In the morning the Báb was taken to the homes of the leading clerics to obtain the death-warrants. [Bab155; DB508]

Seven Bahá'ís were executed on the order of the governor of Yazd, Husain Mírzá, Jalálu'd-Dín-Dawlih (the grandson of the shah and the son of Zillu's-Sultán) and at the instigation of the mujtahid, Shaykh Hasan-i-Sabzivárí. [BW18p384 ]

One of the men, William Hoar, had been present at the reading of the paper by Henry Jessop at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1892. Shortly after he began study of the Faith with Ibrahim Khayru'llah. Later Hoar moved to New York where he continued study with Anton Haddad. Haddad had learned of the Faith in Egypt from Haji 'Abu'l-Karim-i-Tihrani. [WMSH59]

Some of those serving at the school were:

One incident in particular, the East St. Louis Race Riot, also called the East St. Louis Massacre, was a major catalyst of the silent parade. This horrific event drove close to six thousand blacks from their own burning homes and left several hundred dead.

*The Free City of Danzig (German: Freie Stadt Danzig; Polish: Wolne Miasto Gdańsk; Kashubian: Wòlny Gard Gduńsk) was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) and nearly 200 towns and villages in the surrounding areas. It was created on 15 November 1920 in accordance with the terms of Article 100 (Section XI of Part III) of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles after the end of World War I. [Wikipedia]

A Bahá'í named Inez Greeven went on a prilgrimage. When she returned home she asked permission for two of her friends to go to Haifa and have the bounty of meeting the Master. The friends went and returned, apparently unaffected by the experience. In 1920, during her second pilgrimage, she asked 'Abdu'l-Bahá why her friends had not become Bahá'ís. This was His answer:

“At the gate of the garden, some stand and look within, but do not care to enter. Others step inside, behold its beauty, but do not penetrate far. Still others encircle this garden, inhaling the fragrance of the flowers; and having enjoyed its full beauty, pass out again by the same gate. But there are always some who enter, and becoming intoxicated with the splendour of what they behold, remain for life to tend the garden." [Bahá'í Stories; The Garden of the Heart p14]

Hólmfríôur facilitated Martha's teaching efforts with her knowledge of the language and local contacts. During her stay in Iceland she gave lectures and did radio interviews. In one of her radio appearances she did a review of Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era and left copies of this book in the libraries. The first ever article on the Bahá'í Faith in the Icelandic language was published in a newspaper. An editor interviewed her for an article and wrote another explaining the basics of the Faith. As she usually did, Martha made contact with the Theosophists and the Esperanto Society and presented a lecture in Esperanto. [The Soul of Iceland-A Bahá'í Saga by Martha Root; BW6p684]

Although Bahá'ís for only a few months, their response was instantaneous; the largest difficulty arose in limiting themselves to the four names required to fulfill the designated posts. This was determined by a vote. David Tanyi, Edward Tabe, Benedict Eballa, and Martin Manga were duly selected. Samuel Nyki was sent to French Cameroon. Each one established a Local Spiritual Assembly in their assigned posts within two years. [A Brief Account of the Progress of the Bahá'í Faith in Africa Since 1953 by Nancy Oloro-Robarts and Selam Ahderom p4; KoB71]

The five-fold purpose of the International Conferences was:

1. offering humble thanksgiving to the Divine Author of our Faith, Who has graciously enabled His followers, during a period of deepening anxiety and amidst the confusion and uncertainties of a critical phase in the fortunes of mankind,
2. to prosecute uninterruptedly the Ten-Year Plan formulated for the execution of the Grand Design conceived by 'Abdu'l-Bahá,
3. of reviewing and celebrating the series of signal victories won so rapidly in the course of each of the campaigns of this world-encircling Crusade,
4. of deliberating on ways and means that will insure its triumphant consummation,
5. and of lending simultaneously a powerful impetus, the world over, to the vital process of individual conversion -the preeminent purpose underlying the Plan in all its ramifications - and to the construction and completion of the three Mother Temples to be built in the European, the African, and Australian continents. [CBN No 94 Nov 1957 p1]

