Messages to Canada
Messages to Canada
(this edition Canada Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1965)
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THE GUARDIAN'S FIRST LETTER
TO CANADA. 1923
Untitled
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THE GUARDIAN'S FIRST LETTER
TO CANADA. 1923
The beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout Canada.
Care of the members of the Spiritual Assembly in Montreal
Dear Friends,
It is a great pleasure and privilege to me to enter into direct, and I
trust, permanent correspondence with those faithful friends of `Abdu'l-Bahá,
who though few in number and scattered over that vast and flourishing country,
will I trust act as a powerful leaven to the mass of that spiritually-minded
people.
Though its people be firmly entrenched in their religious sectarianism
and strongly attached to their religious doctrines and traditions, yet who can
doubt that with courage and persistence, kindliness and wisdom, the
all-conquering words of Bahá'u'lláh can fail to break down all these barriers
of prejudice and religious exclusiveness and conquer this longstanding
stronghold of sectarian belief!
Surely the efficacy of the universal Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh as applied
to the cherished and time-honoured religious traditions of the East, has been
sufficiently demonstrated to justify at present our confident hopes for the
future and speedy re-awakening of that land.
May the small company of the steadfast followers of `Abdu'l-Bahá in
Canada be filled with the outpourings of the Divine Grace that are being
showered so mightily in these days upon the friends of God the world over,
and may they arise with undiminished fervour to carry out to their fullest
measure the last wishes and instructions of our departed Master for that
great and flourishing Dominion!
With all good wishes,
Your brother and co-worker,
SHOGHI.
Haifa, Palestine.
January 2, 1923.
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THE BIRTH OF THE INDEPENDENT
CANADIAN BAHÁ'Í COMMUNITY
AND THE FIVE YEAR PLAN. 1948-53
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THE BIRTH OF THE INDEPENDENT
CANADIAN BAHÁ'Í COMMUNITY
AND THE FIVE YEAR PLAN. 1948-53
April 14, 1948.
ELECTION OF FIRST NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF
FIVE YEAR PLAN
To the First Canadian National Convention.
Hearts uplifted in thanksgiving to Bahá'u'lláh for the epoch-making
event of the coming of age of the dearly beloved Canadian Bahá'í Community,
the formation of the first National Convention in the City of
Montreal and the forthcoming election of Canada's National Assembly
constituting the ninth pillar of the institution of the Universal House of
Justice. I acknowledge with reverent gratitude and deepest joy the marvellous
influence of the operation of the initial stage in `Abdu'l-Bahá's Divine
Plan enabling the northernmost community of the followers of the Faith
on the American continent to pass the stage of infancy and attain the status,
and to assume the functions of, an independent existence within the World
Bahá'í Community. I recall on this auspicious occasion with profound
emotion the heroic services to the mother community of May Maxwell+E1
whose life and death forged unbreakable links binding the body of the
Canadian believers to the sister communities of the United States and Latin
America. I am moved to appeal to assembled delegates to arise in conjunction
with the first Canadian National Assembly, as a token of gratitude for
the manifold blessings of Divine Providence, to initiate in the hour of the
birth of their national activities a Five Year Plan designed to associate them,
formally and systematically and independently, with their sister community
of the United States, in the common task of the prosecution of their
world-encompassing mission. The fulfillment of this collective task
confronting the rapidly maturing community necessitates the incorporation of
the
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Canadian National Assembly, the establishment of National Bahá'í Endowments,
doubling the number of Local Assemblies throughout the
Dominion and raising to one hundred the total number of localities where
Bahá'ís reside throughout the Provinces, the constitution of a group in
Newfoundland and the formation of a nucleus of the Faith in the Territory
of Greenland, singled out for special mention by the Author of the Divine
Plan, and the participation of Eskimos and Red Indians in membership to
share administrative privileges in local institutions of the Faith in Canada.
I fondly hope and ardently pray that the celebration of the first centenary
of the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh's prophetic mission will witness the triumphant
consummation of the first historic Plan launched by the Canadian Bahá'í
Community in a land whose future greatness and glory, both materially
and spiritually, the Centre of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant twice emphatically
proclaimed in His immortal Tablets.+E2
SHOGHI.
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November 4, 1948.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
Your letter to our beloved Guardian, dated October 6th, has been received,
and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
AVOID BLANKET RULINGS
Our teachings, as outlined in the Advent of Divine Justice, on the subject
of living a chaste life, should be emphasized, but certainly no ruling
what-so-ever should be laid down in this matter. The Bahá'ís have certainly
not yet reached that stage of moral perfection where they are in a position to
too harshly scrutinize the private lives of other souls, and each individual
should be accepted on the basis of his faith, and sincere willingness to try to
live up to the Divine Standards; further than this we cannot go at present.
Now that your Assembly is formed, and is embarking on its independent
existence as a National Body, he wishes to emphasize a point which he is
constantly stressing to other National Bodies: you must avoid issuing rules
and regulations. The fundamentals laid down in the Bahá'í Administration
must, of course, be adhered to, but there is a tendency for Assemblies to
constantly issue detailed procedures and rules to the friends, and he considers
this hampers the work of the Cause, and is entirely premature. As far
as is possible cases which come up should be dealt with and settled as they
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arise, and not a blanket ruling be laid down to cover all possible similar
cases. This preserves the elasticity of the Administrative Order and prevents
red tape from developing and hampering the work of the Cause. You must
likewise bear in mind that you are now a wholly independent National Body,
and must consider the administration of the affairs of the Faith within your
jurisdiction as your separate problem. There is no more need for you to
follow every single rule laid down by the American N.S.A., than there is for
the British or the Australian and New Zealand N.S.A.s to do this. Uniformity
in fundamentals is essential, but not in every detail. On the contrary,
diversity, the solving of the local situation in the right way, is important.
He will be very happy to receive reports of the measures you are taking to
carry out your important Five Year Plan. You have the unique distinction of
being the first National Body, yet formed, to be born with a Plan in its mouth!
and you may be sure your fellow Bahá'ís, East and West, are watching your
progress with keen interest, not unmixed with curiosity, to see how well you
fare in your historic work and your newly created independence.
The Guardian has high hopes for the achievements of the Canadian
Bahá'ís. Their national character, which so fortuitously combines the
progressiveness and initiative of the Americans, and the stability and tenacity
of the British, fits them to make great contributions to the progress of the
Faith, both in Canada and throughout the world.
He urges you to keep in close touch with him, and assures you that you,
and your labours, are very dear to his heart, and he is ardently praying for
your success in every field of your manifold activities.
With warm Bahá'í love,
R. RABBANI.
Dear and Valued Co-workers:
I hail with a joyous heart and confident spirit the truly compelling and
almost simultaneous evidences of the creative, the irresistible power of the
Faith of Bahá'u'lláh as witnessed by the formation of the first Canadian
National Bahá'í Assembly and the inauguration of the Five Year Plan, designed
to orient its members toward and canalize the energies of the entire Canadian
Bahá'í Community in support of the immediate tasks lying before them. So
auspicious a beginning, in the life of a community attaining adulthood under
the influence of the processes set in motion as the result of the progressive
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unfoldment of the Divine Plan, in a territory of such vast dimensions, blessed
through both the mighty utterances, and the personal visit of the One Who
fostered it from the hour of its birth, and Whose Plan enabled it to reach
maturity, may well be regarded as one of the most momentous happenings
immortalizing the opening years of the second Bahá'í century.
IMPLICATIONS OF PLAN TREMENDOUSLY VAST
The responsibility shouldered by an institution ranking as one of the
sustaining pillars of the future Universal House of Justice is indeed
staggering. The Plan entrusted to its infant hands is, in both its magnitude
and implications tremendously vast. The anxieties, the strenuous exertions
attendant upon the proper guidance, the effectual development and the sound
consolidation of a community emerging into independent national existence,
are inevitably trying. The numerical strength of that community, the immensity
of the area serving as the field for the operation of its Plan, the meagerness
of the resources now at its disposal, the relative inexperience of its
newly-recruited members, the perils overhanging the territory in which they
reside in the event of a future global conflict, the intensity of opposition
which the unfoldment of its mission may provoke in the strongholds of religious
orthodoxy inimical to the liberalizing influences of the Faith it represents--
all these offer a challenge at once severe, inescapable and soul uplifting.
The eyes of its twin-sister community in the North American continent,
which assisted it in achieving its independence, are fixed upon it, eager to
behold, and ready to aid it in its march to glory. Its sister communities in
Latin America, whose coming of age is as yet unattained, watch with mingled
curiosity and envy, its first strides along the steep path which they
themselves are soon to tread. Other sister communities in the European,
African, Asiatic and Australian continents, some of venerable age, others rich
in experience, and resources, still others tried and tested, by the fires of
persecution, observe with keen anticipation in their hearts and benediction on
their lips, the manner in which this youngest recruit to their ranks will
launch upon its career, the resolution with which it will face its problems,
the spirit which will animate it in its battles and the stupendousness of the
efforts required to win its victories. Above and beyond them the Spirit of a
Master Who nursed it in its infancy and to Whose Plan it now has consecrated
its mature energies, overshadows it with that self-same solicitude that
called it into existence, that stimulated His tender care in its infancy, that
inspired His written promises, that prompted His lavish praise, that impelled
Him to
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cast the radiance of His person, in the evening of His life, on its mother
city+E3, and induced Him, ere His passing, to bequeath to it so rich a legacy
in what may be regarded as one of the mightiest repositories of His last
wishes. No one, of the galaxy of immortal heroes, now gathered to the glory of
Bahá'u'lláh, can contemplate with greater delight the advances, which this
community has made, or intercede with greater efficacy on its behalf, than
she+E1 who has won the peerless title of the Mother of that community, the
initial phase of whose career was signalized by the founding of the mother
community in the European continent, and the conclusion of which was
crowned by a death cementing the spiritual bonds now indissolubly uniting
the North and South American continents.
EXECUTION OF THE PLAN
The Five Year Plan, now set in motion, must under no circumstances be
allowed to lag behind its schedule. A befitting start should be made in the
execution of the Plan in all its aspects. The initial steps should be
relentlessly followed by additional measures designed to hasten the
incorporation of your Assembly, to accelerate the multiplication of Local
Assemblies, groups and isolated centres, throughout the Provinces of the
Dominion, to insure the stability of the outpost of the Faith which must be
established in Newfoundland, and to incorporate a steadily growing element,
representative of both the Indian and Eskimo races, into the life of the
community.
Obstacles, however formidable, will have to be determinedly surmounted.
Any reverses that sooner or later may be suffered should be met
with stoic fortitude, and speedily offset by victories in other fields. The
glorious vision now unveiled to your eyes must never be dimmed. The
illuminating promises enshrined in `Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets should not be
forgotten for a moment. The quality of the success already achieved by so
small a number, over so extensive a field, in so brief a period, at so
precarious an hour in the destinies of mankind, should spur on the elected
representatives of this now fully-fledged community to achieve in as short a
period, over still more extensive an area, and despite a severer crisis than
any as yet encountered, victories more abiding in their merit and more
conspicuous in their brilliance than any as yet won in the service and for the
glory of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.
Your true brother,
SHOGHI.
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(Cablegram) May 1949.
INCORPORATION OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BY PARLIAMENT ACCLAIMED
Acclaim magnificent victory+E4 unique (in the) annals (of) East (and)
West. Glorious events foreshadowed by `Abdu'l-Bahá Tablets (of) Divine Plan
(at) long last unfolding. National elected representatives newly fledged
highly promising richly blessed community deserve heartiest congratulations.
Appeal its members arise token gratitude outpouring divine grace bestowed
initial stage its independent development vigorously prosecute plan attain
all objectives set imperishable example sister communities Bahá'í world.
Ardently praying still greater victories.
SHOGHI.
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June 19, 1949.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
Your letters to our beloved Guardian ... have been received, with their
enclosures, as well as the material you sent under separate cover.
FIRST GOVERNMENT TO RECOGNIZE OFFICIAL STATUS
Your Assembly has much to be congratulated upon for your victories
during the past Bahá'í Year have been memorable. The passing, in both
Houses, of the Bill+E4 relating to the official status of your Assembly was a
cause for great rejoicing, as this is the first time in Bahá'í history that
any government has taken such action in relation to our Faith's status. He
would like, if possible, to receive duplicates of the official Gazette and all
publicity given this matter, as the copies you sent were placed in the Mansion
at Bahjí, but he wishes to have these documents at hand in his personal files
as well.
The increase in membership in the Canadian Bahá'í Community this
past year was also most encouraging. It shows that there is, primarily, unity
among the believers, for where this fundamental quality is lacking in a
Bahá'í community any real growth is impossible. That is why the beloved
Master so constantly admonished the friends to be as one soul in different
bodies, for this love and unity constitutes their spiritual health and gives
them the strength to overcome all obstacles in their path.
