By Therese Fink Meyerhoff
A conference for directors of the Kairos retreat should reassure all those who care about Jesuit education and its students.
Held in late October at the Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House in Lake Dallas, Texas, the conference was the first of its kind for campus ministers of Jesuit high schools who steward the Kairos retreat for their students. Forty-seven participants represented 30 schools from across all five provinces in Canada and the United States. Their commitment to Jesuit high school students and this distinctive retreat experience was palpable.
Ron Rebore, Ph.D., initiated the conference. As the provincial assistant for pre-secondary and secondary education (PASE) for the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province, Rebore visits and evaluates all the high schools and middle schools in the province. The PASE office also provides training and plans gatherings for Ignatian educators, including yearly retreats for new faculty and Ignatian Cohort Gatherings (ICG). Cohort gatherings are opportunities for individuals such as mission identity officers, chief financial officers or assistant principals to spend time with others in the same position to network and share best practices
Last year, Fr. Bill Snyders, SJ, who taught for many years at De Smet Jesuit High School and St. John’s College, encouraged Rebore to consider hosting an ICG centered on the Kairos retreat. Rebore did not need persuading. “There is nothing more important for our students, at our schools, than the Kairos retreat,” Rebore said.
Recognizing the potential value of this gathering, Rebore decided to include retreat ministers in Jesuit high schools across the Jesuit Schools Network – something never done before.
“This is the first time in my 20 years of teaching that I’ve had the opportunity to gather with other retreat leaders and focus specifically on this pivotal retreat experience in our schools,” said Gretchen Crowder, the campus minister at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas who planned the event on behalf of the province. “This was a chance for us to listen to one another’s expertise, learn from our challenges and successes, and note the similarities and differences in our retreat offerings.”
Crowder formed a committee that intentionally represented the different provinces throughout the Jesuit Schools Network, including a mix of lay and Jesuit, Cristo Rey and traditional Jesuit school representatives. Bringing all of these voices to the table contributed to the strong response of retreat leaders from schools throughout the five provinces.
“The Kairos ICG was truly a unique meeting-of-the-minds opportunity for me as a Kairos director to be around people who just ‘get it,’ who live and breathe Kairos, and who have ample wisdom and experience to share,” said Olivia Britt, campus minister at Arrupe Jesuit High School in Denver.
So, what is Kairos? The word Kairos comes from Greek and means “God’s time.” And that’s what the retreat is meant to be: a transformational time apart at which students can encounter God in the person of Jesus Christ and begin to internalize God’s unconditional love for themselves and for others.
As one high school student reported, “Kairos gave me the space to step back from the noise of daily life and reflect on who I am at my core. It deepened my faith and connection with others in a way that continues to shape how I lead and live today. As a teen, it let me and my peers take down our guards we had up at school and really see people for who they are and (gave) us an opportunity to practice empathy and humility.”
Some components of Kairos are standard, and many are not discussed outside of the retreat, so that students can experience them fully as they happen. How the retreat unfolds depends on the school. Some schools restrict attendance to juniors, others to seniors, and still others allow both juniors and seniors to participate. Some schools structure a program of retreats beginning freshman year that prepares students for Kairos as upperclassmen. Kairos can be three days or four. It can be known by other names, like Encounter or Emmaus. And peer leadership – a key component – mandates flexibility on behalf of the retreat leaders.
Conference participants discussed all of this and more. During each main session, they listened to a panel of their peers on topics of student retreat curriculum, faculty formation for retreats and what comes after Kairos. Then they workshopped each of these topics in small groups and shared their insights with the larger group. They attended Mass each day, celebrated by Jesuits of this province who are involved with retreat ministry at their schools. And they formed a supportive community of ministers who share a commitment to making Kairos the best possible experience for students.
Britt is looking forward to incorporating what she took away from the conference. “I was particularly struck by the breakout sessions, because they allowed us to dive into topics of interest to us and pick each other’s brains about ideas for areas ranging from small group dynamics and activities to sacraments, ceremonies and more,” she said. “My colleagues were able to connect on such a deep level about this retreat, to the point where it didn’t feel as though our contexts were so different. This spoke to me of the universality of the retreat, and I wonder if it also speaks to a deeper reality of the universality of Jesuit education.”
In the end, Crowder said, “The most impactful part of this retreat experience was the community we created, which we will continue to foster beyond the three days together.”
Featured photo: Retreat ministers discuss how to ensure the Kairos retreat is truly God’s time for student participants.
