Navigating Faith

Nun Never Tires of Leading Young People to God

by Kelly Welsh

Unwavering honesty is perhaps what has kept Sr. Kathleen Woody, GNSH, motivated through her leadership of nearly 100 Kairos retreats. “I have my struggles with faith,” she admits candidly. “We are all human.”

Add to that candor a sense of humor and warmth that puts perfect strangers immediately at ease, and it’s no wonder she’s been so successful in guiding young people down two of life’s more difficult roads: adolescence and spiritual discovery.

As director of campus ministry at the Jesuit-run, all-male Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, Woody is primarily responsible for leading six Kairos retreats a year, a task she’s been at for nearly 20 years.

Kairos is a word with Greek origins, meaning a holy or God-given time filled with meaning and opportunity. The three-day Kairos retreats, meant to provide a “Christian awakening” to young adults, bring participants to a deeper understanding of God’s place in their lives through the love of family and friends. The retreats start with a look back at personal histories and move participants toward an appreciation of themselves as young Christian adults. After the three days are over, participants are encouraged to carry out lessons of the retreat on an internal level for the rest of their lives.

For Woody, to attend or participate in Kairos retreats is to “stand on sacred ground.”

“So much goes into each retreat,” she explains. “So many people make sacrifices so they can happen. They have transformed many lives. There are so many graced moments. I never doubt that, in Kairos retreats, no matter how emotional or difficult, the Holy Spirit is in charge.”

The transformations are not limited to individuals either. When Woody first learned about Kairos, she was told it would change her school. She now tells the same thing to people she trains to lead Kairos retreats at their own schools.

“Kairos makes people a little kinder,” she says. “What we learn in Kairos is that everyone has a story, and those stories are often surprising. Two people who never liked each other may find a common connection. It makes us realize we should simply give everyone the benefit of the doubt. It’s not magic.”

Woody grew up in a large Catholic family in Richmond, Va. As early as the 8th grade, she began feeling a vocation to serve God. “After hearing a group of nuns make a presentation at school I ran home to my mother and told her, ‘I don’t want to be a nun, but I think I’m supposed to be,’” Sr. Woody recalls.

Many years later, while pursuing a master’s degree in education from Villanova, Woody worked as a teacher alongside Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart at St. Norbert’s Parish in Paoli, Pa. It was there she felt compelled to revisit her calling.

“The nun who served as school principal was a very honest woman, even if it meant saying things that weren’t always nice,” says Woody. “I knew that meant she was real and therefore imperfect. I wasn’t perfect either, and I thought, ‘Now this is a group I can join.’”

According to Fr. Joseph Michini, SJ, former chaplain at Saint Joseph’s Prep, what you see is what you get with Woody. Michini and Woody started the Kairos retreats at the school.

“There is not one ounce of pretension in her,” he says. “She treats each student as if he were her own, especially in times of personal trouble or family tragedy. When I think of lay men and women and other religious who have been a part of Jesuit ministries and enriched them with their own talents, spirituality, generosity and dedication, Kate Woody heads the list.”

Woody will lead her 100th retreat this coming academic year. She thrives in her Jesuit environment and continues to be inspired by St. Ignatius. The Kairos retreats, she says, follow many themes of Ignatian spirituality.

“The retreats challenge us to find God in all things,” she adds. “Even in the heavy metal and rap songs some of our student leaders choose for their presentations!”

Kelly Welsh is associate director of communications at Saint Joseph's University.