He fully realizes how great are the tasks facing your Assembly, but feels
confident that the Canadian Bahá'ís will be able to accomplish them and
will, indeed, set an example to their sister communities in different parts of
the
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world. The people of that country, the national character, are such as to
hold high promise for the future of the Cause there, and the great range
covered by your Plan is stimulating in the extreme. To be the Trustees of
such a Faith, in such a place, at such a time is a marvellous privilege, and he
is looking forward to your next achievements with confidence and keen
interest.
You may be sure his loving prayers are with you in all you do for the
beloved Faith.
With warmest greetings,
R. RABBANI.
Dear and Valued Co-workers:
The progress achieved in the course of the opening year of the Five Year
Plan, to which the newly emerged independent Canadian Bahá'í Community
is solemnly committed, is such as to excite the admiration, and merit the
gratitude, of the entire Bahá'í World. A community, so small in numbers,
so restricted in resources, labouring over so extensive a field, shouldering
such weighty responsibilities, has passed through the initial stage of its task
and discharged its duties with such distinction as to be worthy of the glowing
promises and weighty utterances recorded in `Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets regarding
the material as well as the spiritual potentialities with which that
great and promising Dominion has been endowed.
OPERATION OF THE PLAN GATHERS MOMENTUM
Through the swift and marvellous increase in its membership, through
its faithful and uncompromising adherence to both the spiritual and
administrative principles of the Faith it so nobly serves; through the
multiplication of its administrative centres from the Atlantic to the Pacific
sea-board; through the steady consolidation of its local and national Funds,
designed to sustain its ever-unfolding activities, through the spirit
consistently manifested by the small yet eager and valiant band of its pioneers
and administrators, and more recently through the official recognition
providentially accorded the body of its national elected representatives by
both chambers of the Legislature in that Dominion--an act wholly unprecedented
in the annals of the Faith in any country, in either East or West--this
vigorous, divinely sustained, resistlessly advancing community, has not only
fulfilled the expectations and hopes that greeted its birth, but set a
brilliant example to its sister communities in both the Eastern and Western
Hemispheres.
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The task which it has so splendidly inaugurated and which is being now
prosecuted with such vigour, devotion, single-mindedness, harmony and
determination, is still in the initial stage of its development. The process
that has stimulated the growth and increased the number of its administrative
centres must be accelerated no matter how great the sacrifice involved. The
development of the local and national Funds must be continuously maintained
as a prelude to the establishment of local and national endowments
and the ultimate erection of a House of Worship that will incarnate the soul
of a flourishing nation-wide community. The initiation of a systematic and
sustained campaign beyond the frontiers of that Dominion, and in obedience
to the Mandate of the Author of the Divine Plan, to which it stands inescapably
pledged, and aiming at the introduction of the Faith in Greenland and
the conversion of the Eskimos still remains to be undertaken. The
consolidation of the summer school, the gradual incorporation of firmly
established, properly functioning Assemblies are, moreover, objectives that
must under no circumstances be overlooked or neglected.
As the operation of the Plan gathers momentum the members of this
community must evince a still greater measure of solidarity, rise to higher
levels of heroism, demonstrate a greater capacity for collective achievement,
and attract still more abundant blessings on the varied enterprises on which
they have embarked.
I am following the unfoldment of their Plan with eager and sustained
interest. My ardent prayers will surround and accompany its prosecutors
at every stage of their historic undertaking. My confidence in their ultimate
success is not only unshaken, but has been immensely reinforced. May He
Who watches over them guide every step they take, bless every measure they
adopt, remove every obstacle that impedes their onward march and fulfil
every desire they cherish for the future glory, honour and greatness of their
beloved Faith in that vast and richly blessed Dominion.
SHOGHI.
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June 23, 1950.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
Your letters ... have been received by our beloved Guardian, and he has
instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He feels sure you will understand the reason for the delay in answering
your letters--and, indeed, all the other N.S.A.s' letters--when he explains
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that not only has this been a terrific winter of work in connection with the
construction of the Shrine, but since the beginning of April my dear father,
Mr. Maxwell+E5, has been dangerously and desperately ill. The anxiety this
caused us all, and the constant coming and going of doctors, nurses, and two
periods in hospital, has necessitated putting aside all correspondence for
months. Now, however, thank God, Mr. Maxwell is slowly improving, and
the threads of normal existence can be taken up again by us all.
The Guardian was very happy to note the community increased this
year by 66. He was also delighted to see your Assembly arranged for all
delegates to be present. This is very important, especially during this period
when full consultation and cooperation is necessary amongst all the far-flung
Canadian Assemblies and groups, as well as isolated believers, in order to
ensure the success of your first and so important Plan.
He approves of the measures you have inaugurated for intensive teaching
during the coming year, and trusts they will meet with great success.
The British victories, in the face of great obstacles, and the consistent
success across the border in the U.S.A., must be at once an inspiration and a
challenge to the Canadian friends. There is no doubt they can succeed if
the entire community applies itself eagerly and confidently to its task.
SETTLEMENT OF PIONEERS IN NEWFOUNDLAND
The Guardian is immensely pleased over the settlement of pioneers+E6 in
Newfoundland; this has accomplished one of the specific desires of the beloved
Master, and will redound to the glory of the Canadian Bahá'ís.
The next, most important task is to get Miss Gates+E7 into Greenland.
This is fraught with many difficulties, but he urges your Assembly to persevere
and exert its utmost to remove every obstacle. He will specially pray that a
way may open for her to enter that country.
Regarding your question about contributions: it is up to the individual
to decide; if he wishes to denote a sum to a specific purpose, he is free to do
so; but the friends should recognize the fact that too much labelling of
contributions will tie the hands of the Assembly and prevent it from meeting
its many obligations in various fields of Bahá'í activity.
Concerning the points your Assembly raised in the letter of December
20, 1949:
The Guardian is very anxious that no new rules and regulations should
be introduced. As far as possible each N.S.A. should decide secondary matters
for itself, and not try to lay down a rule general in application.
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Bahá'u'lláh gives no right of appeal to the law that both parents must
give permission to the marriage, if they are living--Bahá'í marriages should
be referred to assemblies to officiate; where there is no Assembly to officiate
your body is free to decide what procedure should be followed. Whether it
is the chairman or secretary or some other person who actually conducts
the marriage is, likewise, a matter for your body to decide.
The Guardian has not found it desirable, for various reasons, to send a
recorded message to any Convention.
TEACHING THE CANADIAN INDIANS
The work being done by various Bahá'ís, including our dear Indian
believer+E8 who returned from the United States in order to pioneer amongst
his own people, in teaching the Canadian Indians, is one of the most important
fields of activity under your jurisdiction. The Guardian hopes that ere
long many of these original Canadians will take an active part in Bahá'í
affairs and arise to redeem their brethren from the obscurity and despondency
into which they have fallen.
The desire of your Assembly to remain in the closest touch with the
Guardian pleases him very much--he assures you that the desire is mutual!
With the assurance of his loving prayers for you all.
Yours in His service,
R. RABBANI.
P.S. The maps you forwarded were of great interest, and he thanks you
for them. He intends to have one of them published in the next edition of
"Bahá'í World."
Dear and Valued Co-workers:
The progress achieved in various fields by the members of the Canadian
Bahá'í Community under the direction of its national elected representatives,
since the inception of the Five Year Plan, merits the highest praise, and
augurs well for its success in the years that lie immediately ahead. The
spontaneity with which the members of this community, on the morrow of its
having attained an independent, national existence, have arisen to execute the
Plan designed for the furtherance of its interests and the consolidation of its
newly-born institutions, the zeal and resolution which have characterized
the prosecution of the task entrusted to their care, the notable success they
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have already achieved in the initial stages of their enterprise, have served to
heighten my feelings of admiration for those who have directed its course
and participated in its unfoldment, and to evoke the unstinted praise of all
sister communities in both the East and the West.
A GREATER UNANIMITY IN SACRIFICE REQUIRED
Though much has been achieved in the course of the two years that have
elapsed since the formulation of the Plan, the objectives that the members
of this struggling, youthful and valiant community have set themselves to
attain are still far from being fulfilled. Though the process of the
multiplication of Bahá'í centres, over the length and breadth of so vast a
territory, has been, steadily and speedily, gathering momentum, the number of
groups that have achieved Assembly status is still relatively insignificant,
while the pioneer activity designed to awaken and stimulate the interest of the
Eskimos in the Faith and enlist their support may hardly be said to have been
vigorously and adequately launched. The call to which this newly-fledged
community has been summoned is admittedly urgent and challenging. The
character of the tasks alloted to it is, in many respects, unique. The
resources at its disposal for the discharge of its peculiar responsibilities
are no doubt as yet inadequate. The obstacles that stand in its way and
obstruct its path seem almost insurmountable. Its membership, when viewed in
relation to the range over which it operates, is no doubt wholly inadequate yet
the spirit which has consistently animated the members of the entire community,
and the energy and determination which have distinguished their elected
representatives in the discharge of their sacred duties, are such as to
fortify the hopes which I, as well as their fellow-workers in both
hemispheres, have cherished in our hearts, since the inauguration of their
first collective enterprise in a land so rich in promise, so vast in its
potentialities, and so honoured by the visit of the Centre of the Covenant
Himself as well as by the glowing references made to it by Him in His immortal
Tablets.
As the centenary of the birth of Bahá'u'lláh's prophetic Mission
approaches, as the first historic Plan, signalizing the birth and rise of a
highly privileged community, the sole partner of its great sister community in
the South in the prosecution of `Abdu'l-Bahá's Divine Plan, gathers momentum
and enters the concluding stages in its evolution, a dedication even more
conspicuous than that already manifested in the hour of the launching of
the Plan must needs be displayed by all those who are called upon to
participate in its prosecution. A sterner resolve, a nobler heroism, a greater
unanimity
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in sacrifice, a further intensification of effort must be manifested, as the
first stage in the evolution of the mission of the Canadian Bahá'í Community
draws to a close, and paves the way for the inauguration of still more splendid
enterprises along the path laid down for them by the unerring hand of the
Author of the Divine Plan.
That this community will never relax in its high endeavours, that the
vision of its glorious mission will not be suffered to be dimmed, that
obstacles, however formidable, will neither dampen its zeal or deflect it from
its purpose, is my confident hope and earnest prayer. He Who watches over its
destinies, from Whose pen testimonies so significant and soul thrilling have
flowed, will no doubt continue to direct its steps, to shower upon it His
loving bounties, to surround it with His constant care, and to enable it to
scale loftier heights on its ascent towards the summit of its destiny.
With a heart brimful with gratitude for all that this community has so
far achieved, and throbbing with hope for the future exploits that will
distinguish its record of stewardship to the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, I pray
that by its acts, this community will prove itself worthy of the trust
confided to its care, and the station to which it has been called.
Your true and grateful brother,
SHOGHI.
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January, 1951.
SHRINE OF THE BAB
To the Treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
Your letter of September 13 has reached the beloved Guardian, as well
as the contribution made by the N.S.A. of Canada and some of the friends
towards the construction of the Báb's Shrine, a receipt for which I am
enclosing.
He is pleased to accept this loving donation for an enterprise so dear to
all our hearts--and one which is fulfilling one of the Master's cherished
plans.
There are so many obstacles to be overcome and so much red tape to be
waded through, but he feels no time must be lost, and has just had the contract
signed in Italy for the stone work for the octagon. God has opened all
doors so far--he feels sure He will continue to do so.
With warmest loving greetings to you.
RUHIYYIH.
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May the Almighty bless you and your dear and devoted co-workers,
whose labours I deeply appreciate, whose contributions I greatly value, and
whose spirit I truly admire. I will supplicate ardently on your behalf, that
the Beloved may reward you abundantly, and enable you to win great and
memorable victories in His service.
Your true brother,
SHOGHI.
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Haifa, Israel,
March 1, 1951.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
Your letters ... with enclosures, have been received; and our beloved
Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf...
Although he is finding it so difficult to keep up with his correspondence,
owing to the increase of work here at the International Centre, he follows
with interest the progress being made by the believers in Canada; and is
delighted to see how your Assembly is growing in maturity and capacity to
handle the problems which invariably arise in connection with administering
the affairs of the Faith in such a vast area as the Dominion of Canada.
He was very happy to know that the work in connection with the Indians
and the Eskimos is receiving special attention; and he would like your Assembly
to please express to Miss Nan Brandle+E9 his deep appreciation of the
unique service she is rendering the Cause, and of the exemplary spirit which
is animating her. He hopes other believers will follow in her footsteps, and
arise to do work in this very important field of Bahá'í activity.
He was also pleased to see that your Assembly had increased the annual
budget, as this expresses the determination of the Canadian believers to
expand their activities and carry on their work on a larger scale than ever
before.
