Kairos is an unforgettable experience. The First Kairos Retreat of the School Year opened to the Senior Class 2024 in November. “The Kairos retreat program began at Saint Louis School around the 2001-2002 school year,” says Director of Campus Ministry Christopher Casupang. “And we just completed our 60th Kairos Retreat at Saint Louis.”
This retreat experience is like all other retreat experiences at Saint Louis as it “allows students to reflect on their relationship with God, others and themselves,” explains Casupang. “The main thing about Kairos is that it allows us time to be more age-appropriate in the areas of our Relationship with God, Self, and Others.”
The retreat allows both the students and the adult leaders to “take time away from their normal life and those daily stresses,” notes Casupang explains, allowing everyone to be mindful of the experiences that can come into their lives through this retreat.
All technology is taken away, so students have no phones or computers for the whole period of the retreat. Some students wonder how they can live without phones. “The fact that I couldn’t use my phone for the entire 4 days kind of makes me nervous because I just can’t imagine life without using my phone,” says Kairos Retreatant Ri Won Kim.
Going into Kairos, students are unaware of the outcome. Many students who have attended Kairos before don’t speak about their experiences during the Kairos activities, creating an intriguing mystique surrounding the Kairos event. “I was honestly just expecting time to just hang out with my friends. I wasn’t expecting much because the LIFE Team didn’t disclose most information about it,” says Kairos Retreatant Alfredo Montemayor. “So I kind of came into it kind of blind so it was interesting.”
Many retreatants, although in the same grade, have not had the opportunity to interact with students outside of their circle of friends. Kairos allows students to get out and socialize with their classmates. “My group wasn’t familiar with each other at first but because of how emotionally vulnerable you are and how you have to open up to people… I got so close quickly with my group,” shares Montemayor. “ I didn’t even know their names even though they’re in my grade,” adds Kim. “Since the retreat, I’ve been talking with all of them… now I don’t see them as just [a] friend. I’m feeling more I see them as a family, like brothers.”
The Student Leaders have also noticed the changes in their classmates and friends. “Some of my classmates kind of opened up. But there are a lot of them that started very enclosed,” notes Kairos Student Leader Rex Micah Pagurigan. “But as the days went on, they wanted to share… and they started to open up and have the courage to talk about amongst their brothers.”
The Kairos Retreat is not only a time to hang out with friends but also a time to understand God and how students can connect with God. “There’s this great realization of how God is present in our everyday lives and how they can develop a personal relationship with God,” says Casupang. Kairos allows time for students to create time for God. “I learned a lot of things about myself, my friends, and especially my relationship with God,” shares Kim.
Although Kairos has had a major effect on the participants over the years, student leaders have also grown by watching their brothers experience the same experiences they have appreciated. “As a leader, I become better at public speaking with the retreatants,” says Student Leader Cody Kissel. “ To go up there and talk about my experiences and who I am as a person helped me grow and be able to communicate better with my brothers.”
For those students who contemplate participating his this event, Kairos is an experience that must be experienced to appreciate its impact. “Just do it, it’s your senior year. You might as well do it,” says Montemayor. “ You’re not going to have another chance for this so just take advantage of all the chances you have here at Saint Louis.”
