Bahá'í Chronology Canada: 199

date	event	locations	tags	firsts
1990 22 Feb	Jalál Kházeh, (b. 24 February, 1897, Tihran) Hand of the Cause of God, passed away in Toronto. He was buried in York Cemetery in Toronto. [BINS219:90] Note: VV123 says it was 20 February. He was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God on the 6th of December, 1953 after the passing of Hand of the Cause of God Siegfried Schopflocher. [MoCxxiv] See LoF164-167 for a short biography. Find a grave.	Toronto, ON	Jalal Khazeh; Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Births and deaths; Births and deaths; In Memoriam; Hands of the Cause, Appointments
1990 16 Oct	The passing of Dorothy Maquabeak Francis (b. 22 March 1912 Waywayseecappo First Nation) in New Westminster, BC. In 1978 she received the Order of Canada in recognition of her life-long work for First Nations people. Her name, Maquabeak, means “Sitting Bear Woman”. [BW20p990-991] [key]	New Westminster, BC	Dorothy Francis; In Memoriam; Order of Canada
1991	Statistics Canada reported 14,730 Bahá’ís from 1991 census data. [Bahaipedia] [key]	Canada	Statistics
1991 Ridván	Delegates to Canada's 43rd annual National Convention, held in Charlottetown, PE, have elected the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada. The nine members are Husayn Banani, Hossain Danesh, Margot Leonard, Ed Muttart, Reggie Newkirk, Louise Profeit-LeBlanc, Enayat Rawhani, Michael Rochester, and Ann Wilson. The Canadian Bahá'í community elected 171 delegates at the Unit Conventions, as instructed by the Universal House of Justice. Of the 171 delegates, 164 cast ballots to elect the National Assembly. Of the 164, 155 cast their ballots in person at the Convention. Canada's 43rd annual National Convention will be remembered for many reasons, but especially for its focus on teaching French Canadians and Natives. [BC Vol 4 No 2 June 1991 P3] [key]	Charlottetown, PE	National Convention; National Spiritual Assembly, election of; Husayn Banani; Hossain Daneshi; Margot Leonardi; Ed Muttart; Reggie Newkirki; Louise Profeit-LeBlanci; Enayat Rawhani; Michael Rochester; Ann Wilson
1991 18 Jun	The passing of Hand of the Cause of God, Knight of Bahá'u'lláh, John Aldham Robarts at Rawdon, Quebec. He was born in Waterloo, Ontario 2nd of November, 1901. [VV124] Shoghi Effendi had appointed him among the third contingent on the 2nd of October, 1957. [MoCxxiii] See BW20p801-809. For his obituary see BINS250:10. For picture see VV124. For the story of how he came to learn of the Faith see SBR137. See LoF473-495. A 50-minute film entitledRetrospective, a Ciné Bahá’í production, was made as a tribute to the Hand of the Cause John A. Robarts on the occasion of his 40th anniversary as a member of the Bahá‘r' community.	Rawdon, QC	Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Births and deaths; Births and deaths; Knights of Bahaullah; John Robarts; In Memoriam
1991 14 Nov	In a message from Hand of the Cause A.M. Varqá, the Office of the Trustee, the Institution of the Huqúqu'lláh, to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada, the formation of the Board of Trustees of the Huqúqu'lláh was announced. Members were Mr. Husayn Banání, Dr. Mohsen Enayat, Dr. Gerald Hanks, Dr. Bill Hatcher, and Dr. Michael Rochester. [CBNJan92 p2] [key]		Huququllah; Firsts, Other; Huququllah, Trustees of; Husayn Banani; Mohsen Enayat; Gerald Hanks; Bill Hatcher; Michael Rochester
1992 19 - 22 Jun	The ceremonies were held for the thirty-eight members of the first graduating class of the Maxwell International Bahá'í School. More than seven hundred participated in the ceremonies. ["Maxwell Eagle" Sep/Oct 1992 Vol IV no. 1 page 1] [key]	Shawnigan Lake, BC	Maxwell International School; Bahai schools
1992 (In the year)	The formation of The Bahá’í Medical Association of Canada (BMAC). [Canadian Bahá'í News Service 23NOV2007] [key]		Baha'i Medical Association of Canada
1992 23 - 26 Nov	The film, 'Abdu'l-Bahá: Mission to America, made by Elizabeth Martin, was prepared for the World Congress program and also used in the Theme Pavilion. [HNWE45] [key]	New York, NY	film; Abdul-Baha: Mission to America; Elizabeth Martin