CONTACT WITH ARCTIC ESKIMOS
He was also very pleased to see that Mr. Bond+E10 had gone north and had
been able to contact the Arctic Eskimos. He hopes that the way will open for
this devoted believer to establish a more permanent contact in that area in
some field of government work.
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He considers the policy of your Assembly of helping delegates from
distant points to attend the Convention, an excellent one, as the attendance
of these delegates enables them to carry back a very real awareness of the
work in hand and the needs of the hour, to their local communities.
STIRRING EXAMPLE OF BRITISH PIONEERS
The Guardian feels that, although the Canadian Bahá'ís are making
excellent progress in consolidating their National Assembly and its subsidiary
committees, in holding Conferences and Summer Schools, in sending forth
travelling teachers, and in contacting the important minority groups, the
Eskimos and Indians, that they are not making sufficient progress in the
all-important field of pioneer activity. If they are to succeed in
accomplishing their plan, a far greater number of Canadian Bahá'ís will
have to arise and go into the pioneer field. He feels sure that they can do
this, as they have already had the stirring example of how much was done in
the British Isles by a community of about their size. In comparing the problem
which faced the British Bahá'ís under their Six Year Plan, and that which
faces the Canadian Bahá'ís under their Five Year Plan, the friends should bear
in mind that they were spared the severest ordeals of the war, the extreme
restrictions and rationing which the British believers had to put up with. If
the British Bahá'ís, with all their handicaps and suffering real physical and
nervous exhaustion from the long war years, could accomplish so much, then
surely the Canadian Bahá'ís, who were spared these conditions, are in a much
better state to carry on and prosecute their tasks. What was done at the very
breaking point in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales could be done--must be
done--by the Canadian believers, with much less effort. Although sacrifice is
required, he feels sure that the friends are ready and willing to make the
necessary sacrifice, and arise to insure that the very first Plan, the very
first organized work undertaken by them as an independent National Bahá'í
Community, will be carried forward and victory insured by the appointed time.
He assures all the members of your Assembly, and through you, the
community that you serve and represent, that your work is very dear to his
heart, and that you are often remembered in his prayers. He is waiting to
receive the good news that many more objectives have been achieved during
this coming Bahá'í year.
With warmest Bahá'í love,
R. RABBANI.
+P21
Dear and Valued Co-workers:
The energy, fidelity and courage, with which the Canadian Bahá'í
Community has, in the course of this past year, faced its problems, discharged
its duties and expanded the scope of its teaching and administrative activities
merit the highest praise, and have greatly raised my hopes for the eventual
consummation of the Plan which its members are so steadfastly prosecuting.
Though unable, owing to a chain of circumstances beyond my control, to
address them more frequently and convey to them my feelings of gratitude
and admiration for their recent achievements, I have followed closely the
course of their manifold activities, perused, with care and interest, the
various publications which testify to their unremitting labours, and remembered
them in my prayers in the holy Shrines.
FUTURE OF CANADA VERY GREAT
This community though still in its infancy, is manifesting, in the course
of the first years of its existence as an independent administrative entity, a
virility, a steadfastness of purpose, a dedication to the Cause it serves, an
organizing ability in the administration of its affairs that augur well for the
glorious destiny disclosed by the Pen of the Author of the Divine Plan in His
epoch-making Tablets. Already in the early stages of its life, when its
administrative machinery was still merged with the institutions evolved by the
followers of the Faith residing in the great Republic of the West, its fame,
through a series of memorable events and noble exploits that have greatly
enriched the annals of the Cause of God, had spread far and wide and the shadow
of its future glory had run before it to the remotest corners of the Bahá'í
World. For was it not `Abdu'l-Bahá's own pen which, as far back as the dark
years of the First World War, had forecast the splendor of the memorable
achievements which, spiritually and materially, would distinguish and
illuminate its annals in the years to come? "The future of the Dominion of
Canada ... is very great and the events connected with it infinitely
glorious... Again I repeat that the future of Canada is very great, whether
from a material or a spiritual standpoint."+E2
IMPERISHABLE RECORD OF INTERNATIONAL SERVICE
It was a Canadian+E11, of French extraction, who through his vision and
skill was instrumental in conceiving the design, and delineating the features,
of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of the West, marking the first attempt,
however rudimentary, to express the beauty which Bahá'í art will, in its
plenitude,
+P22
unfold to the eyes of the world. It was a Canadian woman+E12, one of the
noblest in the ranks of Bahá'í pioneers, who alone and single-handed, forsook
her home, settled among an alien people, braved with a leonine spirit the risks
and dangers of the world conflict that raged around her, and who now, at
an advanced age and suffering from infirmities, is still holding the Fort and
is setting an example, worthy of emulation by all her fellow pioneers of both
the East and the West. It was a member+E13 of that same community who won
the immortal distinction of being called upon to be my helpmate, my shield
in warding off the darts of Covenant-breakers and my tireless collaborator
in the arduous tasks I shoulder. It was a Canadian subject+E1, the spiritual
mother of that same community, who, though fully aware of the risks of the
voyage she was undertaking, journeyed as far as the capital of Argentina to
serve a Cause that had honoured her so uniquely, and there laid down her
life and won the everlasting crown of martyrdom. It was, moreover, a
Canadian+E5 who more recently achieved the immortal renown of designing the
exquisite shell destined to envelop, preserve and embellish the holy and
priceless structure enshrining the dust of the Beloved Founder of our Faith.
A community which, in the course of less than fifty years, has to its
credit such an imperishable record of international service, and standing now
on the threshold of a new epoch in its evolution, recognized as a
self-governing member of the family of Bahá'í national communities,
functioning according to a Plan of its own conceived for its orderly and
efficient development, must, if it is to maintain the standard of excellence it
has already attained, display on a still wider front, and continue to
demonstrate, a no less profound spirit of dedication, as it forges ahead, in
the years to come, along the road laid down for it by the Centre of the
Covenant Himself in His historic Tablets.
CO-HEIR OF THE TABLETS OF THE DIVINE PLAN
As co-partner with the American Bahá'í Community in the execution of
the Divine Plan, it must evince in both the administrative and pioneer fields,
a heroism that may be truly worthy of its high calling. In the remote and
inhospitable regions of the North, amidst the Eskimos of Greenland and the
Indians of the Dominion of Canada; throughout the Provinces of a far flung
territory where newly fledged assemblies, and nuclei of future Bahá'í
institutions in the form of groups and isolated centres, lie scattered; in its
relationships and negotiations with the local, provincial and national
representatives of civil authority in issues affecting matters of personal
status and the independence of the Faith and the establishment of its
endowments; in its contact
+P23
with the masses and in its effort to publicize the Faith, enhance its prestige
and disseminate its literature, this community, so young, so vibrant with
life, so laden with blessings, so rich in promise, must rise to such heights,
achieve such fame as shall eclipse the radiance of its past administrative and
pioneer achievements.
Then and only then, will this community acquire the spiritual
potentialities that will enable it to discharge, as befits a co-heir of the
Tablets of the Divine Plan, the tremendous responsibilities, and fulfil the
functions, devolving upon it beyond the oceans, and in all the continents of
the globe.
May this community, the leaven placed by the hands of Providence in
the midst of a people belonging to a nation, likewise young, dynamic, richly
endowed with material resources, and assured of a great material prosperity
by `Abdu'l-Bahá, play its part not only in lending a notable impetus to the
world-wide propagation of the Faith it has espoused, but contribute, as its
resources multiply and as it gains in stature, to the spiritualization and
material progress of the nation of which it forms so vital a part.
SHOGHI.
---------------------
October 30, 1951.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
Your letters ... have been received, with enclosures, and the beloved
Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
The Administrative Order is not a governmental or civic body, it is to
regulate and guide the internal affairs of the Bahá'í community;
consequently it works, according to its own procedure, best suited to its
needs. A Bahá'í who does more than visit temporarily a community is
considered for our administrative purposes as a resident and can vote and serve
accordingly. Students in foreign lands, most obviously not residents, are
registered as local Bahá'ís, and therefore entitled to do their share of
work and play their part in the local community life. This should be pointed
out to ... who seem to be confusing our internal administration with external
practices which have no relation to it. As regards their personal attitudes
the Guardian, remembering what a devoted worker ... has been in the past, is
very sorry to see she is no longer active. He does not feel this will lead to
either her happiness or that of ...; for, whenever we compromise with what
is noblest and best in ourselves, we are the losers invariably.
+P24
The Guardian was delighted to hear the friends are at last responding to
the urgent needs of the Plan and going forth as pioneers. Plans are concrete
things, and not mere honors, and victories--like all other achievements in
life--must be purchased at the cost of persistent efforts! He feels sure the
Canadian Bahá'ís, perhaps slow to get under way, will display the
counterpart of this British characteristic, and cling like bull dogs to their
tasks, once they do get under way.
PIONEER TO GREENLAND
The departure of Mr. Bond+E10 for the Arctic made the Guardian very
happy; this, as well as the sailing of Mr. Bischoff+E14 for Greenland, mark the
opening stage of the campaign to carry the Faith to the Eskimos, a plan set
forth by `Abdu'l-Bahá and very dear to His heart.
Encouraging as these steps are, they do not take care of the main body of
the work--the establishment of new Assemblies and groups. In order to
accomplish this the entire Canadian Community will have to rise to a new
level of activity, consciousness, and sacrifice, just as did the British
Bahá'í Community during their Six Year Plan. Their success is perhaps one of
the most remarkable ever achieved in the Bahá'í World because they were few
in number, run down in health from the long years of suffering during the
war, and poor in financial resources. Their determination, dedication and
moral stamina, however, carried them through, and Bahá'u'lláh gave them
the victory. He will give the same victory to everyone who shows the same
characteristics. Success breeds success, and this same Community, now
rightfully proud and conscious of its importance, is carrying on its African
work in a brilliant manner. The Canadian Bahá'ís, more prosperous, less
restricted, and equally capable, can accomplish just as much if they unitedly
determine to do so.
The response made by the Canadian friends to the Guardian's appeal for
support of the Shrine work has touched him very much. He wishes to thank
all those who contributed for their loving generosity, and to assure them that
their cooperation in this wonderful task has added to the spiritual beauty of
an Edifice already so Holy and so beloved by all the believers the world over.
He wishes you all every success in the discharge of your arduous duties,
and is praying for a marked quickening in the pace of the Five Year Plan.
With Bahá'í love,
R. RABBANI.
+P25
CRITICAL FINAL PHASE OF FIVE YEAR PLAN
Dear and Valued Co-workers:
The Plan on which the attention of the Canadian Bahá'í Community is
focused and upon the success of which must depend its immediate destinies,
is now entering a critical stage, demanding increasing vigilance on the part
of all of its members, utter consecration to the Plan's objectives, and a
determined, inflexible resolve to carry it to a successful conclusion.
Little over a year separates this valiant community, still in the earliest
stage of its independent existence, from the fateful hour that will mark the
termination of the first collective enterprise undertaken in its history. The
vastness of the field in which its infant strength is being tested is indeed
staggering. The resources it can command are severely limited. The number of
active participators, whether as pioneers or administrators, is admittedly
small. The experience of the vast majority of its supporters is inadequate to
the tremendous obligations it has assumed. The obstacles confronting it
whether in Greenland, or among the Indians and the Eskimos of the extreme
North, are truly formidable. Yet the potency infused into this community,
through the Revelation of `Abdu'l-Bahá's Divine Plan, and the spiritual
capacity engendered in its earliest members through His visit to their native
land--distinctions which it fully shares with its sister community in the
Great Republic of the West--empower it to discharge--if it but rise to the
occasion--all the responsibilities it has undertaken and consummate the
task to which it stands pledged.
The eyes of the Bahá'í World are expectantly turned towards this newly
erected pillar, designed to sustain in conjunction with other National
Assemblies the weight of the Supreme Legislative Body of the World Order of
Bahá'u'lláh. Sister communities in both the East and the West, less
privileged than it and deprived of the primacy with which the twin Bahá'í
national communities labouring in the North American continent have been
invested by the unerring Pen of the Centre of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant, yet
able to achieve, under circumstances no less challenging, a success wholly out
of proportion to their numbers, are eagerly awaiting the outcome of this
initial crusade embarked upon by this blessed, this envied community in
conformity with the Mandate issued by `Abdu'l-Bahá in His immortal Tablets+E2.
He Himself Who nourished and watched over it with such loving care from the
earliest days of its inception, Who, in unmistakable language and on more
than one occasion, foreshadowed its glorious future, both materially and
+P26
spiritually, is from His station on high, gazing down upon the youthful efforts
exerted by a community so dear to His heart, so newly launched upon a
course which He Himself has charted.
