KAIROS: FOUR DAYS THAT CHANGE A LIFETIME

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January 26, 2026

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Notre Dame Prep’s signature four-day retreat invites students to step away from distractions and encounter faith, community and purpose. 

For nearly two decades, Notre Dame Prep students have been experiencing a life event that stands out as transformative long after graduation: Kairos.

Offered as an optional retreat for juniors and seniors, Kairos (Greek for “God’s time”) has become a cornerstone of campus ministry at this independent Catholic school in Pontiac, Mich., helping students pause, reflect and deepen their faith at a pivotal time in their lives.

The school’s latest such retreat is scheduled for Feb. 3-6.

According to NDP’s campus ministry group (Della Lawrence, Fr. James Strasz, s.m., Alayna Manos, Lisa D'Souza, Christy Ebbert and Andrew Peters), students in grades 6-12 participate in a number of grade-level retreats during the school year. But juniors and seniors also have an optional Kairos retreat they may attend, which “is a wonderful four-day retreat providing an opportunity to contemplate God’s role in their lives.”

One of the enduring features of Kairos is that it provides a place and a space where cell phones disappear and students just experience God on His time.

A life-changing experience

For many alumni, Kairos is not just a fond memory — it is the defining moment of their high school years.

“Although I have so many good memories from NDP that simply make me smile, my favorite memory from NDP is definitely the Kairos retreats,” said Yun Jae Cho, NDP ’10 in an earlier interview for IRISH magazine. “It was a truly life-transforming experience when, in addition to forming strong, everlasting bonds with friends, I had a great opportunity to reflect on my life and experience God’s wonders in my life.” 

Cho said the retreat gave him a renewed sense of strength and perspective that has stayed with him well beyond high school.

“After the retreat, I felt like I could overcome any struggles and hardships in my life because of God’s compassion,” she said. “I have gone on other church retreats, but no other ones come close to Kairos experience.”

That lasting impact is echoed by Patty McCormick, NDP ’08, who attended Kairos more than once — first as a participant and later as a leader.

“My favorite memory from Notre Dame Prep was attending Kairos twice,” McCormick said. “I still pull out my binder from the retreat when I am in need of some spiritual guidance and, whenever I do so, I am always flooded with wonderful memories of my experience on Kairos.”

From reflection to leadership

For some students, Kairos, which is based on Ignatian Spirituality — or rooted in the conviction that God is active, personal and, above all, present to us — becomes a launching point for deeper involvement in faith leadership.

Andrew Marsheh NDP ’21 said his participation in campus ministry and Kairos during high school sparked an enduring commitment to serving others. In college, he organized and led seven retreats, wrote more than a dozen faith-based talks and co-led small groups with as many as 75 peers. After graduating, he joined the faith formation team at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Rochester, giving talks to eighth graders preparing for confirmation.

“These experiences helped me realize that the deepest fulfillment comes from uplifting others, and that serving others is the highest calling,” said Marsheh, who’s currently studying medicine. “The quote ‘God works through the hands of doctors’ has always resonated with me, and I carry that perspective into everything I do.”

Faith in daily life

Many students, current and former, have said the influence of Kairos is deeply connected to Notre Dame Prep’s broader culture of faith and support.

Claire Donovan, NDP ’25, said campus ministry played a central role in student life.

“NDP has the best campus ministry ever,” Donovan said. “When I was having a bad day, I often went to see Ms. Della Lawrence (director of campus ministry) and we prayed, which just turned the entire day around.”

Donovan attended Kairos in January 2024 and later helped lead a freshman retreat, continuing the cycle of peer faith leadership.

“My faith grew incredibly at NDP,” she said. “Kairos was such an amazing experience, and helping lead the retreat allowed me to share my faith with other students.”

Current NDP senior Payton Schmit says faith has been a big part of her time in high school, especially the Kairos retreat.

“It was a great experience being able to connect, grow and learn as teachers and student leaders alike led us in exploring our faith," she said. "I feel beyond blessed to have the leaders on my Kairos that I did, and continuing these connections past the retreat has been a meaningful experience. Leaders at Kairos and any other retreat are prime examples of how to quietly lead others to Jesus, and I hope that I can follow in their example.”

A foundation that endures

Alumni frequently point to Kairos as a defining part of the school’s Catholic and Marist identity.

“I am so grateful for Notre Dame Prep paving the way for me,” said Jonathan Karr, NDP ’20. “And the experiences of Kairos and NDP’s Catholic and Marist foundation guided me in deepening my faith even further throughout college.”

Faith and Kairos also played big roles for NDP social studies teacher Tyler Yanik, who’s also an alumnus and head wrestling coach for the Irish.

“NDP helped me with finding what faith really means,” he said. “I think that one of the greatest programs the school offers is the Kairos retreat, in which I was a participant as well as a leader."

For Jessie Kennedy NDP ’22, the retreat for her also remains one of the school’s most meaningful offerings.

“One important way the school does this is by offering the four-day Kairos retreat, which is centered around your relationship with God,” Kennedy said. “Pretty much every student who goes to the retreat comes out with a positive experience.”

Kennedy said she was grateful for the chance to serve as a leader.

“I was able to be a leader one year and I'm truly grateful for my time on this retreat,” she said.

A lasting legacy

While the retreat lasts just four days, its influence often spans a lifetime. Alumni describe Kairos as a rare opportunity to step away from academic pressures, build authentic relationships and encounter faith in a deeply personal way.

According to NDP campus ministry, the purpose of Kairos is to allow participants to see the value of Christian faith as lived and experienced in community.  With the support of that community, the retreatant can more effectively “look within and find true worth as a person in relationship with God, family and friends.”

For Elizabeth Brouns NDP'19, everything NDP has to offer to its student community revolves around one very important piece of the school's mission: faith.

"Being raised in a Catholic family, I've always been involved in the church, but before high school, I never really connected too deeply with my faith," she said. "But at NDP, I got a chance to strengthen my faith in ways that I’ve not been able to before. In religion classes, for example, I was able to learn about moral issues, church history, and the reasons for why things are done at Mass every Sunday.

“I'd especially gotten a chance to connect more deeply with my faith through the Kairos retreat, which honestly back then was one of the best experiences of my life."

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.