Upon forming the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Guatemala in 1961, it was made responsible for administrating the Bahá’í community of British Honduras although there were no Bahá’ís in British Honduras at the time. British Honduras remained under its jurisdiction until forming its own National Spiritual Assembly in 1967. [Bahaipedia Guatemala; BN No 435 June 1967 p6]

“The Centre for the Study of the Texts . . . will be the seat of an institution of Bahá’í scholars, the efflorescence of the present Research Department of the World Centre, which will assist the Universal House of Justice in consulting the Sacred Writings, and will prepare translations of and commentaries on the authoritative texts of the Faith.” [AWH p52]

“The building was completed and occupied in 1999. It now houses the Research Department, and is the temporary home of the International Bahá'í Library and other offices.” [Visiting Bahá’í Holy Places p. 35; BW99-00p38-39]

"...he poured out his life in uninterrupted service to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh, as a teacher, pioneer, and member of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Germany (1963-1969) and Finland (1977-1980), the Continental Board of Counsellors in Europe, (1980-1988) the International Teaching Centre (1988-2003) and, ultimately, of the Universal House of Justice (2003-2008)." [BWNS1228]

He was a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada from 1960 to 1985 and served the last twenty years as the general secretary. In 1985. He was appointed director-general of the Bahá'í International Community's Office of Public Information at the World Centre. He served in that capacity until 1993 when he was elected to the Universal House of Justice. He retired from the House of Justice in 2005 due to considerations of age and related needs of the Faith. [BWNS1455]

John was born in Martock, NS and is credited with being the first resident Bahá'í. After he attended university he worked at the Sydney steel plant in Cape Breton. His life at the plant was gruesome for his arm was caught in machine and cut off. He moved to the United States where he found the Faith some time between 1917 and 1922. He returned to Canada in poor health and settled in Windsor, NS. John left the province to take a job in Newfoundland as a representative of the Penn Oil and Steel in Newfoundland and died of a heart attack three months later. His body was returned to Windsor. [OBCC109-110]

He is also credited with being the first Bahá'í to have visited Cap Breton.

Members at the time of incorporation were: Singe Saxton, Stella Pollexfen, Claire Atwood, Margaret Saxton, Angus Cowan, Bobbie Cowan, Ethel Martens, Moliie Macpherson, and Miron Thom.

Note: Canadian Bahá'í News August 1961 p10 reported that this took place in 1960.

Canada started the Ten-year Crusade in 1953 with 30 local spiritual assemblies, by 1957 there were 19. "Hand of the Cause John Robarts enlisted the Bahá'ís of Canada in one great campaign of prayer and action, and we finished that Crusade with sixty-four Local Spiritual Assemblies." [BCVol 9 No8 October 1987 p18]

Those elected to the National Spiritual Assembly were: Douglas Martin (Secretary), Ronald Parsons; Michael Rochester (Vice-chairman), Suheil Bushrui, Rowland Estall, Donald Glen (Treasurer), Lloyd Gardner; Jameson Bond (Chairman), and, Angus Cowan. [CBN No 208 June 1967 p8]

The delegates too the National Convention were asked to elect a replacement for Lloyd Gardiner who was appointed to the newly-created North American Board of Councillors which made him ineligible for membership on national or local administrative bodies. Ballots were sent out to all delegates, but their return was delayed by a mail strike. When the count was finally taken the result was a tied vote and the delegates were required vote again, making their choice between the two people who received the equal number of votes. The deadline for the return of this second balloting was delayed in order to allow time for those attending the Oceanic Conference in Palermo to return to their homes. The deadline was set for September 17th. Mr. Ed Muttart of Fort Qu’Appelle was selected. [CBN No 223 Sep/Oct 196 p9].

