Every year seniors at Xavier look forward to attending a Kairos retreat at the Mount Claret Retreat Center. Kairos allows students to step away from their usual routines during the school year and to reflect on personal and spiritual lives while creating deeper connections with classmates. It’s a transformative experience that has a lasting impact.
Students have the option to choose from four Kairos retreat dates throughout the school year. One is offered each quarter, which allows students to have the opportunity to go, as sports and activities can conflict.
Many groups of people help contribute to Kairos’s efficiency, including coordinators Danielle Lambert and Kaiti-Lynn Beazley; moderators Noah Minton, Sister Yolanda Mendoza, Valerie Ahern, Sister Dung “Theresa” Trang and Noemi Santaella; student leaders and adult leaders. Student group leaders have a designated class each semester to plan and organize the retreat, which Lambert usually supervises. Ahern, however, is the class’s temporary supervisor.
Beazley and Lambert are on maternity leave, so they could not lead this year’s February and April retreats. Ahern, Mendoza and Santaella are the substitute coordinators for the April Kairos with assistance from Minton and Trang.
Ahern has been a moderator for three years and Michelle Enciso, a former Xavier theology teacher, introduced her to the role. Santaella began the role when Spanish-speaking parents needed help translating questions regarding the retreat and has since then been a moderator for five years.
“Each year since, I’ve been able to do a little bit more to support the Kairos team,” Ahern said. “I see, first-hand, the gift that Kairos is to the retreatants and how hard the adult leadership works to make each retreat so successful.”
“I was very happy to help take over the next Kairos when the news of Mrs. Beazley and Mrs. Lambert’s pregnancies was announced,” said Santaella. “Even though it is a lot of work to balance the job of Kairos coordinator and six Spanish classes, I love what I do, and I am very dedicated to my job.”
The three main moderators filling in for Beazley and Lambert did not adjust the agendas of the February and April retreats. The only major change is that there will be no summer Kairos for upcoming senior leaders because both of the main coordinators will still be on leave and unable to organize the event, so juniors have participated in the February and April Kairos.
“It is uncertain if the juniors will continue to attend Kairos with the seniors next year,” said Minton. “The idea has been discussed between the moderators and other administrators at Xavier, but we will have to see how this last retreat goes.”
Although their new responsibilities are temporary, Ahern, Santaella and Mendoza are highly qualified people with Catholic backgrounds who ensure students have impactful experiences. They created a supportive environment for the participants to deepen their connections with God and to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.
Each day of Kairos contains a different theme which teaches the students a new concept of the Catholic faith and how God provides spiritual guidance. Lambert plans each grade’s prayer day around a Kairos theme to slowly introduce them to the retreat.
The intent of having seniors go on Kairos is to improve their understanding of the Catholic faith and to grow in maturity throughout their time at Xavier. The retreat is open to all people no matter their faith, because God welcomes all walks of life.
“Xavier students are given four years of outstanding theology instruction,” Ahern said.
“Kairos allows them to apply the classroom knowledge they have developed into a personal and unique relationship with God.”
Kairos is highly recommended by many previous participants and retreat leaders because of how it improves a person’s relationship with God and it brings forth inner peace.
“It sets students on the right path before going off to college and makes them realize Jesus will always be with them,” said Santaella. “The retreat is life-changing for the people who participate, and it shifts their focus toward God.”
