The Kairos Retreat begins after school on Tuesday and ends early
on a Friday evening.
There are four Kairos retreats each year for seniors. The final
one of the year is for Juniors who will help carry on the
traditions of the retreat the following year. Students must
choose to sign up to attend this retreat.
Kairos is a Greek word meaning “the Lord’s time.”
Each retreat is led by a team composed of 8 seniors who have
previously attended Kairos and 8 faculty/staff members. The
activities on Kairos build community, foster trust and openness,
and encourage reflection. The key themes are knowing oneself,
discovering Jesus in a personal way, recognizing and responding
to Jesus’ call, and living the message of Christ.
Significant benefits have come to our students from this retreat.
Kairos establishes trust amongst the students on the retreat.
Students speak of their difficulties, joys, and hopes in ways new
and rewarding to them. Relationships with family and friends are
brought into focus. Generally, a stirring of sensitivity to self
and others grows into a desire for reconciliation. Many
retreatants have experienced a deep sense of consolation along
with a generous increase of self esteem as a result of the
retreat. The Kairos experience is permeated with a faith
dimension. Each day begins and ends with prayer. Three
Eucharistic Liturgies are celebrated and a special time given for
the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The faith dimension is encountered during talks given by student
and faculty leaders who share how they are devoted to building a
friendship with God. Leader talks dive into how Jesus is present
in the personal experiences of the leader’s life.
Each retreatant is encouraged to grow in awareness of the
countless opportunities to meet God in our world, especially in
others. There are many Ignatian values that naturally flow from
the experience of Kairos. Each retreatant learns that he is
loved, lovable, and loving. The retreatant comes to see Jesus in
a new light, as a real friend, loving and calling him. Each
retreatant is challenged to grow in relationships at home, and to
deal with personal problems, and as a result, often seeks more
caring friendships. Reflection is prominent throughout the
retreat.
Throughout the retreat, the retreatant is encouraged to take
notes and process feelings through journal writing. Prayer that
is genuine, personal, and real becomes a new and happy experience
for the retreatant. In the course of the retreat there is a
strong, gradual building of community. This supports the
retreatants during the retreat and also in the follow-up period.
The reality of this often shows up in the school where visible,
loving dimensions of community appear.
Ignatius’ motto, “Love is shown in deeds more than words,” is a
Kairos theme. The critical final phase of the retreat and the
follow-ups stress putting love into action.