Auxiliary Board Member David Smith announced the appointment of Mr Douglas Wilson as Assistant for the territory of Central and Eastern Ontario. [CBN No 287 Aug/Sep 1975]

Seven speakers presented papers in a wide range of academic disciplines. The speakers were:
'Abdu'l Misagh Ghadirian-"August Forel: His Life and Enlightenment".
Douglas Martin-"The Bahá'í Faith and Its Critics".
Luc Dion, a student of Physics at the Université du Québec in Chicoutimi-"La realité du monde e l'existence de Dieu". He had the distinction of being the first Bahá'í student to present a formal paper and also presented the first paper in French.
Hossain Danesh-"Violence and Apathy".
William Hatcher-on the relationship between science and religion.
Don Rogers-"The Function of Revelation in Artistic Expression".
Glen Eyford-"Spiritual Education".

A decision was taken to begin the publication of Bahá'í Studies.

In addition, the “Ballet Shayda” presented a group of three dances on Saturday evening. [BC Issue 291 February 1976 p6]

Three original papers this year were presented by Dr. William Hatcher, Mr. Douglas Martin and Dr. John Hatcher. Two students, Heida Lakshman and John Taylor also presented papers.

The Ottawa company, based in Ottawa, Le Ballet Shayda presented their original piece entitled Journey. [BC Issue 300 February 1977 p6]

The conference began with a presentation by Dr. Victor de Araujo entitled, “Health: A Global Perspective”. Dr. Hossain Danesh then presented a review of the historical relationship between religion and science in general and the science of medicine in particular. These two talks set the tone and direction of the conference.

For the remaining two and a half days, the participants were treated to an array of challenging, informative and well-researched presentations such as: “Mind, Body and Soul” by Dr. Faraneh Khadem; “The Baha’i Revelation and Lifestyle Alternation” by Dr. David Smith; “Adolescent Quest for Tranquility: the Dilemma of Drug Abuse” by Dr. A. M. Ghadirian; ‘‘Scientific Method of Search for Truth” by Dr. Peter Morgan; “Total Stimulation for Children Recovering from Malnutrition” by Linda Gershuny; "Nutrition: Key Factor in High-Level Wellness” by Dr. S. Raman; “Music Therapy” by Jocelyn Boor; “Healing Relationship in Marriage” by Ruth Eyford and Helgi Eyford; and “The Importance for a Physician to turn to God” by Dr. Agnes Ghaznavi.

There were four very successful workshops: “Smoking and Exercise”; ‘‘Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, and Youth”; “Baha'i Life” and ‘‘Baha’i Approach to Sexuality”. The participants also had the pleasure of attending the performance of Ballet Shayda on the theme of “Women in Motion’’.

. The closing addresses were given by Hand of the Cause John Robarts and by Florence Altass, a 96 year old Bahá'í from England, who due to a recent and severe illness, was not able to attend the conference but sent a paper and taped message. Throughout the conference, Mr. Robarts greatly encouraged the friends, showered them with his love and guided them with his remarks. He reminded Bahá'í health professionals of the importance of prayer and turning to God for assistance at the time of dispensing treatment. It was through his closing remarks, quoting from the Writings of the Faith, that the audience caught a glimpse of the unity of religion and science which will no doubt characterize the medical sciences of the future. [BC Vol 2 Issue 12 September/October 1980 p30]

A group of lectures were given on the life and work of Hand of the Cause Mr. Hasan Balyuzi. Dr. Abbas Afnan and Dr. Muhammed Afnan, both of whom are relations of Mr. Balyuzi and belong to the family of the Blessed Bab, talked about Mr. Balyuzi’s illustrious lineage. Hand of the Cause of God, Mr. John Robarts provided an appreciation of Mr. Balyuzi’s service as a member of the Institution of the Hands of the Cause. Mr. Douglas Martin gave the final talk of the lectureship session reviewing the immense work of Mr. Balyuzi as an historian. The Association has established a continuing lectureship in Bahá'í history, in Mr. Balyuzi’s honour.

