Kairos retreat letters8/1/2023 Out of all my days at Kairos, this made it the most worth it. They gave you the rest of the night to spend reading the letters. After all the letters were read, they brought you back into your room, where you found a brown paper parcel full of letters and little things given to you by your leader, the student leaders, friends, family, boyfriends/girlfriends, siblings, or whoever was important to you. You didn’t know who’s letter was who’s until the end when the parent/aunt/uncle/sibling/guardian’s name was read. People began reading out letters, which were clearly written for a random person in the room. We were asked to lay on the floor with our heads on the pillows and our eyes closed. They brought us to a room that was almost completely dark, with the exception of a couple candles at the doorway and a couple candles in the front of the room. They asked us to bring a pillow and to line up single file. After about two hours, the sun had set, and they opened the doors up to the dark hallway. I spent the time listening to my mp3 player (which I wasn’t allowed to have). They asked us to not fall asleep, and instead spend the time praying or meditating in silence. Sometime during the afternoon, they told us to go into our room and to stay there until we were directed. I almost perfectly remember the 2nd night’s event. Where the other things, I don’t think were as important (and probably why I can hardly remember the point of them), the second day’s secret was the most well kept. I know some of what I’ve already told you is part of the secrets… the biggest secret though, I remember being on the 2nd day. I’m pretty sure one of the “secrets” were the personal stories of the other people/leaders in the retreat with you. There was a lot of crying among other groups, but I remember mine being pretty tame. Any activities that involved you personally talking about your life/feelings/experiences were done in the smaller groups. If I remember correctly, my Kairos group tried not to be TOO constantly God-centered, since some of the students weren’t actually Catholic, but there were many activities that had you question/grow your relationship with God. These stories are usually God-related in some way or another. A lot of people tell personal stories, including the adult coordinators and the student leaders. You are allowed to speak your mind completely and without judgement. Your group meets throughout the 4 day retreat to talk about a variety of subjects. I was in a group with people I had hardly known. The student leaders and past Kairos members do a little research to make sure that no close friends are put into a group with you. You are sorted out into groups of about 10 people max. They are paired with an adult leader and put in charge of a group. These are students who had attended a previous Kairos and are made leaders. They are the adult leaders and figures that most of the students should be familiar with in one way or another. Teachers, Priests, Parents, and Faculty Members make up the coordinators. I am sure I left things out and I am sure that other schools did things differently! Hopefully some readers who are okay with telling their story, will comment and leave more information on what happened with them. Okay, so like I said before, it’s been pretty close to 6 years since I went on my Kairos retreat, so I’m going to tell you what I remember, but not everything.
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