1992 11 Nov	The passing of Doris McKay (b. Doris Henrietta Hill 29 September, 1894) in Charlottetown. She married Willard Judd McKay 30 June 1923. In 1925 she and Willard attended a fireside given by Howard and Mabel Ives. In 1929 she made her fist travel teaching trip to New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Baltimore, Boston, Portsmouth and to Montreal. She was a frequent lecturer at Green Acre. In 1939 she returned to Canada to staff the Bahá'í booth at the Canadian National Exhibition and to visit communities in Hamilton, Montreal and Moncton where she took up residence in 1942. In the fall of 1943 they moved to Prince Edward Island to help win a goal of the Seven Year Plan by establishing a local spiritual assembly in Charlottetown. In 1928 while still a resident in the US and a member of the Outline Bureau of the National Teaching Committee she developed "36 Lessons", some of the first deepening materials and study outlines for the American believers. She was a contributor to the Star of the West and later The Bahá'í World. Her autobiography Fire in Many Hearts, written with Paul Vreeland, was published in 1991 by Nine Pines Publishing and was republished by George Ronald under a new title Fires in Many Hearts - Memoirs of an early American believer. [BWIM30-32] [key]	Charlottetown, PE; Montreal, QC; Moncton, NB; Hamilton, ON; Toronto, ON	In Memoriam; Doris McKay; Fire in Many Hearts
1992 Dec	The formation of the Ottawa Regional Baha'í Choir. It traces its roots to the mass choir that was created to perform at the Bahá'í World Congress in New York City in November of 1992. Three Ottawa Baha’is were in that choir, and they brought back with them a body of specially commissioned choral arrangements for Baha'i sacred music. They were joined by several others, eager to sing this “new music” that they had seen performed at the Congress. Over the next few years, other choir members attended choral workshops in Green Acre Baha’i School and elsewhere, further expanding the Ottawa choir’s repertoire. Members of the Ottawa Regional Bahá'í Choir have always come from both sides of the Ottawa river, from Gatineau, QC. They have been Bahá'ís and their friends, with different levels of singing experience. There are no auditions for the choir and those new to singing are encouraged to learn as they go. The membership generally has fluctuated between 10 and 16, but has been as large as 24 and is currently 20 members strong. Over the lifetime of the choir, as about 200 members have participated, choir direction has changed hands, often rotating between members. [Ottawa Community News 28 September 2017] [key]	Ottawa, ON; Gatineau, QC	Ottawa Regional Bahai Choir
1993 (In the year)	The publication of Fire in Many Hearts, an autobiography by Doris McKay with Paul Vreeland. It was published by Nine Pines Publishing. Doris McKay was born in New York state in 1894. She married Willard McKay in 1923 and took up residence on a successful fruit farm. The greatest adventure of Doris and Willard’s lives began two years later, when they embraced the Bahá'í Faith through the teaching efforts of Howard and Mable Ives. This book tells the story of that adventure — of Doris and Willard’s work and warm friendships with people such as the Ives, Grace and Harlan Ober, Louis Gregory, May Maxwell, Martha Root, Dorothy Baker, and other early American Bahá’ís. It tells the story of the McKay’s work in the racial amity field and their eventual pioneering move to Eastern Canada in the 1940’s. Doris tells her story with clear-sightedness, zest, and love. This book provides an intimate glimpse into the spiritual life of a dedicated Bahá’í teacher and the development of the Bahá’í Faith in America. The book was republish in 2021 under a new title, Fires in Many Hearts; Memoirs of an early American believer by George Ronald Publishers.		Doris McKay; Paul Vreeland
1993 9 Jan	The formation of the Spiritual Assembly of LaPêche, QC by joint declaration. Members were: Stephen and Leslie Hanks: Roxanne Lalonde; Sandra Briand; Mike and Jen (Litzgus) Sianchuk; Marilee and David Rhody, and Lillian Chaffers. Because Lillian was in the senior's residence in Masham the other members went there and formed the Assembly in her presence. [from an email from David Rhody dated 28 May 2022] Note: At Ridván 1993 the Assembly reformed. The members were: Roxanne Lalonde, Marilee Rhody, Mike Sianchuk, Leslie Laskarin-Hanks, Stephen Hanks, Jennifer Litzgus-Sianchuk, Sandra Briand, David Rhody, Daniel O’Connell. [from an email 4 November 2022 from National Archivist Ailsa Hedly Leftwich]	LaPêche, QC	Local Spiritual Assembly, formation of; Stephen Hanks; Leslie Hanks: Roxanne Lalonde; Sandra Briand; Mike Sianchuk; Jen Litzgus; Marilee Rhody; David Rhody; Lillian Chaffers; Daniel O’Connell; Outaouais Cluster	first Spiritual Assembly in LaPêche, QC
