The word Kairos is a Greek word that means God’s time, and there is no better time than the current moment to fully enter into His love and holiness.

After Covid-19, Kairos was put to a stop and wasn’t able to relaunch until this year.

“It was such a great blessing, said Ben Pohl, LCHS’ director of campus ministry. “We knew it would be difficult to relaunch Kairos without any students having experienced it before, but I was so impressed by the enthusiasm and openness of the students who attended and also of the servant leadership of our amazing staff.”

In the Lansing Catholic community, students are provided with the opportunity to go on little retreats here and there. However, Kairos has a much bigger impact on both staff and students.

“The depth of Kairos is much greater than the house retreats,” said theology teacher and Kairos facilitator Casey Vandenberg. “The amount of time that you’re there, the people who are there with you, and the variety of things you have the opportunity to do allow the experience to be much richer and more rewarding. The house retreats are good, but people often come out of Kairos having been changed, in a good way.”

LCHS students also experienced great change.

“I think it was a greatly needed getaway from the surface level routine we are all in,” said junior NancyLee Bareham. “Not only did it help get under the surface, but it was a renewal of hearts, minds, and perspectives.”

This year’s Kairos retreat was unique, because it was completely optional. In prior years, it has been a requirement for students.

“As chaplain, I of course wanted to be part of Kairos because it is such a powerful opportunity to bring students to a deeper place in their relationship with Jesus,” said Fr. Joseph Campbell.

Bringing back Kairos was a blessing to many and allowed both students and staff to grow deeper in their faith and relationship with God himself.

“Surrendering yourself and your time to God without expectations is an experience that has continued to change lives and will forever be something to remember,” Pohl said.

The following was originally published in The LCHS Insider, Student Newspaper. 

About Lansing Catholic High School

Join the tradition of over 100 years of Catholic education at Lansing Catholic High School. With over 400 students, we are large enough to offer a great variety of classes, activities, and athletics, yet small enough where everyone knows each other. The Lansing Catholic High School community forms students spiritually, intellectually, and socially into faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. For information on enrollment and registration at Lansing Catholic, please visit our Admissions Center.