Students find renewal at Kairos 62

By Trinity Hart ’24, Editor-in-Chief
April 8, 2024

After months of preparation and anticipation, a group of Seton staff, leaders and upperclassmen students took a four-day trip to the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale from March 19-22 for Kairos 62.

Kairos holds a special spot in so many students’ hearts and is a big part of Seton’s Catholic identity because of its unexpected elements of faith and community that come from the week.

Although there is a repetitive structure with all of the Kairos retreats, each one is special to the people who attend.

“I’ve been to dozens of retreats, but Kairos was incomparable. It was a lot of fun, of course, but it did reopen some things,” said Senior Joseph McAuliff. “It allowed me to have a deeper connection with God.”

There are some secrets attached to Kairos, but one thing that is not a secret is the bonds that are created with each other.

“My favorite part was the small groups because we grew as a family and it was really nice to open up to people and not feel judged,” he said. “The love they showed me was God’s love.”

God reveals himself in ways that people don’t expect where they need it most, explained Junior Nita Bennett.

“I went to Catholic school my whole life, and I’ve always known about Jesus because it’s natural when you go to Catholic school but I feel like I discovered God’s presence,” said Nita. “I learned that He blesses people and answers their prayers through other people and situations.”

Junior Julia Basha felt she understood a deeper concept of the love of God that is hard to grasp.

“My biggest takeaway is that God’s love is always around us, and we have to search for it. We can’t just expect it to be right in front of us. It’s in ways in our daily lives,” said Julia.

The idea of a retreat focused on God can tend to dissuade people from attending or hold them back from opening up.

“It’s about getting closer to yourself. Doing soul-searching, really. I learned so much about myself and about other people,” said Julia. “Keep an open mind when you’re going into meeting someone because everyone goes through something.”

Nita also felt that it wasn’t a retreat solely focused on encountering Jesus.

“It’s about love and the people around you and enjoying yourself. You realize later that it was God,” Nita explained.

In order to truly get something out of the experience, people put themselves out there and step out of their comfort zone.

“At first I was a little scared of losing my phone. I was scared of being out of touch from reality, but it was a really great experience,” Julia said. “I love where we stayed and I loved being, not out of touch, but being able to step away from the chaos.”

Participating and living in the moment allows individuals to avoid fear of judgment from their peers or disappointment when their expectations aren't met.

“My group, we had a really good bond. There were really minimal moments of silence,” said Julia. “We were all very talkative and really open and honest with each other. I think it really helped make my experience.”

Each experience is unique to what a person needs or is going through at that point in their lives, and that is why there is such a fire within them when they return.

“If I was trying to convince someone to go to Kairos, nothing would stop them. They could go if they wanted to,” Joseph said. “I would tell them to take a break and love life. That’s what Kairos was. It was a spiritual renewal that was needed and I didn’t know it was needed.”