This final phase of the first Plan, undertaken by a newly fledged,
repeatedly blessed community, as it speeds to a close, must witness an upsurge
of spirit, of courage and determination, a display of activity, a demonstration
of self-sacrifice, and of solidarity such as to eclipse its brightest
achievements in the past. The highly meritorious tasks initiated in both
Greenland and Newfoundland need not be enlarged at the present hour, but
should, under no circumstances, be allowed to suffer any setback. The work
started among the Eskimos and Indians should be maintained at its present
level, and should not be permitted to decline. An extraordinary concentration
of effort, systematic, determined and sustained, is however required throughout
all the nine Provinces of the Dominion, aiming at an unprecedented flow of
contributions by the entire body of the believers, each according to his or her
means, into the National Treasury; a marked increase in the number of
pioneers; a much greater dispersion; a higher degree of austerity; a still
nobler display of consecration--all of which must result in a speedy
multiplication of Assemblies and groups, which constitutes the core of the
Plan, and on which hinges its fortunes.
UNUTTERABLY PRECIOUS OPPORTUNITY
The fleeting months ahead will be truly decisive. Upon the success of
the present Plan must depend, not only the joint tribute to be paid by the
Canadian Bahá'í Community to the memory of the Founder of the Faith on
the occasion of the centenary of the Birth of His Revelation, but also the
rapid unfoldment of subsequent stages of the Mission which the Tablets of
`Abdu'l-Bahá so clearly, and emphatically entitle it to fulfil.
The opportunity given to this community is precious, unutterably
precious. The fate of this first historic Plan now hangs in the balance. The
present chance, if lost, cannot be retrieved. The issues on which hinge the
successful prosecution of the Plan are so weighty that none can assess them
at present. The needs of a sorely-stricken society, groping in its distress
for God's redemptive Message, are growing more acute with every passing hour.
The Canadian Bahá'í Community, newly emerged as an independent
member of the Bahá'í World Community, so richly blessed through its
elevation to the rank of a chosen prosecutor of a Divine Plan, unique, in
many respects, among its sister communities in both Hemispheres in the
+P27
manifold blessings bestowed upon it, can neither afford to flinch for a
moment or hesitate in the discharge of its sacred duty. Every effort exerted
by this community, during these fate-laden months, every sacrifice willingly
endured by its members, will, if they but persevere, be richly blessed by Him
Who brought it into being, Who nursed it through His love, Who conferred
upon it so distinguished a Mission, Who made such magnificent promises
regarding its future, and Who will continue to sustain it through His
unfailing, His abounding grace and favour.
May this community, ever aware of the position it occupies, and of the
bright prospects unfolding before it, brace itself for one last, supreme
effort, and ensure, while there is yet time, the complete and total success of
the enterprise to which it stands committed.
SHOGHI.
---------------------
Haifa, Israel,
June 8, 1952.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
Your letters ... with their various enclosures, have been received, and
the beloved Guardian has requested me to answer you on his behalf.
He was very happy to hear that the Convention had been such a success,
and above all, that the delegates had realized how urgent are the teaching
tasks still facing the Canadian Community. He hopes that they will carry
back to their local communities a sense of this urgency, and stimulate the
friends to make a heroic last effort and succeed. They say success breeds
success; and there can be no doubt that, upon the accomplishment of the
present goals, must depend the work in the immediate future--both the
degree of spiritual help that will be vouchsafed by God, and the number of
tasks that will be entrusted to the Canadian Bahá'ís. He feels sure that if
the believers become sufficiently aroused to an awareness of the critical
nature of the coming months, they will take the necessary action, however great
the sacrifice involved.
CHARLOTTETOWN MUST BE MAINTAINED
As he cabled you, he feels that Charlottetown+E15, representing as it
does, one of the Canadian Provinces, must be maintained at any cost.
In regard to the question you asked about the holding of the Canadian
Convention in Wilmette, this would not be possible, as the National Body
+P28
must hold its Convention in its own country. He suggests, however, that you
make an effort to coordinate the dates in such a way that the friends can later
proceed to Wilmette for the Intercontinental Teaching Conference and the
dedication of the Temple. As long as it is held within the Ridván period,
the dates can be arranged any way that suits your convenience, and of course
the Convention can be convened in any place in Canada your Assembly decides
upon, even on the American frontier at a point en route to Chicago.
The Guardian was most happy to hear of the excellent work some of the
Bahá'ís are doing with the Eskimos and the Indians, and considers their
spirit most exemplary. They are rendering a far greater service than they,
themselves, are aware of, the fruits of which will be seen, not only in Canada,
but because of their repercussions, in other countries where primitive
populations must be taught.
He feels that the opening for a Canadian believer to visit the Governor of
Greenland and his wife is extremely important.
The personality of the Bahá'í who accepts this invitation should be
carefully considered, because to be a guest of people in a different climate
and environment, of a different nationality and speaking a different
language, so far away, might be a little trying, and of course the impression
that this Bahá'í creates will be of infinite importance to the Faith in its
future development in Greenland. Whether ... makes the sacrifice and goes,
or some other individual is chosen, he urges your Assembly to above all
consider this matter tactfully and from the human standpoint, rather than the
religious one, if one can put it that way.
LAURENTIAN BAHÁ'Í SCHOOL
Your Assembly must decide, as the Guardian already told dear Mr.
Schopflocher+E16 when he was here, upon the advisability of maintaining the
Laurentian School+E17, in an objective spirit. The Guardian can only outline
to you the principle, which is that Bahá'í funds should not be invested in
building up a place that has dear associations for a number of the friends, but
is not going to really serve a large group of the believers.
The Guardian's point is that National Bodies when creating national
institutions, should use sound judgment, because of the financial investment
involved. This is only reasonable.
Your Assembly must therefore decide what to do about the Laurentian
School, and you are free to make your own decisions.
He would be very happy to have the National Assembly maintain the
+P29
grave of dear Sutherland Maxwell+E5. His association, not only with Canada
and the inception of the Faith there, but with the World Centre and the
Shrine of the Báb, naturally endears him to all the friends, and his grave
should be a national memorial. When the time comes to erect the tombstone,
the question of receiving contributions from your Body can be
considered.
He feels that the Canadian Community, old in the Northern Hemisphere,
but young in its independence, is showing great promise, and he is
proud of it and of the spirit that animates both its National Assembly and its
members. He also feels confident it will distinguish itself, not only during
the coming year, but during the next 10 years before our Most Great Jubilee
falls due in 1963.
With warm Bahá'í love,
R. RABBANI.
P.S.--Regarding your question concerning St. John's, Newfoundland,
and the believers living outside the town limits: no exception to the general
rule can be made in this case.
Dear and Valued Co-Workers:
The Plan, with which the immediate destinies of the valiant, newly
emerged independent, highly promising Canadian Bahá'í Community are
linked is, as it approaches its closing stage, passing through a very critical
period in its unfoldment. Proclaiming as it does the formal association of the
second Bahá'í community to attain an independent status in the Western
Hemisphere with its sister communities who, in various parts of the Bahá'í
World, are prosecuting specific Plans designed to foster their organic
development, signalizing the alignment of this community as the sole ally of
the chief Executors of `Abdu'l-Bahá's Master Plan, this collective fate-laden
enterprise upon which this youthful and virile member of the World Bahá'í
Family has so whole-heartedly and enthusiastically launched--an enterprise
on the successful consummation of which the effective initiation of its
glorious mission, far beyond the borders of the Dominion of Canada, must
ultimately depend--such an enterprise, however vast the field in which it
operates, and no matter how circumscribed the resources of the small band of
stalwart pioneers engaged in its prosecution--must, under no circumstances
be allowed to register a failure.
+P30
In Newfoundland, in Greenland, among the Eskimos and Indians,
through the incorporation of its National Assembly, the immediate objectives
have been practically attained. The attention of the entire community must,
in the remaining months ahead, be focused on the dire necessity of multiplying,
at whatever cost, the number of pioneers, the rapid formation of groups,
and the conversion of groups into Assemblies, so that the complete and total
success of the Plan may be assured, and a triumphant community may step
forward, confident and unencumbered by any liabilities, into a vast arena
of service, prosecute a still more glorious mission, and win still mightier
victories.
HAZÍRATU'L-QUDS TO BE ESTABLISHED
While the energy of this community is being expended on the conduct of
this fateful undertaking, marking the baptism of this community, a collateral
effort must, owing to unforeseen circumstances, be exerted for the
establishment of an institution which, though not an integral part of the Plan
formulated for that community, is none the less regarded as indispensable owing
to its emergence into an independent existence, and the necessity of its
following the lead of its sister communities in East and West, which have, at
various stages in their development, adopted this vital measure for the
consolidation of their national institutions and the raising of the prestige of
the Faith in their respective countries. The selection of the city to serve as
the seat of the national Haziratu'l-Quds in the Dominion of Canada; the
purchase of either a plot to serve as a site for the construction of this
Edifice, or, preferably, of a building to serve as a provisional national
administrative headquarters for a rising, steadily expanding community; the
association of all other National Assemblies throughout the Bahá'í World in
contributing towards this highly meritorious enterprise; my own association
with the Bahá'ís the world over in providing for the early emergence of such a
Centre towards which the manifold activities initiated throughout the length
and breadth of a vast Dominion must converge, and from which the impulses
generated by a rapidly evolving, divinely appointed Administrative Order must
radiate--these constitute the imperative needs of the present hour. The
consummation of this added undertaking, the prompt discharge of this additional
responsibility will, no doubt, constitute a befitting contribution by one of
the youngest national communities in the Bahá'í World to the world-wide
celebrations that are to commemorate the centenary of the Birth of
Bahá'u'lláh's Mission, and which will parallel the termination of the
fifty-year
+P31
old enterprise of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of the West, and its
official opening for public Bahá'í worship.
In conjunction with the various National Administrative Headquarters
purchased or constructed, in the course of the last three decades, in five
continents of the globe, and for the most part in the capital cities of several
countries in the Eastern Hemisphere, this latest Edifice in the chain of
Bahá'í national institutions linking five continents will, no doubt, serve to
enhance the growing prestige of a world-wide Faith and consolidate the
foundations of its administrative structure. From far-off Sydney, on the
shores of the South Pacific Ocean, and successively through New Delhi in the
heart of the Indian sub-continent, Tihrán, the capital of Bahá'u'lláh's
native land, Baghdád, the Iraqi capital enshrining His most holy House,
Cairo, the Egyptian capital the admitted centre of both the Arab and Muslim
worlds, the city of Frankfurt in the heart of both Germany and of the European
continent, and as far as the heart of the North American continent and in the
neighbourhood of the first Bahá'í Centre established in the Western
Hemisphere, this chain of Bahá'í bastions of a world-encircling Order, must
be further extended through an additional link to be forged in the northern
part of the Western Hemisphere, and its subsequent prolongation into Latin
America as far as the Republics of South America.
HAND OF THE CAUSE SUTHERLAND MAXWELL
One more word in conclusion. The passing, at this juncture, of
one+E5 who, through a long career of distinguished service to the Cause of
Bahá'u'lláh, not only since the birth of this community but in more recent
years in the heart and centre of the Bahá'í World, has left an indelible mark
on the annals of the Faith, has evoked not only the deepest sorrow but the
utmost regret at a time when this community is beginning to reap at long
last the first fruits of its stewardship to the Cause of God, and the whole
Bahá'í World is on the eve of celebrating one of its greatest Jubilees. By
reason of his own saintly life, his self-effacement, gentleness, loving
kindness and nobility of soul; by virtue of his remarkable endowments which he
so devotedly consecrated to both the embellishment of the slopes of God's holy
mountain and the creation of a befitting design for the second most holy
Bahá'í Edifice embosomed in its very heart; and because of his kinship, on
the one hand, with a wife+E1 whom posterity will regard, not only as the
mother of both the Canadian Bahá'í Community and of the first Bahá'í
centre established on the European continent but also as one of the foremost
+P32
pioneers and martyrs of the Faith and, on the other with a daughter+E13, whose
unfailing support to me as my helpmate, in the darkest days of my life, has
earned her the title already conferred on her father--Sutherland Maxwell
has left a legacy, and achieved a position excelled by only a few among the
supporters of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh throughout the eleven decades of
its existence.
Inspired by the example and the accomplishments of those of its members
who have distinguished themselves in the Holy Land, on the European
continent and in both the northern and southern continents of the Western
Hemisphere this community must forge on, with thanksgiving and redoubled
zeal, on the road leading it to a still more glorious destiny in the
years immediately ahead. That it may press forward, conquer still greater
heights, plumb greater depths of consecration, spread wider and wider the
fame of the Cause of God is the cherished desire of my heart and the object
of my constant supplication.
SHOGHI.
-----------------
Haifa, Israel,
September 19, 1952.
To the Bahá'í's who were gathered at the Ontario Summer School Conference.
The beloved Guardian has received your loving letter of August 9th, and
has instructed me to write you on his behalf.
He was most happy to learn that it was possible for so large a number
of the friends to attend, and that such a spirit of love and unity was present
amongst them; also that a number of the attracted friends have been so
touched by the spirit of the Conference, that they have declared their
intention of enlisting their services in the Pathway of Bahá'u'lláh.
