‘The Change of Era’: 2023 Montini Fellow Brother Robert Schieler, FSC to Speak on the ‘Reinvention’ of the Lasallian Identity
The annual Montini Fellowship spotlights leaders in the Catholic intellectual tradition. On March 23, the former Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools will speak on the Lasallian mission in the 21st century.
When Brother Robert Schieler, FSC, then the Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, delivered Saint Mary’s Convocation Address in April of 2015, he was remarkably candid about the state of the world graduates would soon enter. “The richest ten percent of people in the world own 85 percent of all assets, while the poorest 50 percent own only one percent,” he said. “How can the Gospel speak to these realities?”
The answer, Brother Robert argued, lay in Jesus’s mission of “boundary-breaking,” “foot washing,” and “table fellowship.” “Can we harness the passion of so many Lasallians today to actually be such a communitas for the vulnerable in our midst?” he asked. “I think we can.”
On March 23, 2023, the Saint Mary's community will welcome back Brother Robert at this year’s Montini Fellow. Brother Robert will continue the conversation with his 2015 Convocation address, exploring the evolving nature of the Lasallian identity and mission in the 21st century. He will draw on extensive documents from recent General Chapters—the gathering of Lasallian leaders that occurs every seven years, where they evaluate their Institute and elect the next Superior General—and assess the implications for the global Lasallian Family’s ongoing viability and vitality. In a very large sense, he is looking at where the Christian Brothers have come since Vatican II—and where this global educational mission is taking them and their fellow Lasallian educators.
Brother Robert Schieler’s upcoming address will explore the evolving nature of the Lasallian identity and mission in the 21st century.
There is perhaps no one better to speak to the future of the Lasallian identity, according to Brother Armin Altamirano Luistro, FSC, the current Superior General. “Brother Bob not only has the ‘view of the forest’ from serving in key positions of Institute leadership in America and Rome,” he says, “but also hands-on experience from serving as a missionary to Mindanao in the Philippines, where he taught high school students in La Salle Academy and served as Superintendent of diocesan schools.”
Established in 2008 by The Bishop John S. Cummins Institute for Catholic Thought, Culture, and Action, the Montini Fellowship spotlights individuals who have contributed significantly to Catholic higher education and the Catholic intellectual tradition. Brother Scheiler joins a line of distinguished Fellows, including legal scholar and philosopher William M. Sullivan; priest, teacher of ethics, and MacArthur “genius” grant recipient J. Brian Hehir; and the longtime Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences Marcello Sánchez Sorondo.
To hear Brother Robert’s Montini Fellow Address, join him at 7:30 p.m. on March 23, in Claeys Lounge in the Soda Center. He will also be on campus that entire week, available to speak with students, faculty, and alumni.
SEE DETAILS on the Montini Lecture on March 23 and register for the live stream HERE.
Learn more about the Montini Fellowship. And read about William Sullivan’s 2017 Montini talk.