also reinforced the importance of shared mission. The Lasallian identity of our College cannot depend on one person, Brothers or leadership team. It must be understood, lived and sustained by the whole community. This means creating opportunities for educators to understand the Founder, reflect on their own vocation and recognise that their daily work forms part of a much wider mission.

I am bringing back a renewed commitment to formation and accompaniment.

It is easy for school life to become dominated by timetables, deadlines, reports and immediate problems. These are necessary, but they cannot be allowed to become the whole story. We need to create more opportunities for our educators to pause, reflect, pray, listen to one another and reconnect their daily work with the purpose behind it.

I am also bringing back a stronger awareness that leadership does not mean having every answer. De La Salle’s journey was marked by discernment, consultation, mistakes, setbacks and trust. Good leadership is often about remaining present, listening carefully and taking the next faithful step together.

Emma Biggins

I had headed to Buttimer with just the advice that, ‘ there is A LOT of reading’....and they weren’t wrong! But it was so much more than just studying. The class time was one of shared openness, willingness to learn from each other, and a vulnerability that was humbling.

Prayer, music, coffee, laughter, watching football, walks, meals, new places to visit, study and reading were in equal measure throughout the 2 weeks, but the thing that I will remember the most is the friendship and kindness of people who I had never met before, but after 2 weeks left feeling like I had known them forever.

The community reflection sessions that were led by Doug Brummel, our community Director were excellent. He really helped us to bond as a group in a short space of time, allowing us the freedom to encounter the session as we needed to.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to share time and stories with people from across the International Lasallian Network. Every session concluded with a ‘Mission Moment’ where we learned about each other's realities. Learning how even though our Education systems are so very different we all have the same passion for working with and for young people.

Buttimer gave me the chance to take a step back from my daily routine to refocus on the ‘why’ of what we do at St Cassian’s. Reading the story of De La Salle in such detail, understanding the processes and problems that he went through, and being able to relate it to what we do today was something that I found really valuable.

A renewed commitment for the Lasallian Mission and my role as Director of St Cassian’s. Inspired by those I shared the experience with to be proactive in sharing the Mission of De La Salle, with new ideas and initiatives for formation and community living.

The first cohort of the Brother Alfred Calcutt Bursary for Lasallian Studies returns from New York enriched by study, community, and a renewed commitment to carrying the Lasallian mission forward.