Kairos retreat

Kairos, adapted to mean "God's time", is a Christian, Ignatian, [http://www.geocities.com/kairosnewyork/kairos.html "Kairos New York"] ] retreat program for high school and college students that began in Jesuit schools in Ohio, but, now, takes place around the world. The retreat is an intense few days, usually during a long weekend, that provide participants the chance to contemplate on God's role in their lives. [ [http://www.bc.edu/offices/ministry/IgSoc/Kairos.html Boston College: Kairos Retreats] ]

History

These Kairos retreats began at the Jesuit Retreat House in Cleveland, Ohio, [ [http://www.jrh-cleveland.org/ Jesuit Retreat House] ] which is affiliated with John Carroll University and several high schools around the area. After several Jesuit high schools schools in Ohio adopted the tradition, non-Jesuit Catholic high schools throughout the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and Puerto Rico now participate.

Process

The retreat is usually led mostly by the peers of the participants. For the high school retreats, the team is composed of both seniors who have already made the retreat and a few faculty from the school. [http://www.jhssac.org/StudentLife/campusministry/kairos.php Jesuit High School: Kairos] ] The difference between Kairos and other retreats is that it focuses mostly on helping one find his or her "personal theology", or their own personal relationship with God during a few days of discerning and discovery. Through the course of the retreat, a building of a strong community takes place, through encouraging openness, reflection, and trust.

Mysterious nature

Participants are often kept unaware of the "mysterious" goings on of the spiritual retreat. According to those who run the retreat, it is kept confidential, because the experience is different for each person, and, out of context, what happens would not be understood or appreciated in the same way others appreciate it while they are on the retreat. Because of its secretive nature, the retreat is often surrounded by many myths and legends. Kairos is based on present-moment experiences that many who have gone on the retreat say are best received when they are spontaneous and unexpected.

References