The Guardian was made happy also to learn that several of the believers
have responded to the call for pioneers. A great bounty and a great
responsibility will be given the Canadian believers within the coming few
months, with the launching of the Ten Year Plan, and a firm foundation in the
teaching field must be laid now, so that the friends will be fully equipped to
shoulder their tasks, both at home and abroad, during the coming World
Crusade.
The Guardian will pray for each one of you.
With loving Bahá'í greetings,
R. RABBANI.
+P33
May the Almighty guide your steps, remove all obstacles from your
path, and enable you to win great and memorable victories in the service of
His glorious Faith.
Your true brother,
SHOGHI.
+P34
+P35
CANADA'S PART IN THE TEN YEAR
WORLD SPIRITUAL CRUSADE. 1953-57
+P36
+P37
CANADA'S PART IN THE TEN YEAR
WORLD SPIRITUAL CRUSADE. 1953-57
To the Sixth Canadian National Convention.
(Cablegrams) April 22, 1953.
Profoundly impressed magnificent victories. Love. SHOGHI.
--------------------
ANNOUNCEMENT OF GOALS OF TEN YEAR CRUSADE
Overjoyed grateful triumphant conclusion Five Year Plan most momentous
enterprise launched Canadian Bahá'í history initiated morrow emergence
independent existence Canadian Bahá'í Community culminating
centenary birth Bahá'u'lláh's Mission constituting prelude mightier
undertaking designed consolidate magnificent victories achieved homefront
inaugurate community's historic mission beyond confines Dominion. Ten
Year Plan its valiant members now embarking upon enabling them push
outposts faith northernmost territories Western Hemisphere associating
them members seven other sister communities raising aloft banner Faith
Pacific Islands involves:
FIRST opening following virgin territories eleven North America:
Anticosti Island, Baranof Island, Cape Breton Island, Franklin, Grand Manan
Island, Keewatin, Labrador, Magdalen Islands, Miquelon Island and St.
Pierre Island, Queen Charlotte Islands, Yukon; Two Asias--Marquesas
Islands, Samoa Islands.
SECOND consolidation Faith Iceland, Greenland, Mackenzie, Newfoundland.
THIRD purchase land Toronto anticipation construction first
Mashriqu'l-Adhkár Canada.
FOURTH establishment national Bahá'í endowments.
FIFTH doubling number Local Spiritual Assemblies.
SIXTH raising number incorporated Assemblies nineteen.
SEVENTH formation Israel Branch Canadian National Spiritual Assembly.
+P38
EIGHTH establishment American Asian teaching committees entrusted
task stimulate coordinate teaching activities initiated Plan. Appeal members
entire community worthy allies chief executors `Abdu'l-Bahá's Divine Plan
dedicate themselves immediate requirements steadily unfolding mission
discharge nobly sacred strenuous tasks ahead contribute memorable share
prosecution decade long World Spiritual Crusade pay befitting tribute
through future accomplishments memory Founder Faith occasion most
great Jubilee commemorating centenary declaration His Mission city
Baghdád.
SHOGHI.
--------------------
May 1, 1953.
Deeply touched message fervently supplicating signal victories loving
remembrance shrines.
SHOGHI.
--------------------
Haifa, Israel,
June 20, 1953.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
Your letters ... have been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has
instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He regrets very much the delay in answering your letters. Unfortunately
he has had to delay in replying to all national bodies during the last
year, because of the pressure of work here, which has steadily increased
during this Holy Year.
ACQUISITION OF NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS AND SHRINE
The purchase of your national headquarters, he feels, was an important
milestone in the history of the Faith in Canada, and he hopes that it will be
put to good use, during the coming years, by your Assembly. To this
institution you will soon be adding the Maxwell Home+E18 in Montreal, which
should be viewed in the nature of a national shrine, because of its association
with the beloved Master, during His visit to Montreal. He sees no objection
to having one room in the house being used as a little museum associated
with Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell.
He was most happy to hear that all of your goals were achieved. This
augurs well for the future of your activities, especially during the Ten Year
+P39
Plan just launched. He wishes through your body to thank all the pioneers,
teachers and Bahá'ís who helped achieve this great victory. They have every
reason to feel proud of themselves, and grateful to Bahá'u'lláh. Undoubtedly
His divine assistance, combined with their determination and faith, enabled
them to fulfill their objectives.
He was very happy to know that Charlottetown not only achieved
Assembly status, but that the believers there are mostly self-supporting, as
this is a sound basis for the expansion of the work in any place, especially in
such a difficult one.
The Bahá'í Exhibit held at the Canadian National Exhibition was an
excellent means of obtaining publicity. He hopes that advantage will be
taken of similar opportunities in the future.
He urges your assembly to press for recognition of the Bahá'í marriage
in Ontario, and, gradually, where the Cause is strong enough, in other
Provinces.
Regarding the question you asked him about one of the believers who
seems to be flagrantly a homosexual--although to a certain extent we must
be forbearing in the matter of people's moral conduct because of the
terrible deterioration in society in general, this does not mean that we can
put up indefinitely with conduct which is disgracing the Cause. This person
should have it brought to his attention that such acts are condemned by
Bahá'u'lláh, and that he must mend his ways, if necessary consult doctors,
and make efforts to overcome this affliction, which is corruptive for him and
bad for the Cause. If after a period of probation you do not see an
improvement, he should have his voting rights taken away. The Guardian does
not think, however, that a Bahá'í body should take it upon itself to denounce
him to the Authorities unless his conduct borders on insanity.
The Guardian attaches the greatest importance, during this opening
year of the Ten Year Campaign, to settling the virgin areas with pioneers.
He has informed, or is informing, the other National Assemblies that there
is no reason why believers from one country should not fill the goals in
other countries. In other words, Canada should receive foreign pioneers for
her goals, who would operate under her jurisdiction; likewise, Canadians
could go forth and pioneer in other countries' goal territories if the way
opened for them to do so. Naturally, they must feel their first responsibility
should be toward the Canadian part of the Plan, as they are Canadians, but
sometimes health, business openings or family connections might take
people into other goal countries.
+P40
He realizes that the objectives in the far north are perhaps the hardest.
On the other hand, the harder the task, the more glorious the victory.
You may be sure that he is praying for your success, and, what is more,
he is confident that this young, virile Canadian Community can and will
succeed in carrying out its share of the World Spiritual Crusade, so vast and
challenging, upon which we are now launched.
With warmest Bahá'í love,
R. RABBANI.
INITIAL STAGE OF GLORIOUS MISSION
Dear and Valued Co-workers:
The brilliant success achieved by the Canadian Bahá'í Community,
marking the triumphant conclusion of the Plan formulated on the morrow of
the emergence of the community as an independent member of the International
Bahá'í Family, is to be regarded as a milestone of far-reaching
importance in the evolution of the Faith not only in the Dominion of Canada
but throughout the entire Western Hemisphere. The vitality displayed so
strikingly by this youthful community, the exemplary fidelity demonstrated
by its members to the spiritual as well as administrative principles of the
Faith in the conduct of their manifold activities; the splendid cooperation
with their national and local elected representatives which they have
invariably shown, at every stage in the development of the Plan; the sacrifices
they have repeatedly made; the vigilance and care which they have
exercised while discharging their sacred and weighty responsibilities; the
soundness of judgement, the enthusiasm and perseverance that have distinguished
them in the pursuance of their tasks--all these have, in recent
years, contributed, in no small measure, to the raising of the prestige of this
community in the eyes of its sister communities in both the East and West,
and in evoking feelings of profound admiration in the hearts of the followers
of the Faith in every continent of the globe.
I myself am deeply touched, and feel a profound gratitude for the superb
contribution made by this community, still in the early years of its
development, to the world-wide progress of the Faith achieved since the
inception of the successive Plans undertaken by various National Assemblies for
the systematic propagation of the Faith throughout the world.
The great strides which this virile and highly promising community
has made in so short a period, over so vast a continent, despite such
formidable
+P41
obstacles, and in the service of so glorious a Cause, fill my heart with
confidence that the tasks it has now assumed, on the morrow of the successful
termination of the first collective enterprise undertaken in Canadian
Bahá'í history, will be consummated in a manner that will redound to the
glory of the Faith to which its members are so wholly dedicated.
The Ten Year Plan which your Assembly has now launched, in its
capacity as the elected representatives of the Canadian Bahá'í Community--
the recognized allies of the chief executors of `Abdu'l-Bahá's Divine Plan--
and which constitutes so important a phase of the global Spiritual Crusade
on which the followers of the Faith have embarked, marks the inauguration
of the initial stage in the unfoldment of the glorious Mission of this
community, a Mission which will enable it to implant, in collaboration with its
sister community in the Great Republic of the West, and with the support
of the Latin American Bahá'í communities associated in the execution of the
Divine Plan, the standard of the Faith in all continents of the Globe.
TWO PARAMOUNT OBJECTIVES
Of all the objectives of this momentous Ten Year Plan, with which the
immediate destinies of this firmly-grounded, fully consecrated, high-minded,
spiritually quickened community are so closely linked, the purchase of the
site of the Mother Temple of the Dominion of Canada and the settlement of
pioneers in the thirteen virgin territories and islands, eleven of which are
situated in North America and two in the South Pacific Ocean, may be regarded
as the most important.
Prompt and effective measures must, no matter how great the sacrifice
involved, be taken to ensure that, ere the termination of the first two years
of the Plan, these two paramount objectives, which constitute the opening
phase of the Plan, will have been fully attained. The entire community must
arise, as it has never risen before, to meet the challenge of the present
hour. The time fixed for the achievement of the initial victories of the Plan
is admittedly brief. The prizes to be won in distant fields, under the most
trying circumstances, by the members of a community so youthful, so
circumscribed in number and resources, are so precious that none of them can as
yet even dimly imagine their transcendent glory. On the homefront, as well as
in the far-off islands of the Pacific Ocean, in both the teaching and
administrative fields, the Canadian Bahá'í Community must labour incessantly
in anticipation of the fulfilment of the inspiring prophecies made by the
Centre of the Covenant Who, repeatedly and in unmistakable language, promised
to
+P42
this community a glorious future, and predicted both the material and
spiritual advancement of the nation of which it forms a part.
FUTURE ROLE CONTINGENT ON ACHIEVEMENTS IN THIS PLAN
On the success of this initial stage in the unfoldment of its Mission in
foreign fields--a stage which will witness the departure of the Canadian
pioneers from their homeland, in the northern regions of the Western
Hemisphere, to the South Sea Islands--must depend the degree to which
they will be active in days to come in other continents of the globe and their
neighbouring islands. As the chosen allies of the chief executors of the
Master's Divine Plan, they shoulder a responsibility which is at once
staggering, sacred and inescapable. The greater their exertions, the more
abundant will be the outpouring of celestial grace vouchsafed to them by the
Author of the Plan Himself, Who in His immortal Tablets has more than once
assured of His unfailing aid all who arise to serve His Father's Cause.
Now is the hour to demonstrate to the entire Bahá'í World those
qualities which the heroes of God, unfurling in the Western Hemisphere the
banners of a world Crusade destined to be carried over the entire surface of
the globe, must possess in order to accomplish their exalted Mission. The
Canadian Bahá'í Community must stand in the vanguard of this conquering army
of Bahá'u'lláh. They must prove themselves increasingly worthy of their high
calling as this momentous Crusade steadily unfolds. They must put their
entire trust in Him Who guides its destinies from His Station on high. They
must dedicate themselves heart and soul to the fulfilment of all its objectives
without delay, without any exception.
That they may acquit themselves of their task, as befits their high
station in this great spiritual adventure, that they may enrich their
heritage, and noise abroad the fame of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh through a
whole-hearted and valiant participation in this world-girdling Spiritual
Crusade, is the object of my constant prayer and one of my most cherished
hopes.
SHOGHI.
--------------------
Haifa, Israel,
May 6, 1954.
The beloved Guardian has been very happy indeed over the results of the
teaching work in the virgin areas, in the first year of the Ten Year Crusade.
He is very hopeful that all of the virgin areas outside of the Iron Curtain
+P43
countries will soon be settled. He urges that your Assemblies keep after this
very important matter, so that the settlements can be accomplished at the
earliest possible date.
NO PIONEER SHOULD LEAVE HIS POST
The Guardian feels that you should write to all of the pioneers, informing
them that he attaches the utmost importance to the services which they are
rendering; in fact, he feels there is no service in the entire Bahá'í World
as important as their pioneering work in the virgin areas. They have achieved
a great station of service. They are the representatives of the Faith in these
virgin areas. They have the inestimable privilege of bringing the light of
Bahá'u'lláh to those hitherto deprived of Divine Guidance for this day. The
Guardian has repeatedly pointed out that they can and should become the
spiritual conquerors of these new lands.