Another new feature of the annual conference was the presentation of awards for the three best essays and research on Bahá'í studies. Catherine Nelson-McDermott of British Columbia was the recipient of an award for the best essay in the high school category for her paper, “Tahirih”. Alanna Robertson of Prince Edward Island was chosen in the univer- sity category for her essay entitled; “Music: Its Influence on the Spirit”. Robert Stockman of Rhode Island received the award for the best research in the individual category for his work, “‘A History of the Rhode Island Baha’i Community”. Each winner was the guest of the Association, presented his/ her paper during the conference, and received a commemo- rative plaque.

The presentations on the theme of history were very well received. Dr. Alan Ward’s talk, “‘Abdu’1l-Bahá and the American Press”, set the tone of the conference, with ease, humour and clarity. Gol Aidun recounted the relationship of Manakji Limji Hataria, an historical figure in the Zoroastrian community, with the Bahá'í Faith. Stephen Whitney’s paper entitled “The Second Century”, reviewed the condition of the major religions in their second century of existence and compared their history to the second century of the Bahá'í Faith. A major presentation by Dr. Jean-René Milot of the University of Montreal entitled “L’Origine de la foi baha’i sur l’arriére plan shi’ie”, was given. This talk by an invited guest speaker enabled the friends to witness the accuracy and fairness with which truly informed non-Baha’i scholars could view the Bahá'í Faith.

The panel presentation on ‘‘Baha’i Scholarship” was inaugurated this year and was very successful. A special addition was a presentation by Mr. Richard St. Barbe Baker en- titled ‘‘The Founding of the Men of the Trees”.

News of the decision to proceed at once with the planned purchase of a building to house the offices of the Association and gradually expand into a Centre for Baha’i Studies gave a final note of excitement and confirmation to the year’s proceedings. [BCVol 2 No 12 September/October 1980 p29]

This year, with the approval of the Universal House of Justice, the name of the Association was changed from the Canadian Association for Studies on the Bahá’í Faith to the Association for Bahá’í Studies in recognition of its increasingly international character. Also, the Association recently purchased a modest house on the campus of the University of Ottawa to serve as a Center for Bahá’í Studies and as an administrative headquarters for the organization.

The presentations included: “The Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Personal Growth,” by Hossain Danesh, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada who is a practicing psychiatrist; a discussion of the use of computers in indexing the Bahá’í Writings, presented by Edward Fox, a doctoral candidate in computer science at Cornell University; “John the Baptist—The Forgotten Manifestation,” by Jack McLean, a doctoral candidate in religious studies at the University of Ottawa; and a presentation on the life and works of Mishkín-Qalam, the famous Bahá’í calligrapher, by Gol Aidun of Brandon, Manitoba.

Also included in the conference was the second annual Ḥasan Balyúzi Lectureship—given this year by Douglas Martin, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, who spoke on the persecutions of the Bahá’ís in Iran under the Pahlavi regime, and by Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, who discussed the reaction of people in the West to the current wave of persecutions in Iran.

The last presentation of the conference was that of Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum who had recently arrived in North America after several months in Central America. Although not entirely recovered from an illness acquired during her travels, she spoke vigorously—although, uncharacteristically, while seated. Her principal theme was the corrosive effects of the prejudice of the educated toward the illiterate, though she stressed the importance of the contribution of the educated in the Faith and in society.

She also urged the Bahá’ís to redouble their efforts, citing a passage pointed out to her by the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, in which Bahá’u’lláh, while still in Baghdád, had said that if the Bahá’ís had busied themselves with what He had commanded them to do, “now the entire world would be clothed in faith.” [BN Issue 607 October 1981 p7; BCVol 3 No 5 July/August 1981 p5]

In addition to the open style of the agenda and the Thursday supper, another new feature of the Convention was Friday’s lunch at which everyone had a chance to discuss particular issues at differently designated tables. The closed nature of the Convention permitted the delegates, along with the Hands of the Cause, Counsellor, Board Members, and National Assembly members to get together for talks and discussions over meals and at breaks without getting caught up in the always festive, often overwhelming atmosphere of recent National Conventions which have seen upwards of one thousand participants.

