Kairos, adapted to mean "God's time"[1], is a Christian retreat program for high school and college students that takes place around the world. The retreat is a four day, three night (or three day, two night in some cases) residential retreat[2], that provide participants the chance to contemplate God's role in their lives.[3]
There are two Greek words for time: chronos and Kairos. Chronos emphasizes duration, succession of moments, chronological time. Kairos does not. Kairos is the Lord's Time, and is judged, not by its succession or duration but by its value, the intensity of the experience of God's presence in the midst of the Christian community.[4]—Trinity College Campus Ministry
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The retreat is usually led mostly by the peers of the participants.[5] For the high school retreats, the team is composed of both seniors or juniors who have already made the retreat and a few faculty from the school.[6][7] The difference between Kairos and other retreats is that it focuses mostly on helping one find his or her own personal relationship with God during a few days of discerning and discovery. During this process, the retreatant also becomes very close with the others involved in the retreat. Some groups and schools refer to those that went as "kai-sisters" or "kai-brothers."[5] Through the course of the retreat, a building of a strong community takes place, through encouraging openness, reflection, and trust.[6] Also, Kairos is traditionally a very secretive retreat, that is, returning retreatants often refuse to describe the retreat to others; as Kairos is a unique retreat, it is often felt that it is better to enter into the retreat not knowing what will happen on it.[8]
The leaders of the Kairos retreat are typically about one peer leader for every 6 to 10 retreat participant, as well as one peer "rector" who is designated as the overall leader of the retreat. In high school Kairos retreats, there are also adult leaders, often teachers who help lead the retreat. In most instances, the leaders of the retreats are kept secret from the retreat participants until the retreat actually begins, although the leader list is already set ahead of time during the planning period of the retreat.
Kairos retreats are often held at retreat houses removed from the hustle and bustle of mainstream society. This practice is intended to remove the retreat participants from their everyday life, so they are free to clear their minds of regular life. With this concept in mind, the leaders of many Kairos retreats often request that the retreatants hand in their cell phones and other electronic devices, so that they can be more fully separated from the outside world.[9]
The Kairos retreat program is based on the "Christian Awakening" retreat program, which was developed in 1965 by the Diocese of Brooklyn, in the United States. A team of Priests, Brothers, and Lay People under the direction of Fr. Douglas L. Brown of the Brooklyn Diocese made use of the Cursillo Retreat format, which has its roots in Ignatian spirituality, but adapted it for older teenagers.[10] The retreat itself stems from Ignatian spirituality, as put forth in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. [11]
The retreat was immediately successful; within three years it was adopted in Connecticut, California, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Texas, Virginia, Kentucky, and Washington D.C.[12]
In December, 1975, Fr. Bob Colaresi, O.Carm, from Joliet Catholic High School, further developed the program and made a retreat that was first called "Chiros" by Fr. Kevin McBrien. In March 1979, it was properly spelled Kairos. By 1995 the program had spread to 20 Jesuit high schools throughout the United States.