1. science
2. social science
3. pedagogy

Leader Application
for Holy Family Kairos 2015-16
Kairos 20 November 6-9, 2015
Kairos 21 February 12-15, 2016
All applications will be reviewed by a leadership discernment team. Although
leaders will be chosen for each specific retreat, either K20 or K21, we are
considered one leadership team.
Leader applications are due on or before
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
at the Fourth Day Meeting at Holy Family at 7 pm.
Completed applications can be dropped off at the parish office or turned in at
the meeting.
*** IMPORTANT***
ALL COMPONENTS OF THE APPLICATIONS MUST BE
TURNED IN ON TIME. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS.
INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE
CONSIDERED FOR LEADERSHIP
All applicants will be notified by email by May 31, 2015
If you are selected to be part of the leadership team for Holy Family Kairos 2015-16, the
mandatory first meeting will be a team lock in.
th
Friday, June 12 beginning at 6:30pm until 6am Saturday, June 13th at Holy Family.
April 14, 2015
Dear Applicant for the Holy Family 2015-16 Kairos Leadership Team:
Attached is the application to lead the Kairos 20 and Kairos 21 retreats. We are so excited that you are
interested in this position and would like you to be aware of the following aspects of membership on the teen
team:
Leading Kairos is a major commitment of time and energy that is put toward preparing for a retreat, but it is
also a commitment to try to live “as a follower of Christ” or “disciple of Jesus” in a way consistent with the
messages of the retreat in all areas of your life.
What does this mean? Among other things, it means being honest in your efforts to know yourself. It means
being conscious of what it is to be a Christian, to be a leader who influences in positive ways, and to put your
love into action. It means putting time into your relationship with God. It means living with integrity and calling
your peers to do that as well. Kairos leaders are not expected to be perfect, but they are expected to take their
relationships with themselves, others and God seriously: and to never stop challenging themselves to grow.
We are all called to do these things in our lives-those who go on Kairos, those who lead Kairos, and those who
have never even heard of Kairos. But those who come forward to lead Kairos make a commitment to doing
them in a more public way, and to helping others to do the same.
Submitting an application for Kairos says that you understand these things, that you are committed to trying to
live in accordance with them, and that you are willing to face the challenges that this involves.
Thank you for considering leadership in this retreat. We need committed leaders—leaders on the Kairos team,
but also leaders who have a positive influence in their everyday lives: in the classroom, schools, within their
parish, out with friends etc. Thanks for taking the messages of Kairos-the messages of our faith-to heart.
Good Luck!
The Kairos Leadership Discernment Team
Kairos Leader Application Part 1: INFORMATION AND PARENT PERMISSION
____________________________________________________
Name
____________________________________________________
Email Address
Home Phone Number
Are you Catholic? Yes [ ]
Cell Phone Number
No [ ] what parish do you belong to? __________________________________
If not Catholic, what religion do you practice? _____________________________
What other retreats/mission trips have you been on apart from Kairos? _________________________________
How else are you involved in your parish? _______________________________________________________
Are you willing to give a talk on Kairos? Yes [ ]
No [ ]
Have you received professional counseling for any personal issues in the last year? Yes [ ]
No [ ]
*PLEASE NOTE*
Any applicant that has seen a professional counselor in the last 12 months must have their counselor read
and sign off on the retreat leadership commitment document stating that he/she believes that leading a
Kairos retreat is something you are capable of. This can be downloaded and printed from the Holy
Family website at www.holyfamilyparish.org. If necessary, this must be turned in with the rest of your
application.
Please list the extracurricular, athletic, and employment commitments you will have in the Summer and Early
Fall 2015 and Early Winter 2015/2016 and the weekly time requirement of each one:
All applicants will be considered for both retreats as a variety of factors affect the discernment of the team.
Please indicate below if you are not available to lead either one of the retreats due to a conflict.
I am not available to lead Kairos ________ (fill in number of Kairos that you are unable to lead).
My conflict is due to
________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Leading Kairos will require approximately 10 meetings (2-4 hours each). It will also require additional
time to work on a talk (including meeting with a mentor, writing, revising and practicing the talk).
Meetings include a parent and leader potluck lunch and an overnight lock in.
I give permission and support my teens’ commitment should he/she be chosen as a Kairos leader for
2015-16.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Parental approval and signature for Kairos Leadership
Date
Kairos Leader Application Part 2: ESSAY, TALK OUTLINE, VIDEO RESPONSE
Kairos is a vehicle to learning about yourself and your relationship with God, especially as He reveals himself
in your life. We are looking for honest self-reflection in this section. Struggles and doubt are part of growing in
faith and looking at those in a real way allow all of us to connect with others in an authentic way as leaders.
ESSAY: Please respond to the following prompt. The response to the prompt should be no more than 2 pages in
length and responses should be typed and double spaced.
Describe your faith journey and the role Jesus plays in your life today.
Give specific examples of how being a Christian affects your life.
