Maciej Zielinski is an Extreme Cross-Country runner from Poland who likes challenges in life and he’s looking forward to the experiences that will come his way during his two years in the SVD AUS Province, as part of the Overseas Training Program.

“I’ve been here for two months and I’m very happy to be here and to be working hard on my English,” 24-year-old Maciej says.

Born and bred in the city of Białystok, Maciej was one of three boys raised by his parents in a faith-filled home.

“When I was young, I went to church sometimes every day,” he says. “I was an altar boy and I liked it. I think faith was very important in my family.”

Maciej joined the Divine Word Missionaries straight after high school, at age 18 and says the desire to become a missionary began at quite a young age.

“I was thinking about mission life very early, maybe even in elementary school,” he says. “I remember some missionaries coming to our school and telling us about mission life.”

He chose to join the Divine Word Missionaries because he had grown up in an SVD parish and had come to know the works and the charism of the Society. He also regularly attended SVD vocations retreats.

“I took my first vows in 2013 and I renew them every year,” he says.

Maciej says he selected the AUS Province for his OTP student experience because of its multicultural nature.

“I hope I’ll learn new things from Australian culture,” he says. “The AUS Province gives many opportunities to develop yourself in missionary and religious life.”

Having not travelled so far before, Maciej says he was amazed at the length of the trip from Poland to Australia.

“It took 27 hours,” he says. “That was an incredible trip. My cross-country running skills were very useful in the airport at Paris, to catch my connecting flight.”

So far, Maciej’s first priority is to focus on developing his English skills, but he is looking forward to all that the AUS Province has to offer.

He has already spent some time with the Aboriginal Mission in Melbourne and hopes to experience life in the indigenous communities of Central Australia during his time here.

“I hope I’ll visit the desert and meet the Aboriginal people, because it’s my dream, “he says.

“I like challenges. As an Extreme Cross-Country runner, the harder the challenge, the better it is for me.”