Volume 35 No. 1 | Autumn 2025 6 Society Matters From Paraguay to Daly River – Fr Daniel gives thanks for all the experiences of missionary life Fr Daniel Polla SVD’s missionary life so far has been one of contrasts, from when he joined the Divine Word Missionaries in his home country of Indonesia to his first assignment in Paraguay and now ministry with Australia’s First Nations peoples in the Northern Territory’s remote Daly River. “I am so grateful for all that I have experienced during my mission,” he says. “The happiness, joyfulness, hard work, and offering myself for mission make me blessed abundantly by God. These are like flowers in my vocation path.” Fr Daniel was born into a Catholic family in Atapupu in West Timor, Indonesia. “My hometown is a small village on the seashore, and it is very close to Motaain, the border of East Timor,” he says. “Mostly the people there are working as fishermen and farmers. However, my father is a businessman.” Fr Daniel says he first felt called to a priestly vocation when he was in primary school, thanks to the example of his former parish priest, who is now emeritus bishop Theodorus Sulama SVD. He joined the SVD in 1997, entering the Novitiate of the Timor Province, making his final vows in the Major Seminary of Ledalero, Flores, in 2006. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2007. His first assignment was to Paraguay where he worked in parishes and in the seminary as a formator. Fr Daniel says one of the toughest challenges was to learn the various languages spoken by the people. “Paraguayan people speak two languages,” he says. “Sometimes people like to speak the Guarani language as their identity. In some parishes at the border with Argentina, people speak Spanish, but it has a different sound. And in some parishes closer to Brazil, they speak a mixture of the Spanish and Portuguese language.” Cultural differences among the people also presented a challenge, along with social problems caused by drug use. “Although I was working in Paraguay, some families came from Brazil, Argentina and Germany, so there was a need to have different approaches,” he says. “Sometimes it was quite difficult to find an adequate method to work with these groups. “There were also social problems. In some places, some people worked using drugs, therefore it was necessary to pay more careful attention in working with them. “There were many challenges there but at the same time it made me become more creative and improved my sensitivity regarding discerning their different needs. “Overall, the people in Paraguay were very hospitable and welcoming when we visited their houses, inviting us to have lunch or dinner with them. Also, there are a lot of volunteers who want to work with the priest in pastoral activities and serve in the church or presbytery.” Fr Daniel says that after working for more than 12 years in Paraguay, he felt the need to have other experiences and Fr Daniel Polla SVD (far left) during his time working as a missionary in Paraguay
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