Kairos Blog

Kairos Blog

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in Kairos XI through Fairfield’s Campus Ministry. The experience proved to be very interesting, packed with all different sorts of emotions. For me, the retreat was initially a bit awkward because I was one of the only seniors and I did not know many of the other students. However, I soon overcame this issue and by the end of the trip I had made many new friends. The retreat has been planned out since December, which shows how much time the team leaders put into making the Kairos experience truly meaningful for all of its participants. The weekend getaway was just what I needed to take some time and reflect about my life and what direction I wanted to head in. It also helped me to realize that God has not had much presence in my life lately, a problem I need to resolve.

One of the big themes of the week was that God had in some way intended for all of us to participate in Kairos on that particular date. Many of the students had shared that they had planned on going during other times of their life, but the timing was always an issue. This past weekend, was a time where finally I did not have a prior commitment preventing me from experiencing Kairos, plus it was my last opportunity as a student to attend. Our group was very fortunate to have special guests on the retreat, mainly Father Van Arx and Tom Pellegrino. Imagine having the two most important figures at Fairfield on the same retreat. Tom Pellegrino helped and shared some stories from his past while Father Van Arx celebrated a mass and administered confessions. Both men are truly insightful and are directly correlated with the great experience I have had during my 4-year stay at Fairfield.

As I mentioned, this retreat was even more special because it was filled with underclassman who I had never really seen before. I was able to step back as the seasoned senior and appreciate the problems such as adjusting to college life, that I had previously gone through. These hurdles in life represent the barriers that often give us an identity, showing us which stage of life we are at. These problems are truly “a gift” as I have learned, because now that I have overcome some of them, I can appreciate how I got to where I am today. In the journey of passing through