Kairos is a Catholic retreat that allows participants to be fully immersed in a unique environment which encourages understanding, faith, honesty, and love. The retreat is four days and three nights, and living the fourth day centers on bringing the experience of Kairos to everyone - beyond the walls of the retreat.

Dear Kairos family,

Can you believe we are where we are right now? On Kairos, we always buzzed about how the prospect of college was causing us a great deal of stress. And, yet, we are here, in the places we each were meant to end up, and we are questioning why we were so worried in the first place. But, while we may have jumped in two-feet-first to our college environments, we are longing to be back in our Kairos bubble where things were a little bit safer and more comfortable.

Living the Fourth Day was hard a week after Kairos, and each day takes us another 24 hours further from the moment that cross was placed around our necks. And each day makes it a little bit harder to remember every detail of that Kairos journey. There are a lot of things we forget from those few days we spent on the retreat – all of which are things we had promised ourselves we would never forget.

College presents many challenges. There are temptations we never had to deal with before, a level of stress that is uncharted, pressures of the fast-approaching future, and questions of how to define one’s self in a new environment. Our minds are overwhelmed by college in general, no matter how much we try to keep ourselves afloat.

First of all, it’s okay. Everything is going to be okay. Know that, and believe it. Take a deep breath and know that God is in control, and things will turn out as they are meant to. Just keep your head up and have faith.

Living the Fourth in college, while challenging, is imperative. It takes commitment, mindfulness, and an overall sense of optimism for the day ahead. But, in our college communities, there are less and less people who have had our same opportunity to experience Kairos, and less people who are striving to live the Fourth.

It is our privilege and duty, as Kairos alumna, to share the values of Kairos with the world around us – to people who may not even know what Kairos is. We have been fortunate enough to have laughed, cried, and loved in the supportive and enriching Kairos environment, and it has changed the way we view the world. We need to share that world view, and encourage others to learn by our example. It is on us to bring the Kairos experience to reality. And, while college is a much more complicated environment than we are accustomed to, we must have the courage to stand alone, if necessary, to be a catalyst for positive change.

I encourage all of you to glance back at your Kairos notes and memories. Take a moment to yourself to reevaluate your behavior and set goals for how you want to live the Fourth day more adequately. Allow yourself to be re-immersed in the feelings you had on Kairos – let them overwhelm you in a cleansing way. Remember how you felt, and remember how excited you were to share that feeling with others once you left the Kairos retreat. Rekindle that excitement and bring it with you in every situation.

I am not perfect; to say that living the fourth has been a challenge would be an understatement. I never expected my life to take the path that it has; I never expected to be the person I am, but, regardless, I have taken a step back and I've been honest with myself. I know I can do better to make our Kairos family proud, and I am determined to do so.

Most of all, remember that you are loved beyond compare. You have a family of people who have your back, no matter what. You are a phenomenal, beautiful human being, made by the same hands that crafted the stars. You are loved, and you should show others how incredibly loved they are, because it may just be the one thing they really need to hear.

If you left Kairos, forgot everything you felt, ignored everything you learned, and lived your life in the same fashion as before the retreat, you are depriving yourself and others of the magic that Kairos ignites. Don’t deny this world, a world desperate for love and understanding – your true self.

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”
»1 Corinthians 16:13

With so much love and prayers,

Allia McDowell

Kairos LIII & LIV