June 26th, 2022, I arrived in New York still one transit train and a long subway ride away from my destination of Manhattan College, this year’s host for the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and despite the positive affirmations from both family and colleagues alike, I was admittedly nervous. After showing up to campus, I beheld a mountain of stairs without an elevator in sight. My mind at that point had whispered softly to myself, “it’s going to be a long trip.”

“Next time,” I said. I can go the next time they start up a new cohort for the John Johnston Institute. That was my first reaction when Dr. Sue Skinner, our new Vice President for Mission, told me, “you really need to go to JJI.” As a new president, I felt like I had so many things on my plate that committing to the program would really just be too much. Sue kept on me, and eventually, I signed up, along with Aaron Benner, our new Dean of Students. After the past few years leading schools and navigating the challenging times in our world, I didn’t feel I could handle another thing on my plate.

I had the opportunity to join 18 other Lasallians from across the country at the Lasallian Social Justice Institute (LSJI) held at the De La Salle Blackfeet School in Browning, Montana in late June. This weeklong immersion program focused on understanding the Blackfeet Nation and was designed to be experiential, educational, practical, and reflective. Each day, we met leaders from the community who taught us about the Blackfeet way of life, including their history, language, spiritualty, and experience of trauma and search for healing. We also learned how to construct a traditional Natoyis (tepee), participated in a sweat lodge ceremony, and got to spend some time with a member of the tribal council.