TALK OUTLINE: Choose one of the talks below and prepare an outline of the talk you would give to the
retreatants if chosen for the team. PLEASE DO NOT WRITE THE TALK “WORD FOR WORD”! This is just
an outline, using brief comments, of what you might plan if chosen for the team. All talks on Kairos should
include three components:
1. a personal story or significant life experience that you would share to support the theme of the talk
2. your faith journey or relationship with God
3. your Kairos experience as it relates to your faith growth
Please use an outline format to present your ideas of no more than one page in length. Choose ONE of the
following talks
IDEALS- This talk seeks to:
 Give meaning to one's life through the discovery of one's ideals. The discovery of ideals flows from selfknowledge and leads to clearer self-knowledge.
 Emphasize that understanding one's ideals gives direction to one's life. This understanding is an ongoing process, not just a one-time thing.
KNOWING MYSELF- This talk seeks to:



Take an overview of the retreatant’s relationships and attitudes.
Have the retreatant see himself/herself as others see them and to see themselves in a positive light.
Allow the retreatant to begin to get in touch with and express his/her own feelings. A point to consider
is that our feelings can help us to walk the proverbial mile “in another’s moccasins.”
RECONCILIATION- This talk seeks to:
 Illustrate the necessity and beneficial effects of working at repairing broken relationships, whether that
relationship is with self, others, or God.
 Invite retreatants to view this sacrament with a new perspective and to receive the sacrament as part of
their Kairos journey.
*If chosen for the team, this is not necessarily the talk you would give on the retreat*
VIDEO RESPONSE: Videotape yourself responding to the following prompt. Your response should be
approximately 2-4 minutes long and be turned in on a flash drive clearly labeled with your name. Your drive
will be returned to you after the application process is complete. Respond to the following:
Give an example of an obstacle or mask with which you struggle. How does your faith help you to face and
overcome these? Include times when your masks come back up.
When recording your “talk”, please keep in mind that we are looking for leaders who can connect with
retreatants in a meaningful and impactful way. Please try to demonstrate that you can do that.
**PLEASE NOTE** If you are uncomfortable with or unable to provide us with a video response, a
written response to the above prompt will be accepted. Please note that witness talks given by leaders on
Kairos are verbal and the ability to speak in front of a large group is an important aspect to this
leadership position.
Kairos Leader Application Part 3: ADULT RECOMMENDATION
Applicant: Please give this form to an adult over the age of 25 who is not a member of your immediate family
and can speak to your faith life. Catechists, Kairos adult leaders, Confirmation sponsors, and mission trip
chaperones are just a few of the choices for the adult recommendation.
Adult: Please fill out the recommendation below as completely and honestly as possible. Return to the parish
on or before May 5, 2015 at 7pm. Responses must come directly to the parish in a sealed envelope to:
Holy Family
2515 Palatine Rd
Inverness, IL 60067
Attn: Kairos
Or via email directly to [email protected]
An electronic copy of this recommendation can be found on our website at www.holyfamilyparish.org
______________________________________________________________________________________
Applicant Name
______________________________________________________________________________________
Adult name and parish
Phone
Email
______________________________________________________________________________________
Length of contact and relationship to applicant
Leadership talents or responsibilities observed in teen – please complete the following chart.
Not Known Below Average
Average
Above Average
Top 5%
Witness of faith
Integrity & Character
Written Communication
Oral Communication
Leadership & Initiative
Follows Direction
Relates well with peers
Openness to others
Compassion & Sensitivity
Generosity & Service
Please comment on why this teen should be considered for Kairos leadership (Attach sheets if needed):
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Signature
Kairos Leader Application Part 3: PEER RECOMMENDATION
Applicant: Please give this form to one of your peers who is not a member of your immediate family and can
speak to your faith life. Co-peer ministers, Kairos group leaders/members, friends who you have done service
with are a few choices for the peer recommendation.
PEER: Please fill out the recommendation below as completely and honestly as possible. Return to the parish
on or before May 5, 2015 at 7pm. Responses must come directly to the parish in a sealed envelope to:
Holy Family
2515 Palatine Rd
Inverness, IL 60067
Attn: Kairos
Or via email directly to [email protected]
An electronic copy of this recommendation can be found on our website at www.holyfamilyparish.org
______________________________________________________________________________________
Applicant Name
______________________________________________________________________________________
Peer Name and school/parish
Phone
Email
______________________________________________________________________________________
Length of contact
Leadership talents or responsibilities observed in applicant – please complete the following chart
Not Known Below Average
Average
Above Average
Top 5%
Witness of faith
Integrity & Character
Written Communication
Oral Communication
Leadership & Initiative
Follows Direction
Relates well with peers
Openness to others
Compassion & Sensitivity
Generosity & Service
Please comment on why this applicant should be considered for Kairos leadership (Attach sheets if needed):
Signature
Kairos Leader Application Checklist
ALL PARTS OF THE APPLICATION ARE DUE ON OR BEFORE May 5, 2015 AT 7PM INCOMPLETE
OR LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED
____ Part 1: INFORMATION AND PARENT PERMISSION
____ Part 2: ESSAY, TALK OUTLINE AND VIDEO RESPONSE
____ Part 3: ADULT RECOMMENDATION*
_____Part 4: PEER RECOMMENDATION*
*Recommendations must be submitted to the parish directly from those who are recommending you. It is your
responsibility to give them the form and follow up so the recommendations are turned in by the May 5th
deadline. Recommendations can be mailed, dropped off, or emailed to Holy Family
Holy Family
2515 W Palatine Rd
Inverness, IL 60067
Attn: Kairos
[email protected]