No pioneer should leave his post unless there is some very urgent reason
and then only after consultation with the appropriate committee or National
Assembly. If it is found someone must leave their post because of very urgent
matters, then the National Assembly should arrange to replace the pioneer
before the pioneer leaves. The Guardian urges that you pay the very closest
attention possible to this important matter, so that the development of the
Faith in these virgin areas may move along in an orderly manner, and produce
great results.
As the Guardian cabled the entire Bahá'í World at the time of the
Conventions, he hopes that the dynamic spirit which was generated during the
first year of the Plan will be augmented during the second year of the Plan,
and all the Bahá'ís arise everywhere with renewed effort in order to spread
the Glad-Tidings. This year must mark a very substantial increase in the
number of Bahá'ís throughout the world--on the home fronts, in the
consolidation areas, and in the virgin areas. Particular attention should be
paid to the home fronts and the consolidation areas. As the Guardian
indicates, he is expecting "an upsurge of activity which, in its range and
intensity, will excel the exploits which have so greatly enlarged the limits,
and noised abroad the fame, of the Cause of God."
CENTRE ATTENTION ON OBLIGATIONS OF CRUSADE
The Guardian urges that all the Bahá'ís centre their complete attention
on the obligations of the Ten Year Crusade. He feels that no new activities
should be undertaken of any type, whether of a local or a national nature.
+P44
The friends must concentrate on the goals of the Ten Year Crusade, which
are principally national and universal. For instance, no local Haziras
should be considered during the Ten Year Crusade, no projects on a national
scale should be considered which do not definitely relate themselves to the
prosecution of the Ten Year Crusade. Funds should not be used for any purpose
except the objects of the Ten Year Crusade.
We are embarked upon the greatest spiritual drama the world has ever
witnessed; and it is going to require the sacrifice of every individual, every
community and every Assembly, whether local or national, in order to reach
the goals. The Guardian feels they can be reached if we will concentrate,
and not allow our attention to be diverted for a moment for any purpose
whatsoever.
The Guardian sends you his loving greetings.
Faithfully yours,
LEROY IOAS,
Assistant Secretary.
--------------------
Haifa, Israel,
June 15, 1954.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
The letters of your Assembly ... with enclosures, have all been safely
received, and the beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his
behalf.
Although a number of the matters raised in your various letters have
been attended to by cable, he is sorry that he has not been able to answer the
letters of your Assembly sooner. It is becoming increasingly difficult for him
to get around to National Assembly letters at all.
During the past year, the Canadian Bahá'í Community has gone through
a great many experiences of both a sad nature and a pleasant one.
HAND OF THE CAUSE SIEGFRIED SCHOPFLOCHER
The loss of the dear Hand of the Cause, Freddie Schopflocher+E16, is going
to be much felt. He was so intensely loyal, so vigilant in watching over the
interests of the Faith, so steadfast and tenacious in serving it, that he will
be much missed in the national work. For over thirty years, he promoted, not
+P45
only the interests of the Faith, but those of the Canadian Bahá'í Community,
and rendered on a national and an international scale, through contributions
and many teaching trips, valuable services to the Cause of God.
The Guardian was very happy that dear Fred could be buried so close to
Sutherland Maxwell+E5. Montreal has indeed been blessed in more ways than
one; and, as the Mother Community of Canada, should become increasingly
active and united, and live up to the high expectations the Master cherished
for her future, and prove herself worthy of the many blessings she has already
received.
Another thing which your community has had to pass through this
year--both a blessing and a calamity--is the departure of so many active
members+E19 of your National Body for the pioneer fields abroad. It should be
a source of great pride that one-third of the membership of your Body set
sail for such distant goals, and will render services during the Ten Year
Crusade, of such a nature, he feels sure, as to bestow honour upon the entire
Canadian Community.
He likewise feels that you have every reason to be satisfied over the
progress which has been made during the first year of the Plan in settling the
goals entrusted to your care. It is very unfortunate that Anticosti should
prove such a hard nut to crack. He appreciates very much the determined
efforts which your Body, and particularly Mr. Rakovsky+E20, made to get a
pioneer into it before last Ridván. No doubt eventually your efforts will
be crowned with success; but you will have to be very tactful and careful in
order not to arouse a permanently resistant attitude on the part of the Company
that owns the Island.
JURISDICTION OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
In regard to the question you asked about jurisdiction, the area of
jurisdiction is related to the National Spiritual Assembly responsible for the
teaching work in the goal country in question, and has nothing to do with
what nation the territory belongs to. All Canadian goals are therefore under
the jurisdiction of your National Body, and their pioneers must report to
you, and people, whose declarations are accepted, should be registered by
your National Body, or the Committee in charge of the work, as the case
may be.
Regarding the question as to whether your Assembly need do anything
about its Israel Branch here; this is a matter which concerns entirely local
procedures. Your Canadian Branch has now been legally established, and is
+P46
entitled to hold property in this country; and he is planning at an early date
to register a piece of land in its name. He will send you the title deed as
soon as all formalities have been carried out.
CRITERIA FOR TEMPLE SITE
As he has already informed you by cable, he feels that the land which you
proposed as a Temple and National Haziratu'l-Quds site was altogether too
large, too expensive, and above all, too far from the city limits. He has
given instructions to a number of other National Bodies who were pursuing their
investigations in a direction much the same as your own. He realizes that it
is difficult, and much more expensive, to find a plot close to the heart of the
city. On the other hand, he feels that even a small plot, near to town, is
much more reasonable from every standpoint than a large plot way out in the
country. The friends must remember that they have to be able to get out to
their National Centre and their National Temple and use them; and, as
Bahá'ís are all busy, hardworking people for the most part, the time
involved must inevitably influence their attendance at Bahá'í meetings in the
Hazíratu'l-Quds, and later, Bahá'í services in the Temple.
If the filling of the goals and the purchase of the Temple site can be
accomplished before the lapse of two years from the inception of the Plan, he
feels you will have carried out his instructions to the letter, and he will
indeed be very happy.
He thinks that it is very befitting that your Body, as representatives of
the Canadian Bahá'ís, should be responsible for the erection of a tombstone
over dear Fred Schopflocher's grave.
As you no doubt are aware, he cherishes the very brightest hopes for the
future of the Canadian Bahá'ís. They are a fortunate people, possessing
many of the virtues and few of the faults of both the new and old worlds. He
remembers them in his prayers in the holy Shrines, and prays that they may
speedily advance in the service of the Cause, and accomplish the tasks outlined
in the Ten Year Plan as their particular portion of the work.
CONSOLIDATION OF THE HOMEFRONT
He would like to call your attention, and indeed the attention of all the
friends, to the fact that it is time for the Bahá'ís everywhere, including
Canada, to devote themselves to the consolidation work. The goals on the
homefront are going to be, in some ways, even harder to achieve than those
abroad. They will require an increase of membership in the community,
+P47
which means patient and devoted teaching, the multiplication of both
Assemblies and groups, the incorporation of many Spiritual Assemblies, etc.
They now have nine years in which to do it, but the sooner they get some of
the work finished and behind them, the better! We can never tell what the
situation may be at a later date, and whether we will not have to carry on our
labours under much more difficult circumstances than those prevailing
at present.
With warmest Bahá'í love,
R. RABBANI.
P.S.--Regarding the contribution which Mrs. Nan Greenwood wishes
to make to the Faith, the Guardian is deeply touched by the spirit which has
motivated her; and he feels that she could spend it in no better way than to
give it to the British National Spiritual Assembly for their National
Hazíratu'l-Quds. They are much in need of money, and it would be of real
help in purchasing this important and historic institution.
Please assure her of his admiration for her services, and his loving
prayers.
I notice that I have neglected to answer your question concerning ...
consent to her daughter's marriage: this must be given in order to be a
Bahá'í Marriage. Bahá'u'lláh requires this and makes no provision about a
parent changing his or her mind. So they are free to do so. Once the written
consent is given and the marriage takes place, the parents have no right to
interfere any more.
P.P.S.--The Guardian was very pleased about the publications in
Ukrainian and will place copies in the Mansion Library. Please thank the
dear believer+E21 responsible for this work on behalf of the Guardian.
THE TEN YEAR CRUSADE: RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT
Dear and Valued Co-workers:
The Canadian Bahá'í Community, having recently entered the second
phase of the World Spiritual Crusade so auspiciously launched by the followers
of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, on the morrow of the hundredth anniversary
of the birth of His prophetic Mission, may well pride itself on the quality as
well as the number of achievements which, in both the teaching and
administrative spheres of Bahá'í activity, have distinguished its stewardship
to His Cause ever since its emergence as an independent national entity in the
world-encompassing Bahá'í Brotherhood. Its mission in foreign lands has
+P48
been befittingly inaugurated in the course of the opening phase of this
world-girdling Crusade. The expansion and consolidation of its activities on
the homefront have kept pace with the progress of the work initiated by its
pioneers beyond the borders of its homeland in both the Western Hemisphere
and the Pacific Islands. It has, moreover, launched upon its twofold
historic enterprise aiming at the acquisition of its new national
administrative Headquarters and the purchase of the site of its future Temple.
It has, in addition, been enriched through the donation and legal transfer of a
House+E18 uniquely associated with `Abdu'l-Bahá's historic visit to the
Dominion of Canada, and destined to be regarded as the foremost Bahá'í shrine
throughout that Dominion.
The years immediately ahead must witness an intensification of effort,
on the part of all of its members, as well as its elected national
representatives, which will at once safeguard the prizes won in distant fields,
and lend a notable impetus to the consolidation of its administrative
institutions within its borders.
The selection of the site for the national Haziratu'l-Quds and for
the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár in Canada must be made with the utmost care
and promptitude. Measures must, without delay, be taken for the construction
of the administrative Headquarters of its National Assembly. The process of
multiplication of isolated centres, groups and Assemblies must gather
momentum in the course of the current year. The incorporation of firmly
established Local Spiritual Assemblies must simultaneously be accelerated in
order to strengthen the structure of these newly established institutions, and
pave the way for the establishment of local Bahá'í endowments. The one
remaining virgin territory assigned to it must be speedily opened, and every
precaution taken to ensure its preservation in the future. Particular
attention should be directed to Iceland and Greenland, as the two foremost
objectives of this community in connection with the work of consolidation
assigned to its members. The meritorious effort exerted so devotedly and
patiently by its national elected representatives for the purpose of obtaining
official recognition by the Civil Authorities for the Bahá'í Marriage
Certificate should be pursued with the utmost diligence, vigilance and caution.
NEWLY-ESTABLISHED ISRAEL BRANCH OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
While the members of this valiant, this highly gifted, forward marching
and deeply consecrated community, and particularly its alert and zealous
national representatives, labour to attain these immediate goals, that
+P49
constitute the distinguishing features and the prime objectives of this newly
opened phase of the Crusade, the measures initiated recently in the Holy
Land to transfer eventually part of the international Bahá'í endowments on
Mt. Carmel to the name of the newly-established Branch of the Canadian
National Spiritual Assembly will be steadily and energetically pursued, as
a mark of abiding appreciation of the magnificence and exemplary achievements
of this community in recent years in the service of the Cause of
Bahá'u'lláh.
A community, whose founder+E1 has conferred upon it such splendid
benefits and whose dust now lies on the far-off shores of the South American
continent; which has been exalted by reason of the eminent services which
two other members+E5,+E13 of her family have rendered, in the Holy Land, to the
World Bahá'í Community; which can, moreover boast of the enduring and
historic achievements of yet another Hand of the Cause+E16--the third nominated
from the ranks of its members; and which, in the course of the past year,
has set a further example of steadfastness and devotion through the action of
outstanding members+E19 of its National Assembly who have forsaken their
homes to settle in the African continent--such a community can well assert
its capacity and determination to consummate, within the allotted time, the
laborious and mighty task it has risen to shoulder.
The rapidity of its expansion, its sound development, the steadiness, the
single-mindedness, the tenacity, the enthusiasm, the unity and staunchness
of its members, augur well for the remarkable material and spiritual progress
which the nation to which it belongs must achieve in the years to come, in
accordance with the explicit promise enshrined in the Tablets of the Divine
Plan by the Centre of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant.
May this community march forward on its destined path with renewed
vigour, with undimmed vision, with complete unity, with utter consecration,
and be enabled to play an important part in the execution of the great tasks
ahead, and worthily contribute to the prodigious efforts now being collectively
exerted by the followers of the Most Great Name, in every continent of
the globe, for the world-wide establishment and ultimate triumph of a
long-persecuted, divinely impelled, world-redeeming Faith.
Your true brother,
SHOGHI.
+P50
Haifa, Israel,
September 5, 1954.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
Your loving letter of August 3rd came duly to hand, and the questions
which you have raised were presented to our beloved Guardian.