1993 21 Mar	The presentation of the first Race Unity Award by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada. See message from the Universal House of Justice entitled Cultural Reconciliation in Canada.		National Spiritual Assembly; Race unity; Race (general)	first Race Unity Award
1993 10 Apr	The passing of Roger White, writer, editor and "poet laureate" of the Bahá'í community, in Richmond, British Columbia (b. in Toronto on 2 June 1929). Served at the World Centre for some twenty years as a secretary and as manager of the publishing department when many important new volumes were published. Under the supervision of the Universal House of Justice, he was responsible for compiling and publishing volumes XIV to XIX of The Bahá'í World, as well as editing the invaluable compendium of volumes I to XII, published in 1981. Published, at his own expense, a book of poetry called Summer Window for which he did the drawing on the front cover. Another Song, Another Season (1979), The Witness of Pebbles (1981) and a tender and eloquent novel which presented a semi-fictionalized account of the early days of the Bahá'í Faith in Paris, A Sudden Music, was also published by George Ronald in 1983. This was followed by a biographical tribute to the poet Emily Dickinson in the form of more than 100 poems: One Bird, One Cage, One Flight (Naturegraph, 1983). A short, historical account of the martyrdom of 'Alí-Asghár of Yazd entitled The Shell and the Pearl was published by George Ronald in 1984. Occasions of Grace (George Ronald, 1992) was published after he retired from service in Haifa in 1991 following a major heart surgery. He returned to Canada and was diagnosed with terminal cancer shortly after. His last two collected works of poetry were Notes Postmarked the Mountain of God (New Leaf, 1992) and The Language of There (New Leaf, 1992). He also completed the text for Raghu Rai's photographic celebration of the Bahá'í House of Worship in New Delhi, Forever in Bloom. [Bahá'í Studies Review, Vol7, 1997] See Bahá'í World 1994-95 pg249 for an article by Anne Boyles entitled "The Language of the Heart: Arts in the Bahá'í World Community" for mention of Roger White. See The Journal of Bahá'í Studies Vol. 26 no 1-2, 2016 p91 "Reflections on the Art of My Poetry" by John Hatcher. It is based on a telephone interview with him shortly before his passing. For obituary see BW92-93p276	Richmond, BC	Roger White; In Memoriam; John Hatcher; Mashriqul-Adhkar, Delhi; Lotus temple; Bahai World
1993 Ridván	The Processes of the Three Year Plan 1993-1996 Enhancement of the vitality of the faith of individual believers. Development of the human resources of the Cause. Fostering the proper functioning of local and national institutions.		Three Year Plan; Teaching Plans
1993 (Summer)	The founding of the Ottawa Creative Writers’ Group by Larry Rowdon, Bruce Filson, and Linda O’Neil, soon followed by David Erickson, Jim Desson and Jack McLean. Writers who have participated were: Damian Firth, Peter Brady, Don Bourque, Heather Cardin, Paul Touesnard, Michael Harris, Joyce Loeffelholtz, Chuck Rae, J.P. Quinn, Jeannette Lajoie, Barbara Pope, Anne Chadwick, Margaret Malloch Zielinski, Stephen Thirlwall, Carol Gravelle, Sylvie Nantais, Maryl Weatherburn, and Barbara Rager. Every second year or so a beautiful chapbook showcasing members’ work is published. [Ottawa Community Newsletter 25 March 2019] [key]	Ottawa, ON	Ottawa Creative Writers Group
1994 (In the year)	The publication of and The Trees Clapped Hands - Stories of Baha'i Pioneers compiled by Claire Vreeland. It was published by George Ronald of Oxford.		Claire Vreeland; and the trees clapped their hands
1994 (In the year)	The publication of Hidden Bounties: Memories of Pioneering on the Magdalen Archipelago by Larry Rowdon. It was published by Nine Pines Publishing in Manotick, ON. Larry Rowdon was born in St Catherines, ON in 1923. He was educated in Canada and abroad, serving with the Canadian Armed Forces and gravely wounded in the Normandy landings in 1944. He became a Bahá'í in 1951 while living in Kingston, ON, then later with his wife Margaret and their year-old daughter Ayn, pioneered (1954-1969 to the Magdalen Islands. This is the story of the early part of their lives, living and raising a family on this archipelago. [CBN No 24 December 1951 p3; CBN No 68 Sep 1955 p3] See a book review by Will C. van den Hoonaard.	Magdalen Islands, QC	Larry Rowdon; Margaret Rowdon; Ayn Rowdon; Hidden Bounties; Nine Pines Publishing