Elected to the National Spiritual Assembly were; Glen Eyford, Douglas Martin, Elizabeth Rochester, Michael Rochester, Edmund Muttart, Husayn Banani, Ruth Eyford, Jane Faily, and Hossain Danesh. [CBN Vol14 No 3 July/Aug 1982 p22]

Those elected to serve on the National Spiritual Assembly were: Douglas Martin (sec'y), Hossain Danesh [chair), Jane Faily, Ed Muttart (treasurer and ass't sec'y), Ruth Eyford, Michael Rochester (vice), Glen Eyford, Husayn Banani, and William Hatcher. [CBN Vol5 Issue3 July/Aug 1983 p23; CBN Vol5 Issue 2 May/Jun 1983 p20]

The first plenary session of the conference focussed on the theme “New Dimensions in Development”, and comprised of three presentations: Dr. Glen Eyford, Professor of International Development, spoke on "Strategies-for Social Change", Dr. Joanna Macy, “A Spiritual Approach to Social Change” and Gustavo Correa's presentation was "FUNDAEC: Case Study of an Alternative for Rural Development".

The second session: “Integrating Personal and Social Change —The Baha’i Paradigm” hosted the following speakers: Dr. Ervin Laszlo, “The Coming Transformation of Global Society and Today’s Action Imperative”, Shelia Banani, “Unity: The Ultimate Paradigm Shift” and Dr. Hossain Danesh, “Integrating Personal and Social Change”.

Hand of the Cause of God, Mr. Khadem, presented the awards to the winners of the best papers: John and Helen Danesh, High School Category; Shirin Sabri, General Category; Susan Stiles, University Category.

The theme for the third session was: “Elimination of Violence as a Prerequisite for World Peace”. Dr. Udo Schaefer, spoke on “Justitia Fundamentum Regnorum: On the Future of Penal Law”, followed by Mr. Brad Pokorny who spoke on “Disarmament and the Baha’i Faith”.

The advances made by the Association during the year were highlighted; the establishment of branches of the Association for Bahá'í Studies in India, Colombia, Ireland, Austria and Switzerland and the finalization of plans for opening chapters of the Association at universities to take the place gradually of the existing Bahá'í Clubs. A proposed draft of the constitution for the campus charters has been prepared and is now under review by the World Centre. [CBN Vol 5 No 6 November/December 1983 p14]

Outlines the history, teachings, structure and community life of the international Baha'i community, in an updated edition that includes coverage of the Baha'i Faith's views about world peace and the equal roles of women.

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]

Holding a musical concert outdoors was not like doing it with the natural acoustics of a hall. To counter wind noise, wind socks had to be fitted on all the microphones on all of the instruments of the orchestra and then reverberation and other effects added on a mixing console.

Other Canadians who participated in the musical tribute were mezzo-soprano Patricia Green, tenor Stuart Howe and baritone Brett Polegato. [BWNS118; BWNS120]

Holding a musical concert outdoors was not like doing it with the natural acoustics of a hall. To counter wind noise, windsocks had to be fitted on all the microphones on all of the instruments of the orchestra and then reverberation and other effects added on a mixing console. [BWNS118; BWNS120]

Others who participated in the musical presentation were Canadian soloists, mezzo-soprano Patricia Green, tenor Stuart Howe and baritone Brett Polegato.

It is an inspiring collection of thirty-seven personal stories of elder Bahá’ís whose commitment and service laid the foundations of the Bahá’í Faith around the world.

He was a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada from 1960 to 1985 and served the last twenty years as the general secretary. In 1985. He was appointed director-general of the Bahá'í International Community's Office of Public Information at the World Centre. He served in that capacity until 1993 when he was elected to the Universal House of Justice. He retired from the House of Justice in 2005 due to considerations of age and related needs of the Faith. [BWNS1455]