By Jimmy Navarrete ‘23

Last week Brother Rice held its first Kairos retreat, Kairos 160, of the 2022-23 school year. Most graduates consider Kairos one of their favorite upperclassmen memories. I had the privilege of going on Kairos 160. I am going to take you through my thought process leading up to the retreat and a brief reflection because I can’t tell you what went on during the retreat. Don’t anticipate, participate!

A couple of my friends went on it last year and had a great time, so I decided to take their advice and give Kairos a chance. When handing my permission slip to Mr. Augustyn, I didn’t really know what to expect. The only thing I knew about Kairos was that nobody could talk about the specifics of the retreat. Going on Kairos was on my list of things I wanted to do before graduating.

At first I was very excited and interested to see what the “hype” about Kairos was all about; however, I was a little nervous.

Kairos 160 candidate Kevin Lufrano ‘23 said, “Going into Kairos, I was extremely nervous; I knew most of the kids going on it, but not as in-depth as I wanted to. After going on this retreat, I now realize that everyone has problems in life, and we must never judge others for it, just like how God never judges us.”

Kairos 160 leader Billy Reardon ‘23 said, “The retreat was a major eye opener to the candidates. They truly had a good experience and opened themselves up to “God’s Time.” All of my fellow leaders made it a success. Being the rector for K-160 meant a lot to me because I followed my dad’s footsteps as he was the rector for K-12. Overall, the retreat was a success and the candidates will take it with them for a lifetime.”

Kairos 160 had a great group of guys and leaders; I believe that made my experience even more special. I knew a couple of people going into this, but I didn’t really know most of them. Fortunately, I can say I have made new friends and brothers for the rest of my life!