Xavier students and faculty members participate in two important spiritual programs, Kairos and Prayer Day. Both events are intensive and enlightening, aimed at building relationships between God and community. Seniors attend Kairos, a popular four-day spiritual retreat, but all students attend their annual Prayer Day.
Prayer Day occurs for first and second-year students at Xavier and for juniors and seniors at an offsite retreat center. Hosted on an early Friday, and ending mid-day, Prayer Day students listen to advice from faculty, play questionnaire games, attend Mass and interact with their classmates.
In the Fall of 2024, Xavier’s theology department will introduce new changes to class Prayer Days aimed at incorporating aspects of Kairos and fostering new friendships and bonds.
Starting September 11, students will attend a full Prayer Day, likely on a Wednesday. They will be encouraged to have deeper discussions about their classes and any obstacles they face.
Theology teachers Danielle Burr and Kaiti-Lynn Beazley hope that these changes will further encourage the presence of God in each student’s life. Instead of discussing general themes, they aim to debate current events and relevant topics that are taking place around the world.
“There will be talks, there are going to be lots of fun games and activities, competitions, time for prayer and there’s going to be community building,” Burr said.
Additionally, new members will join the on-campus ministry team who will aid in these changes, and help expand the objective of Prayer Day.
Senior Ria Lasota encourages students to attend. “Prayer day gave me the time to forget about the anxieties of my everyday life and reflect on my relationship with God” she said.
The theology department hopes to encourage students to engage with those around them in order to build a safe and comfortable environment for students and faculty to thrive.
For more information about Kairos and Prayer Day, visit xcp.org/spirituality/retreats.
