Kairos to be held on Carroll’s campus during Holy Week

Like every other activity this past year, Kairos — the religious retreat for seniors — needed to adjust to the coronavirus pandemic’s schedule.

Previously planned Kairos retreats have not been cancelled but instead have been rescheduled to happen during one, three-day event during Holy Week on Carroll’s campus.

“We are having Kairos but it will be in school. It will be the entire retreat minus the lodging part: that will be the biggest change,” said Father Mark Cavara, Carroll’s director of campus ministry.

Every year, most of the seniors attend Kairos. Typically, Kairos happens from Tuesday night through Friday afternoon four times a year — June, October, January, and March — at the Malvern Retreat House. The retreat remains a mystery to those who has not attended the three-day event. What has been revealed is that Kairos is an emotional and spiritual journey taken with other classmates and teachers that touches the soul and seems to give a deeper perspective on life and Christianity.

The fact that this year’s Kairos will not include staying away from school and home for three nights got some big reactions out of students because the special feeling of going away on a retreat while being completely secluded is being taken away.

“I think it’s a shame that the pandemic is ruining special events like Kairos because it’s a special opportunity for people to connect and unite and we won’t be able to get the same joy out of it by altering the way we do it,” senior Nico Coronel said.

However, an advantage of Kairos being in the school is that there is enough space for the entire senior class to attend at once, according to Fr. Cavara.

“The seniors will have the entire building to themselves and they will be in a place like the cafeteria for the first time as a class since March 12, 2020.” he said.

This opens up an opportunity for students who were not planning to lodge and attend Kairos.

“I wasn’t going to attend Kairos but now that it’s in school I will definitely reconsider since we won’t be going away,” said senior Justin Thomas.