Contributed photo: Kairos cross necklaces from the November 2000 Kairos retreat.

Do you want to seize the day? Mercyhurst is hosting its first ever Carpé Diem Retreat.

Inspired by Kairos, 10 Mercyhurst students decided to continue the tradition by planning their own retreat. Kairos is a 3-day retreat that was started by the Jesuits, with a focus on religious prayer.

“Kairos is a special retreat to me because it taught me a lot about myself through people’s own stories. That saying ‘you can’t ever judge a book by its cover’ that is totally true,” said junior Maria Nemeth. “I learned to respect others more and I learned how to take the time to get to know other people and their stories. People will surprise you. Carpé Diem is a retreat modeling off of the Jesuit teachings but we are spinning off from it and making it Mercyhurst Style.”

The leaders of the Carpe Diem Retreat include juniors Robby Higgins, Katie Jeffries, Mark Ennis, Maria Nemeth, Drew Klobuchar, Kelsea Wemett, Chris Gaertner, Caitlin Doyle, Luke James and Caitlin O’Neill.

“I went on Kairos as a junior in highschool. I believe in faith and having faith is important, and Kairos helped me build that foundation in my life. The expierences I got from this retreat have never left me even now as a junior in college. I would recommened this retreat to anyone no matter what,” Jeffries said.

The retreat will take place Friday, April 5, to Sunday, April 7, at Camp Findley. This event is open to anyone on campus and the cost is $15. Sign-ups are in Campus Ministry or you can email kjeffr42@lakers.mercyhurst.edu or mnemeth08@lakers.mercyhurst.edu for your application.