When Katerina Poljak encouraged her husband Mateo to join the Camino of St Joseph pilgrimage last year, she could never have imagined the profound transformation that would follow. What began as a wife’s gentle nudge toward deeper faith became a complete spiritual awakening that has revolutionised their family life and inspired their four young children.
Mateo’s path to the camino wasn’t smooth. Just days before departure, he fell seriously ill and initially decided he couldn’t make the journey. But in a moment that would prove pivotal, the former Western Sydney Wanderers star midfielder knelt before an image of Christ and prayed.
“I’ll never forget,” Katerina recalls, “he just walked down the stairs like a soldier, and his mind was completely set. He said, ‘I’m going.’ He packed his bag, threw in some Panadol and sandwiches, and left.”
That decision to trust in God’s providence, despite physical weakness, would mark the beginning of an extraordinary spiritual transformation.
“He was talking about this amazing confession experience, the different priests and talks,” Katerina shares. “He said, ‘I’m ready to do battle for God.’ He felt like a soldier, like a warrior. And that fire never tapered off.”
“It was incredible,” remembers Mateo. “It’s one of the bests things I’ve ever done. Walking with my father-in-law and best mate, every church we stopped at last year, was unbelievable. We discovered something different about St Joseph, his humility, his call to service, that he was chosen by God to protect Jesus—to be an extraordinary man.
And I came back wanting to be like St Joseph, to be a leader and role model for my family.”
The walk has had a ripple effect on his family to this day.
“Before the walk, it was mostly me saying, ‘maybe we can pray a decade,'” Katerina explains. “But now it’s Mateo who takes charge and says, ‘We’re praying the Rosary as a family.’” From Sunday Mass, Mateo began taking his family to daily Mass. He began seeking frequent confession and weekly adoration.
But Mateo still believes he has a lot to improve on.
“I’m so blessed with my family, and I can’t wait to join the other men this year. To learn more about St Joseph and try to be strong like St Joseph and continue leading my family in faith,” he adds.
The effect on their four children, Mia (8), Karla (7), Ivano (5), and Marko (3), has been profound. The children have become so accustomed to going to daily Mass, that they now ask why they didn’t attend Mass if they miss a weekday. They imitate their father’s devotion, packing rosaries in their pretend work bags alongside his real one.
“Watching my husband imitate and strive after the virtues of St Joseph, I just feel really secure as his wife,” Katerina reflects. “He’s really taken charge in all things spiritual and ordered everything so beautifully.”
Both parents now strive together, supporting each other’s growth in faith, creating an environment where holiness feels natural to their children.
“It’s one thing for the mother to practice the faith, but to have both of us on the same page. I recognise what a gift, what a blessing, and almost what a miracle that is,” Katerina says.
This year’s camino on 5-6 September, organised by the Life Marriage and Family (LMF) team within the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation, will see the men walk through the Sutherland Shire, starting at St Joseph’s Church in Como and finishing with Mass at St Aloysius’ Church at Cronulla. The walk will include stops at various parishes, where parish priests will offer reflections on St Joseph, reinforcing the importance of fatherhood as spiritual leadership within the family.
Organiser Michael Jaksic, the LMF Officer who oversees the Archdiocese of Sydney’s men’s ministry, says “the camino inspires men to be the best versions of themselves. Whatever challenges they’re going through, whatever stresses they’re experiencing at home or at work are empowered and inspired to lead their families and communities in faith.”
Mateo expects to see numbers grow even more this year and anticipates hearing even more stories like his emerging from the camino. “There will be even better stories, better experiences, I’m sure. And I can’t wait to walk along Cronulla beach as the sun rises, with the other men, I’m excited,” he said.
Katerina’s message to other Catholic wives is clear: encourage your husbands to take this step of faith. “There is so much support from other faithful and good men. You never know—he could come home the next morning and just be on fire, like Mateo was. He just needs to take that first step.”
If you are interested in finding out more or registering for the Camino of St Joseph please follow the link.