VIRGIN TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATIVELY SEPARATE
About a year ago, there was some correspondence with your Assembly
with regard to the Bahá'ís who are in the virgin territories of the Ten Year
Crusade, etc.
The Guardian renews the advice given at that time, that all pioneers in
virgin areas, or new Bahá'ís who are confirmed in those virgin areas, are
not part of the National Bahá'í Community, and cannot vote in elections.
The virgin areas are separate, administratively, and under the
jurisdiction of the National Spiritual Assembly responsible for their
development. The same ruling applies to any Assemblies which might develop in
these virgin areas. They do not become part of the National Bahá'í Community.
The Guardian was distressed to learn of the problems which arose
concerning the election of the Spiritual Assembly of .... However, the ruling
is quite definite, that an Assembly must be elected on the first day of
Ridván, April 21st. Regretful as it is, ... must now be considered a
Group, until the elections which take place April 21st, 1955.
The beloved Guardian assures you all of his prayers in your behalf. He
sends you his loving greetings.
Faithfully yours,
LEROY IOAS,
Assistant Secretary.
--------------------
Haifa, Israel,
December 4, 1954.
LAND TITLE TRANSFERRED TO ISRAEL BRANCH
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
The beloved Guardian has directed me to write you in connection with
a recent communication you submitted to him, in which you stated that
you were pleased to note that the Israel Branch of the National Spiritual
Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada was to be established, and land on Mount
Carmel registered in your name.
+P51
In the Guardian's Ridván Message of April, 1954, you will note he has
advised that the Israel Branch of the Bahá'ís of Canada was formed. The
actual date of the formation was November 20, 1953.
The land of Mount Carmel, which the Guardian had instructed be
registered in the name of the Israel Branch of the Canadian Assembly was
transferred to the title of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís
of Canada, Israel Branch, on October 1, 1954.
I am attaching hereto, for preservation in your files, the title deed
covering this particular piece of land, which is Parcel No. 304, Block 10811,
Mount Carmel, Haifa.
With loving Bahá'í greetings, I am
Faithfully yours,
LEROY IOAS,
Assistant Secretary.
--------------------
Haifa, Israel,
March 3, 1955.
DEPRIVATION OF VOTING RIGHTS
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
Our beloved Guardian has instructed me to write you on his behalf and
bring to your attention a certain matter.
He has heard from a number of sources that some of the Canadian believers
have been deprived of their voting rights; and he feels that all National
Spiritual Assemblies should bear in mind that this is the heaviest sanction we
possess at present in the Faith, short of excommunication, which lies within
the powers of the Guardian alone; and is consequently a very weighty weapon
to wield.
He considers that under no circumstances should any Bahá'í ever be
suspended from the voting list and deprived of his administrative privileges
for a matter which is not of the utmost gravity. By that he means breaking of
laws, such as the consent of parents to marriage etc., or acts of such an
immoral character as to damage the good name of the Faith.
He has informed, some years ago, the American National Spiritual Assembly
that, before anyone is deprived of their voting rights, they should be
consulted with and lovingly admonished at first, given repeated warnings if
they do not mend their immoral ways, or whatever other extremely serious
+P52
misdemeanor they are committing, and finally, after these repeated warnings,
be deprived of their voting rights.
He feels that a great many problems within the communities would be
solved if the believers would more constructively devote their attention to
the teaching work and carrying out the provisions of the Ten Year Plan as
they affect Canada. The leadership of your Assembly in these matters will
no doubt be of great help and inspiration to the friends; and he on his part
will reinforce you with his prayers.
With warm Bahá'í love,
R. RABBANI.
Haifa, Israel,
July 16, 1955.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
Your letters ... have been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has
instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He considers the revised criteria you sent him for the Temple and
Hazíratu'l-Quds land, as outlined in your letter of December 15,
satisfactory.
DIFFICULTIES IN PURCHASE OF TEMPLE SITE
He is extremely anxious to have these properties purchased, either
together in one place, or if this is not feasible, then in two separate places,
as he has already informed you. Eight of the eleven Temple sites have been
purchased, and many of them in very difficult places; and he feels very
strongly that it is a great pity that Canada should be behind-hand in this
matter, in view of the fact that she is one of the oldest Bahá'í Communities
in the western world. No doubt the problem is more difficult for you to
solve, owing to special conditions in Toronto and vicinity; but we know that
all problems are solvable for the Bahá'ís, with the power of God to help them;
and he is eagerly awaiting news of your success.
As regards your question about the nature of the endowment, which is
one of the objectives of your part of the Ten Year Crusade: although the
Maxwell house+E18 in Montreal is really a national endowment he feels in
conformity to the policy being pursued in other countries, Canada should
acquire one also at this time. This may be a small piece of land purchased for
Two Thousand Dollars or even less, or for that matter, given to the National
+P53
Assembly as a gift. The important point is that Canada should have its own
National Endowment, as distinguished from the school property.
The Guardian does not feel that it is possible or right to change
Anticosti and to substitute another goal in its place. He fully realizes the
difficulties involved; but feels convinced that sooner or later, through
perseverance and prayer, a way will open and a believer will be able to get
into the Island on a more-or-less permanent basis.
As regards the money you have received on account of the estate of
dear Fred Schopflocher+E16: this your Body is free to use for the purposes of
the Faith, at its discretion.
He hopes that the National Assembly, through its love, wisdom, patience
and leadership, will carry the members of the Canadian Community forward
during the coming year on the difficult road leading to the achievement of
their goals. The spirit of enthusiasm and consecration which animates the
Canadian Bahá'ís will, he feels sure, bring forth a warm and generous
response to all the plans made by your Assembly for obtaining your objectives.
He assures you, and through you all the members of the Canadian Community
that the work in Canada is very dear to his heart, and that he will
remember you all in his loving prayers in the holy Shrines.
With warm Bahá'í love,
R. RABBANI.
P.S.--He is very happy to see you are expediting building Mr. Schopflocher's
grave. The details he leaves to the discretion of your Assembly, as
he is too busy to go into such matters. The most suitable passages should be
chosen from his cable regarding Freddie at the time of his death, and engraved
on the tombstone of this distinguished Hand of the Cause.
As regards building the grave of Mr. Maxwell+E5, this has already been
taken care of by his family. However, he thanks you for the loving offer.
He approves of your taking steps right away to erect a worthy monument
on the grave of dear and heroic Marion Jack+E12.
Dear and Valued Co-workers:
The steady progress of the manifold activities in which the Canadian
Bahá'í Community is now so devotedly and unflaggingly engaged is a source
of great joy and satisfaction to all who have, in recent years, observed its
+P54
growth and noted its consolidation throughout that vast and promising
Dominion.
Though some of its most capable and active members have, urged by a
compelling force to forsake their homes and settle in distant fields, ceased to
lend to the members of this brave and greatly consecrated community their
valued support, and though a few others to be reckoned among its oldest and
most distinguished supporters have passed to the Abhá Kingdom, leaving a
gap difficult indeed to fill, yet the body of the Canadian believers, far from
flinching or relaxing in its noble endeavours, has amply demonstrated its
capacity to assume and discharge its heavy and multiple responsibilities, has
steadily enlarged the scope of its achievements, has preserved its unity, and
coherence, and set an inspiring example to Bahá'í communities, both young
and old, throughout all the continents of the globe.
The superb feats achieved by this community's indomitable pioneers far
beyond the Arctic circle, in neighbouring islands of both the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans, as well as in far off isolated territories; the incorporation
of the elected body of its national representatives; the notable increase in
the number of its members; its response to the urgent needs of the National
Fund, and the rapid enlargement in the scope of its teaching and administrative
activities, are all evidences of the intense vitality of the faith which
animates it, and of the firm attachment of its members to the Cause which it
has espoused.
TASKS STILL UNACCOMPLISHED
Though much has been achieved in various fields, the work that still
remains unaccomplished is so vital and urgent that none of its members can
afford to relax for a moment, or to lose sight of the significance and
sacredness of the immediate tasks now confronting it.
The virgin areas, so laboriously opened, must, under no circumstances,
be neglected; nay rather constant attention must be focused upon them in
order to consolidate the glorious historic work initiated in those areas. The
Island of Anticosti, the one remaining goal as yet unattained, and the only
island in the Atlantic Ocean as yet unopened in pursuance of the Ten Year
Plan, should continue to be the object of the special solicitude of the
national elected representatives of this community. The purchase of the site
of the Mother Temple of the Dominion of Canada and the establishment of the
+P55
national Haziratu'l-Quds constitute a double task that can brook no
further delay, as the entire Bahá'í World, having hailed the erection of such
an indispensable institution in no less than eighteen countries scattered
throughout the continents and oceans of the Globe, is now intently fixing its
eye on this community, so richly blessed by `Abdu'l-Bahá, eager to witness
this twofold consummation destined to considerably enrich the record of the
services rendered by its members. The acceleration in the process of
incorporating firmly established Local Assemblies is yet another objective to
which the closest attention must be paid--a task which will, to a very great
extent, contribute, from a legal standpoint, to the consolidation of these
Assemblies. No less important and vital is the multiplication of isolated
centres and groups, the rapid increase in the number of Local Assemblies, and
the steady numerical growth of the community--the one enduring foundation on
which the security and future prosperity of the community must ultimately rest.
ÍRÁNIAN PERSECUTIONS MUST ACT AS STIMULUS
The sudden and indeed tragic turn of events in the land of the birth of
our Faith+E22 must act as an unprecedented and powerful stimulus to the spirit
which animates the members of the Canadian Bahá'í Community. It must
not, indeed it cannot for a moment, dampen their ardour, deflect them from
their purpose, or weaken their resolve to accomplish the tasks assigned to
them under the Ten Year Plan.
Conscious of their inescapable, their sacred and multiple
responsibilities; spurred on by the realization of the great and varied
sacrifices being made, and the vicissitudes experienced, by the great mass of
their long-suffering brethren in Bahá'u'lláh's native land; mindful of the
prophecies made by the Centre of the Covenant regarding the spiritual and
material destiny of their country; following the noble and immortal example
set by the founder+E1 of their community and by the two Hands of the Cause+E23
ranking among its foremost members; encouraged by their own splendid
achievements in recent years; thankful for the unrestricted freedom enabling
them to proclaim, unreservedly and far and wide, the fundamental verities of
their Faith; and fully aware of the shortness of the time allotted to them for
the performance of their arduous and mighty task, the members of the
Canadian Bahá'í Community must arise, at this very hour, and evince
such a whole-hearted dedication to the mission they have pledged themselves
to carry out as to astonish
+P56
the entire Bahá'í World, and bring everlasting consolation to the hearts of
the persecuted followers of the Faith in the land of its birth.
That this community may rise to this occasion, and may befittingly fulfil
this glorious mission, and enrich immeasurably the record of its splendid and
unforgettable achievements is the object of my constant prayer and the
dearest wish of my heart.
Your true brother,
SHOGHI.
--------------------
Haifa, Israel,
January 13, 1956.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
The beloved Guardian has instructed me to write you the following:
He was sorry to hear that the piece of plaster from the walls of the
Prison of Mah-ku had not been placed in the grave of Mr. Maxwell+E5; and he
would like the National Assembly, with the greatest of care, to see that
somehow or other in the foundation of the monument this piece of plaster is
carefully inserted and preserved; if necessary, the head-stone can be removed,
and it can be put under it, and the head-stone rebuilt in such a way as not to
damage the head-stone.
He has decided that, in view of the fact that Anticosti is so extremely
difficult to get into, the Canadian Assembly can choose some other goal as
substitute for Anticosti. In other words, a territory or an island in the
vicinity of Canada, which has never been opened to the Faith, may be opened in
the place of Anticosti, and thus the goals of the Ten Year Plan will not be
decreased. On the other hand, Anticosti should be maintained as an objective;
and every effort be made to get a Bahá'í in there.
At present, Mr. Allan Raynor+E24 of your Assembly is visiting here, and,
although unfortunately he has been laid up with a cold, it has been a great
pleasure to have a Canadian Assembly member here.
With warmest Bahá'í greetings,
R. RABBANI.
+P57
Haifa, Israel,
March 10, 1956.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
The beloved Guardian has been reviewing the progress of the teaching
work, particularly in the goal areas during the Ten Year Crusade.
Tremendous progress has been achieved. If the few remaining virgin
goals of the Ten Year Crusade could be promptly settled, and those which
were settled and again became virgin areas, could again be settled, it would
be a great victory at this time.
The virgin areas coming under the jurisdiction of the Canadian N.S.A.
are Anticosti and Marquesas Islands. Likewise he feels it important that
Greenland, Newfoundland, Mackenzie and the Yukon be reinforced.
It will be appreciated if you will let me know as promptly as possible
what can be done to establish the Faith solidly in these areas.
Faithfully yours,
LEROY IOAS.
--------------------
Haifa, Israel,
June 26, 1956.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
Your communications with their enclosures and material sent under
separate cover have all been safely received by the beloved Guardian; and
he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf...