1994 13 Mar	The passing of Gladys Isabel McLean (b 8 June 1912 Edmonton, AB) in hospital in Edmonton. She first heard of the Faith in 1944 in a talk given by Anita Ioas. After being admonished by Florence Mayberry for "sitting on the fence" for ten years she declared her faith. She will be long remembered for her travel teaching trips and for her service at the Temple in New Delhi. She was survived by her daughter Felicity Enayat. [BahaiWorld In Memoriam p133-136] [key]	Edmonton,AB	In Memoriam; Gladys McLean
1995 May	The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada presented a paper entitled A Bahá’í Perspective on the Future of Canadian Foreign Policy to the Special Joint Parliamentary Committee reviewing Canadian Foreign Policy. [A Bahá’í Perspective on the Future of Canadian Foreign Policy] [key]	Ottawa, ON	Foreign Policy; National Spiritual Assembly, statements; Statements
1994 (Summer)	A Maoris teaching team visited British Columbia, Canada. The visit was reciprocated by The Journey of Teech-ma, the First Nations Travel Teaching Trip to the South Pacific. See entry for 24 March, 1997. [SDSC370] [key]	British Columbia; Canada	First Nations; Maoris; Indigenous people; Travel teaching
1994 (In the year)	The founding of the Nancy Campbell Collegiate Institute in Stratford. [Bahaipedia] [key]	Stratford, ON	Nancy Campbell; Nancy Campbell Collegiate Institute; Bahai inspired schools
1995 Apr	The publication of When Your Patient is a Bahá'í; An information sheet for health care professionals by the Baha'i Medical Association of Canada.		Baha'i Medical Association of Canada
1996 (In the Year)	To Diffuse the Fragrances was the unpublished memoir of Bahá’í life in the Arctic completed in 1994 and written by Ken and Mary McCulloch. [Bahá’í Community of Canada: A Case Study in the transplantation of Non-Western Religious Movements by Dr Will C. Van den Hoonaard, bibliography] [key]	Baker Lake, NU; Canada	To Diffuse the Fragrances; Ken McCulloch; Mary McCulloch; Bahai House
1996 (In the year)	The publication of The Origins of the Baha'i Community of Canada, 1898-1948 by Will C. van den Hoonaard. It was published by the Wilfid Laurier University Press. See a review by Mike McMullen. The book is available at BahaiWorks.		Will C. van den Hoonaard; The Origins of the Bahai Community of Canada; Mike McMullen
1996 7 Jan	The passing of Knight of Bahá'u'lláh Mary Zabolotny McCulloch (b. 9 November 1918 in The Pas, MN). As a single woman she had fulfilled the difficult goal for the Ten Year Crusade in Anticosti because the entire territory was under the control of the Wayagamack Pulp and Paper Company and residence on the island would necessitate employment by that company. She was only able to stay for a few months but nonetheless won the accolade. She visited the island on three occasions in later years. She married Ken McCulloh in 1958 and they settled in Baker Lake in 1958 where Ken had been pioneering. They stayed until 1979 [BWIM277] Find a Grave	Winnipeg, MB; The Pas, MB; Baker lake, NU	Mary Zabolotny; Mary McCulloch; Knight of Bahaullah; In Memoriam
1996 10 Jan	The passing of Ruth Eyford in St. Albert, AB. (b. Ruth Monk 12 June, 1930, NS). [Find a grave] She became a Bahá'í in Montreal in 1956 and married Glen Eyford in 1957. She and Glen served in Iceland and in India. Returning to Canada she served as an Auxiliary Board Member and as chair of the National Spiritual Assembly as well as a number of local and national committees. [BW1995-1996p313] [key]	St. Albert, AB; Montreal, QC; Canada; India; Iceland	Ruth Eyford; In Memoriam; Births and deaths; Pioneering; Auxiliary Board Members
1996 13 Jul	The passing of Novella Rose Hyde at home in Courtney. She was buried at the Courtenay Civic Cemetery. Novella was the wife of Eric Hyde and the mother of Karyne, Sharle and Valery. [Comox Valley Obituaries 1986-2008] Novella was the daughter-in-law of Maisie Hyde who enrolled in the Faith in 1936.	Comox, BC	Novella Hyde; In Memoriam
1997 (In the year)	The publication of In the Path of the Wind: Recollections of Monserrat by Larry Rowdon. It was published by September House in Osgood, ON. It would appear that the book is no longer available. The book is biographical and recounts some of the memories of Margaret and Larry Rowdon during their 6 years of pioneering (1986-1992) on the island.		Larry Rowdon; In the Path of the Wind
