Feeling out of place and unsure, he enters the retreat. He sets his bags down and gets put in a small group. He is unsure of how to feel yet but is excited about the little information he has been told.

It didn’t take long for that to change, as he soon felt right at home.

“My experience on Kairos was transforming,” senior Andrew Raga said, “and it’s something that everyone should experience.”

Now, thanks to the school’s new policy, everyone will.

With Strategic Vision coming into play, all current juniors will be able to experience what Andrew did, as Kairos is now required.

“We’re moving into an era where we’re adding renewed emphasis on our Jesuit and Catholic identity,” President Fr. Ronnie O’Dwyer S.J. said. “And part of that is inviting everyone to take part and set some time apart, during their ordinary day and make a retreat.”

Kairos is a three-day retreat that allows students to grow in their relationship with God and in their own sense of spirituality. It is a time for students to take a break from the everyday bustle of things.

“It’s cool to see people in such a vulnerable spot that you can almost relate to them,” Raga said. “It was a good refresh. You could take time away from school work and other distractions in life.”

Students will have the ability to choose between second semester junior year or first semester senior year. Retreat coordinator and Ultimate Frisbee Coach Howard Place said they may also offer a summer retreat based on availability. Seniors have the option to return after attending Kairos to help lead a future retreat. Junior Kairos is February 5-7 and April 3-5. For seniors it is October 23-25 and January 22-24.

“[Retreats] are part of who we want to be as a school,” Mr. Place said. “This is who we are and we don’t try to hide it.”