Michael Niemczak is the son of two Polish immigrants who moved to the United States a year before he was born. His family lived in Colorado, New York, and Poland before finally settling down in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when Michael was 7. ​​ Michael does not remember a time when he did not know Jesus, as his parents gave him the most precious gift of faith and an environment of prayer in the home. Thanks to a vibrant high school youth group at his home parish, Michael came to learn his faith more completely and love the Lord more intimately. Realizing that there were answers to his questions and a loving God at the other end of every prayer, Michael was gripped by the ardent desire to serve God with his life. So, after graduating from high school, he made the decision to embark on the eight-year process of formation to become an ordained minister. ​​ He attended seminary at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, OH, and the Pontifical North American College in Rome. During this time of formation, Michael's love for the Lord and His people continued to grow through many experiences of seeing the gospel take root in various communities he visited as part of his formation. From living and serving in a children's home in Kenya for a summer to studying biblical archeology in Israel and working at a poor parish in Eastern Ukraine, Michael was able to see how beautifully the Lord is at work in distant corners of the vineyard. ​​ He was ordained in 2016, and after returning to Rome for one year of further studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Biblical Theology, came home to serve in his local church in various capacities. During those years in New Mexico, Michael also earned a Master’s in Psychology through Divine Mercy University. In 2023, Michael was assigned to serve on the formation faculty of a seminary, where he was the coordinator of the first stage of formation, helping first-year seminarians to thrive in their discernment and formation - a work he loved dearly. ​​ During that time, however, Michael was undergoing serious discernment of his own, wrestling with God over what felt like an invitation to pursue a life outside of ordained ministry, serving the Lord in a different capacity, and following his desire to have a family. This discernment culminated in Michael stepping away from his role at the seminary to move to Beaverton and explore this desire for a new form of ministry as a layman. In God's providence, Michael's move corresponded to GSM's search, and he got to know a ministry that gripped his heart powerfully and matched exactly the sort of work he felt called to do. ​​ He now humbly takes on the role of Executive Director, recognizing this role as one of serving his fellow Samaritan leaders as they serve God’s beloved in the field.