1997 March	The passing of Noel Wuttunee. Mr. Wuttunee was the first Native Canadian to accept the Faith in Canada. He passed away in Seattle, WA. He was well-known in the mid-fifties and early sixties for his evocative artwork and his ability to teach the Faith to his people. He was taught the Faith by fellow artist Gerda Christofferson, whom he later married. Mr. Wuttunee had lived in the United States since the mid-sixties. [BC vol 9 issue 3 Sept 1996 p27] Gerda Christofferson passed away in Calgary 14 July 2012. [Calgary Herald] [key]	Seattle, WA; Calgary, AB	Noel Wuttunee; Gerda Christofferson	the first Native Canadian to accept the Faith in Canada
1997 24 Mar - 16 May	The nine member First Nations Travel Teaching Trip to the South Pacific, called "The Journey of Teech-ma" consisted of Canadian Bahá'ís from Kwakiutl, Nuu-Cha-Nuth, the Ojibway First Nations, a Yupik Bahá'í from Alaska and three non-Native Canadian friends. They shared their culture and their Faith with the Maori, other New Zealanders, the Aborigines and other Australians as well as the ne-Vanuatu peoples. See entry for 1994 (Summer). [SDSC370] [key]	New Zealand; Australia; Vanuatu; Canada	First Nations; Travel Teaching; Pacific; Maoris; Aboriginal people; Indigenous people
1997 9 Jul	The passing of Ronald James Parsons (b. 8 May, 1926, Moose Jaw, SK). Mr Parsons had been an ordained minister of the United Church of Canada. He first learned of the Faith in Ear Falls, Ontario in 1960 from Carol and David Bowie while assigned to nearby Red Lake. His next church assignment was in Strathmore, Alberta where the Bowies referred him to Lily-Ann Irwin who nurtured him into the Faith. [Spring 1961] He served on the National Spiritual Assembly from 1964 to 1970 and again from 1971 to 1974. He was a member of several Local Assemblies and served on the Auxiliary Board throughout the 1970's and 80's. The June 1961 issue of Canadian Bahá'í News reported that he resigned from the United Church of Canada and declared his faith in Bahá'u'lláh. [CBN No 137 June 1961 p11] See [CBN No 143 December 1961 p8] for the loving message he sent to his fellow clergy concerning his decision to leave the church. After resigning from the ministry he enrolled in university to train for his new vocation, teaching. He served as a vice-principal and a principal. In 1949 he married Rita Olive Blake and together they raised four children. [BW1997-98p276-277] iiiii	Moose Jaw, SK; Claresholm, AB	Ron Parsons; In Memoriam; Rita Parsons	first Christian minister to resign to become a Bahá'í
1998 8 Apr	The passing of Florence Virginia Wilson Mayberry (b. 18 September 1906 in Sleeper, Missouri) in Marshfield, Missouri. She became a Bahá'í in 1941 in Reno, Nevada. From 1954 to 1959 she served on the first Auxiliary Board for North America covering the Western States and Canada. While serving as an Auxiliary Board member, Florence was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States in 1959. Shortly after the Mayberry family pioneered to Mexico in 1961 where Mrs. Mayberry was elected to serve on the National Spiritual Assembly of that country and participated in the first International Bahá’í Convention in 1963. In 1968 she was appointed to the Continental Board of Counsellors for North America, then in 1973 she was appointed as one of three Counselors of the newly established International Teaching Center where she served for 10 years. [BW26p275] Her autobiography, The Great Adventure was published by Nine Pines Publishing in 1994. She was a mystery writer. She had a number of stories published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Find a grave.	Sleeper, Missouri; Marshfield, Missouri	In Memoriam; Florence Mayberry; Auxiliary Board Members, Continental Board of Counsellors; International Teaching Centre; National Spiritual Assembly
1998 Ridván	The National Convention was held in the Bahá'í Shrine in Montreal the location of the first National Convention 50 years previous. Those elected were: : Husayn Banani, Glen Eyford. Judy Filson, Margot Leonard, Susan Lyons, Karen McKye. Reginald Newkirk, Louise Profeit-Leblanc, and Enayat Rawhani. [CBN Vol 11 No 3 Jul 1998 p11] [key]	Montreal, QC	National Convention; National Spiritual Assembly, election of; Husayn Banani; Glen Eyford; Judy Filson; Margot Leonard; Susan Lyons; Karen McKye; Reginald Newkirk; Louise Profeit-Leblanc; Enayat Rawhani
1999 (In the year)	The publication of Angus: From the Heart: The life of Counsellor Angus Cowan by Pat Verge. It was published by Springtide Publishing, in Cochrane, AB. Two editions of this book were published in 1999.	Cochrane, AB	Pat Verge; Patricia Verge; Angus Cowan; Angus; From the Heart

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