I’ll be honest, whenever people who attended Kairos encouraged and begged me to go I would roll my eyes and say, “You’re out of your mind.” The thought of being stuck at a random place without any technology, everything’s a secret, and talking about feelings did not sound like my cup of tea. I assumed it would be awkward and just another school retreat that is insanely over-hyped. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

If you know me, you know I could win an award in complaining, and I can honestly say I have not one bad thing to say about Kairos. I would do anything to go back and experience it all over again. For the first hour it’s awkward until everyone decides to actually talk to each other because phones are nonexistent. So worrying about not having anyone to talk to is completely out of the picture.

You may hear people who have not attended the retreat deeming it a cult, likely because everything is a secret and everyone who comes back will not budge about what happens. The concept of everything being unknown is scary and annoying, but it’s what makes the retreat so successful and special. Just trust the process.

“Kairos is a great opportunity for students to take some time in reflection to kind of think about where they’ve been, where they are, and where they’re going. I think it’s one of the last opportunities that you’ll have in terms of a meaningful faith experience in high school,” said Micheal Brennan, Campus Ministry Director. 

I am beyond thankful Brennan talked me back into going 24 hours before, after I had planned to cancel. I had a long list of concerns and let me tell you he is a very persuasive guy and I will be thankful for that for the rest of my life. 

One of my main concerns was that Kairos was going to be fully about prayer and being in a religion class for four days straight. I was beyond wrong. Even if you don’t believe in faith as much as others or at all. Kairos is still for everyone. You do not have to be religious to attend. 

This mysterious retreat gives you the opportunity to connect with new people and get to know them. Everyone went in only talking to their friends and by the end of it, 40 of us had orchestrated “Since U Been Gone” from the Pitch Perfect movie and would not stop singing it. 

“I was nervous to go on Kairos but I am so thankful I went. I built relationships with people I never used to talk to. I would  highly recommend going because it’s a very eye opening experience,” said senior Jordyn McNichols. 

I’m assuming anyone who is on the fence about going has a lot of questions about the retreat and one of the most common concerns my group had was how much sleep we were going to be getting. I will spoil one secret: Brennan does give you time for a nap.  

Even though I cannot say much about the experience, I can say it was so eye-opening and helped me understand myself and others more than I could ever imagine. Take the opportunity and just sign up and give it a try. Give it 24 hours and make your decision after that. You don’t know what could happen if you never give it a chance and I highly encourage everyone to go. 

“If a student doesn’t go they won’t know what they’re missing, but I do. I do know so many students over the years have said that the retreat was one of the most memorable and impactful experiences they had during their time in high school,” said Brennan. 

There’s no reason not to go. Any excuse you can think of to not go is invalid. Trust me, I tried. There are so few things in life that you walk into not knowing a thing about what could happen next. It’s so rare to get that opportunity so please take it. Unplug, let loose, and get to know people who you have been around the last four years.