Kairos, a newer Xavier tradition, has begun transforming the student body into leaders and strengthening personal relationships with Christ.
K-24 leader Natalie Weatherwax ‘25 states that her leadership experience was better than going as a retreatant. “Going is receiving, and leading is giving love to others,” she said. Her experience as a leader allowed her to not only pursue her faith but also cultivate the faith of others.
Kairos, meaning God’s time, correlates to this retreat being God-centered. Danielle Lambert, campus minister and theology teacher said, “If God is not the center of this retreat, it will have no success! Leaders do not make the retreat work; God does, and dependence on the Holy Spirit does.”
The main purpose of the retreat is for students to find their own personal legend. “Kairos is a leadership retreat not just for becoming a leader but for figuring out who you are and leading a student through the rest of her life,” said Alexis Quintero.
A significant portion of Kairos is spent in small groups, which aids the students in becoming vulnerable and sharing their experiences with others. These small groups are each led by one Kairos leader and an adult supervisor, who ensure the well-being of the students.
Quintero states, “I was a Xavier student, and I wish I had Kairos.” This special retreat benefits the graduating class and changes its outlook on life. Ultimately, this aids the students in understanding themselves before deciding their careers and futures.
The process of becoming a leader starts on junior prayer day, encouraging summer Kairos for those who have hopes of leading. This application is tedious because a student will undergo several interviews regarding her personal relationship with God.
According to Lambert, “The biggest qualification is a love of people and sharing one’s faith in Christ with others.”
Selecting students is not based on being a “perfect Christian” but on whether or not she can handle emotional subjects while leading classmates. “We hope to pick leaders who want to serve their peers as well as grow in their own individual faith; we want to consider the emotional capacity of our leaders and their abilities to handle the emotions of their peers,” said Kaiti-Lynn Beazley, Kairos retreat moderator.
Behind the scenes Valerie Ahern, librarian, sifts through the paperwork regarding the future retreatants and leaders, including sensitive topics that may arise during the retreat.
Due to the competitive spirit of Xavier, there are typically only 32 spots available out of about 70 applicants. Despite this, the campus ministry team still encourages everyone to apply because it may be God’s time for a certain person to lead.
After being selected as Kairos leaders, students are then placed in the Servant Leadership class, which covers all aspects of the retreat. Each leader is assigned one talk which is worked on in class.
This new senior tradition has begun to be the highlight of students’ times at Xavier. Weatherwax stated, “It was my favorite Xavier experience, and I encourage everyone to attend.”
Regardless of whether they are leaders or retreatants, students are still recommended to attend, allowing time for understanding and strengthening their spiritual connections with the world. “I highly recommend it to everyone. Just go with an open mind and don’t expect anything from it because that’s when you learn the most and experience the most,” Weatherwax said.
