Earlier this fall, participants of Saint Ignatius’ 182nd Kairos retreat returned from their mystery-shrouded four days at the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, Illinois. Kairos (meaning “God’s time”) is one of three options (the others being Oramus, a silent retreat, and ADAM, a male-only retreat) that seniors have to fulfill their retreat requirement for the year, and it generally draws the most amount of interest from students. Since there is such high demand for a spot on Kairos, Ignatius offers five different dates for this retreat for each class of seniors: June, September, November, February, and March. 

Mr. Ed Nuñez, Senior Class Chaplain and a director on Kairos 182, believes that the popularity of Kairos has many explanations. “I would say it’s popular because there are a lot of different aspects of the retreat that people really resonate with, whether it’s the quiet reflection time – which we don’t get all the time – or it’s the bonding and the community building with your friends and people that you don’t know that well. It’s intentional time to reflect on your relationship with God, other people, and yourself,” he said. He also noted that because the retreat is offered by many Catholic schools, it allows Ignatius students to connect with a much wider network of people.

Kairos is mainly a senior-only retreat (although some choose to go in June at the conclusion of their junior year). On the benefit of only allowing upperclassmen to go on this retreat, Mr. Nuñez said, “You get to reflect on the past three years in your life and then build these relationships [with other students].” Additionally, he sees value in offering June Kairos: “I think the fact that we do it for juniors at the latter half of their junior year is cool [because] we kind of plant that seed in them so that they can bring in the Kairos spirit into their own senior year with their friends.”

This “Kairos spirit” is frequently talked about by seniors who have already attended, but they cannot specify any of the retreat’s details to anyone who has not been on it themselves. Catholic schools throughout the country remain dedicated to keeping most elements of Kairos a surprise on the premise that the mystery aspect will add to students’ experiences. “I think having surprises makes people look forward to something, and it makes them be more open to the experience,” said Mr. Nuñez.

Many students enter the four days skeptical of the experience but come out feeling “changed,” at least temporarily. This feeling has been controversially referred to time and time again by retreatants as “Kai-high,” characterized by a reinvigoration of love and care for oneself, others, and one’s faith. Mr. Nuñez believes that this is a real occurrence. “I definitely notice a shift in how people interact with each other. I think the spirit of the retreat being infused in so many in a class really helps build the class up in a really positive way,” he said.