PIONEER REACHES ANTICOSTI
The recent news that Anticosti had at last received a pioneer+E25 was
immensely welcome, and enabled the Guardian to take off his list one of the
few remaining virgin territories (aside from those under Soviet domination)
on the list of countries to be opened to the Faith under the Ten Year Plan.
The remarkable achievements of the friends during the last three years
in opening the virgin areas no doubt will be looked back upon by posterity
with astonishment and admiration; and the Canadian friends have certainly
played an active part in this process and forged ahead in carrying out their
own Plan.
+P58
He is particularly eager that Iceland should have a Bahá'í nucleus
formed, a country which has for many years had the blessing of knowing about
the Faith+E26, but never the blessing of resident local Bahá'ís. It deserves
particular attention at this time.
The achievement of the friends in the far northern territories is a source
of great pride to him; and his warm admiration surrounds the valiant pioneers
who, forgetful of self, have arisen to follow `Abdu'l-Bahá's expressed wishes.
Another achievement during the past year of the Canadian friends has
been the publication of literature in Ukrainian and in some of the Indian
languages. He feels sure that this will speed up their teaching work immensely
amongst both of these minorities; and he hopes that more of the Bahá'ís
will make a special effort to get jobs in the reservations or amongst Indian
people, so that they can carry to them the Message of Bahá'u'lláh.
He was glad to know that a number of Spiritual Assemblies have been
incorporated, and hopes that this process will also be accelerated during the
coming months, and that all of the Assemblies that seem to have a firm
foundation, however small the community may be, will take out their
incorporation papers.
GRAVE OF MARION JACK
He hopes that it has been possible to make the arrangements to have Miss Jack's+E12 grave built. This is a task which is indeed a precious trust for
your Assembly. When the friends realize that her grave will become in the
future a place of visitation, they will appreciate the bounty bestowed upon the
Canadian Community through being able to claim one of the most distinguished
of all pioneers as a member of their community.
It was a great pleasure to him to have Mr. Raynor+E24, a member of your
Assembly, as his guest here in the Holy Land, and he feels sure that this
contact has forged yet another link between the Canadian Bahá'ís and the
World Centre.
Regarding various matters raised in your letters: there is nothing in the
Teachings to prevent a Bahá'í from willing his body for medical research
after death. However, it should be made clear that the remains must be buried
eventually and not cremated, as this is according to Bahá'í law.
He was very sorry to hear of the prolonged inharmony in the ... Bahá'í
community.... Some of the ... believers, from letters and reports received
here, seem to lack a firm grounding on such matters as the Will and Testament
and the deeper spiritual teachings of the Faith. Whenever the grasp
+P59
of these fundamentals is weak, the friends are almost sure to pay undue
attention to secondary procedures, to quibble over details, to lose themselves
in personalities, and to founder in a sea of unnecessary inharmony. This has
nothing to do with their devotion, their loyalty, their zeal, their eagerness
to serve. It is merely a question of not having received, perhaps through lack
of sufficient teachers to carry on the all-important work of deepening the
friends in their own faith, a strong enough education in the Covenant before
the duties and responsibilities of the Administrative Order were thrust upon
them.
He has the greatest confidence in the abilities, and the loyalty and
devotion of the Canadian friends. They have proved themselves over and over
again, and distinguished their community through acts of great sacrifice,
vision, courage and devotion. He hopes that, during the coming year, your
Assembly will be able to send out more teachers, to assist the friends in
grasping the fundamentals of the Faith, in uniting them, and stimulating
their desire to do more in the teaching field. If the supply of teachers is
limited in Canada--and the area to be covered is certainly vast!--perhaps
your Sister Assembly in the United States can help through lending visiting
teachers.
He assures all the members of the National Assembly of his loving prayers
for the success of your indefatigable labours.
With warm Bahá'í love,
R. RABBANI.
P.S.--As regards the question about a person who is mentally ill attending
the Feasts, anybody who is well enough mentally to attend a Bahá'í Feast and
understand what it is all about is certainly well enough to be a voting
member. Only people who are very seriously deranged mentally and confined to
institutions or under constant supervision should be deprived of their voting
rights.
Bahá'í MARRIAGE LAW
Regarding your question of applying the sanction of suspension of voting
rights to people who marry without the consent of parents, this should be
done from now on. The law of the Aqdas is explicit and not open to any
ambiguity at all. As long as the parents are alive, the consent must be
obtained; it is not conditioned on their relationship to their children. If
the whereabouts of the parents is not known legally, in other words, if they
are
+P60
legally dead, then it is not necessary for the children to obtain their
consent, obviously. It is not a question of the child not knowing the present
whereabouts of its parents, it is a question of a legal thing--if the parents
are alive, they must be asked.
As regards the question of alcohol, the Guardian explained this to Mr.
Raynor+E24, and he feels that his understanding of it is quite correct. The
Assemblies must be wise and gentle in dealing with such cases, but at the same
time must not tolerate a prolonged and flagrant disregard of the Bahá'í
Teachings as regards alcohol.
Dear and Valued Co-workers:
The Canadian Bahá'í Community, whose members are so valiantly
participating in the furtherance of the World Spiritual Crusade, now claiming
the attention of the entire body of followers of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh in
all continents of the globe, has ever since the inception of this
world-embracing enterprise, proved itself capable of carrying its share of
responsibility in the accomplishment of this collective, colossal task, and has
rendered services that have enriched the annals of the Faith, not only in a
land so dear to the heart of `Abdu'l-Bahá, but in far-off islands and
territories which it is the mission of this community to illuminate and
conquer.
Ever since the emergence of this progressive, youthful and dynamic
community, as an independent entity, and particularly since the inception of
the Ten Year Plan, it has demonstrated, on several occasions, those qualities
which alone can provide the guarantee of success in carrying out, as a worthy
ally of her sister community in the great Republic of the West, the sacred and
historic mission assigned to it by the Author of the Tablets of the Divine
Plan. The staunchness of the faith of its members, their unyielding resolve,
their ceaseless efforts, their willingness to sacrifice, their exemplary
loyalty, their steadfast courage, have, time and again, been strikingly
displayed, and served to fortify the hopes which I have always cherished for
their future destiny.
VASTNESS OF NEW FIELD PRESENTS CONTRAST WITH PAST
The vastness of the field in which this firmly knit, irresistibly
advancing, steadily consolidating community now operates, stretching as it does
from the Atlantic to the Pacific seaboards, and touching, on the one hand, the
fringes of the Arctic Region, and extending, on the other, as far as the
islands of the South Pacific, contrasts with the extremely restricted area, in
which,
+P61
for so many years, and until recently, the administrative activities of this
community were confined. The diversity and multiplicity of the enterprises
in which it finds itself now engaged, the manner in which it is consolidating
its strength, enlarging its membership, safeguarding the unity of its members,
and noising abroad its fame, may be regarded as additional evidences of its
spiritual vigour, and of its rapid rise to maturity at so significant a period
in the evolution of the Faith throughout the Western Hemisphere.
At this crucial hour, when the Plan to which this highly promising
community stands committed is entering on the third phase in its unfoldment,
the responsibilities confronting its members are at once manifold, pressing
and inescapable. The situation on the homefront, so extensive and so varied
in character, calls for careful consideration and energetic action on the part
of your Assembly. The steady increase in the number of those enlisted under
the banner of the Faith must be paralleled by a multiplication of Assemblies,
groups and isolated centres. The incorporation of all firmly established
Assemblies must simultaneously be accelerated. The virgin areas now opened,
and particularly Anticosti, Greenland, Iceland and Franklin, as well as those
territories deprived recently of the benefits of a resident pioneer, must be
made the object of the special attention and solicitude of your Assembly, for
upon the preservation of these hard-won prizes must depend the ultimate
triumph of this community's collective and historic task, and the enhancement
of the prestige it has deservedly won in recent years throughout the
Bahá'í World.
Of equal importance is the strenuous yet highly meritorious obligation
to add, steadily and rapidly, to the number of the American Indian and
Eskimo adherents of the Faith, and to ensure their active participation in
both the teaching and administrative spheres of Bahá'í activity--a task so
clearly emphasized by the Pen of the Centre of the Covenant, and in the
consummation of which the Canadian Bahá'í Community is destined to play
so conspicuous a part.
DEEPENING OF NEWLY-ENROLLED BELIEVERS
Above all, the utmost endeavour should be exerted by your Assembly to
familiarize the newly enrolled believers with the fundamental and spiritual
verities of the Faith, and with the origins, the aims and purposes, as well as
the processes of a divinely appointed Administrative Order, to acquaint them
more fully with the history of the Faith, to instil in them a deeper
understanding
+P62
of the Covenants of both Bahá'u'lláh and of `Abdu'l-Bahá, to enrich
their spiritual life, to rouse them to a greater effort and a closer
participation in both the teaching of the Faith and the administration of its
activities, and to inspire them to make the necessary sacrifices for the
furtherance of its vital interests. For as the body of the avowed supporters
of the Faith is enlarged, and the basis of the structure of its Administrative
Order is broadened, and the fame of the rising community spreads far and wide,
a parallel progress must be achieved, if the fruits already garnered are to
endure, in the spiritual quickening of its members and the deepening of their
inner life.
The duties incumbent upon this community, and particularly its elected
national representatives, multiply with every passing day. Heavy is the
burden they carry. Rich and immense are the possibilities stretching before
them. Priceless are the rewards which a befitting discharge of their multiple
responsibilities must bring in its wake. Boundless are the favours and
bestowals which a loving and watchful Providence is ready to confer upon those
who will arise to meet the challenge of the present hour.
May the members of this community, as well as its elected representatives,
consecrate themselves anew to the mission which `Abdu'l-Bahá has
conferred upon them, and immortalize their stewardship to the Faith of His
Father through acts which future generations will unanimously acclaim and
for which they will feel eternally grateful.
SHOGHI.
--------------------
December 14, 1956.
TEACHING FRENCH CANADIAN CATHOLICS
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
The beloved Guardian has directed me to write you, that he feels it is
time for the Canadian Bahá'ís, in their teaching work, to concentrate, to
the extent possible, on bringing Catholics into the Faith.
There are the vast number of French Canadians who are of Catholic
persuasion. They would make fine Bahá'ís, and if representative members
could be brought into the Faith, it will add prestige to the Faith, and help
solidify its institutions.
Thus, to the extent possible, the friends should do what they can to
+P63
attract Catholics and then confirm them in the Faith.
He sends the members of the National Assembly his loving
greetings.
Faithfully yours,
LEROY IOAS.
--------------------
Haifa, Israel,
December 22, 1956.
DEAL WITH EACH CASE INDIVIDUALLY
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
I have been instructed on behalf of our beloved Guardian to answer the
questions raised in your recent letter.
There are two things which he wishes to impress upon you. The first is
that depriving people of their voting rights is the heaviest sanction which
can be imposed at the present time (with the exception of excommunication,
which is a right the Guardian has never permitted anyone else to exercise).
Therefore, the greatest care should be exerted to try and remedy a situation
before depriving anybody of their voting rights, and the action itself should
only be taken if absolutely necessary.
The other point is that the Guardian is very anxious that no more rules
and regulations should be introduced by any National Spiritual Assemblies.
He has continually impressed this upon the American, the British and other
National Bodies. The spirit of the Cause will be stifled, the initiative of
the friends killed, and the teaching work come to a stand-still if the friends
are continually hemmed in by instructions. In view of this, he has instructed
the National Bodies to deal with each case as it arises.
The understanding conveyed in the quotation from "Principles of Bahá'í
Administration" is correct; also people who are deprived of their voting rights
should not receive Bahá'í News or Bulletins, as they are no longer active in
the administrative affairs of the Faith.
He is very happy at present to have a member+E27 of your Assembly visiting
Haifa, and hopes that Miss Harvey will carry back to you a fresh impetus from
the Holy Land, which will assist the Canadian Assembly members in carrying
on their many heavy burdens in the service of the Faith.
With warm Bahá'í greetings,
R. RABBANI.
+P64
December 27, 1956.
TEACHING MINORITIES
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
The beloved Guardian has directed me to write you concerning the
important matter of teaching the minorities of Canada.
He has spoken in some detail to Miss Harvey+E27 concerning the subject,
and she can and will amplify this communication.
He feels it most important that active work be done in connection with
the French Canadians, Eskimos, and Indians. You are also now actively in
touch with the Poles and Ukrainians in your country.
In order to intensify this work, the Guardian feels you should establish
a Minorities Teaching Committee, with sub-committees to specialize in the
teaching of French Canadians, Eskimos, and Indians. As the work spreads,
you can add other sub-committees, such as one for Eastern Europe, or the
countries under active consideration. In other words, sub-committees might
be formed for regional areas of the globe, where their people form a goodly
number of inhabitants of Canada.
Thus you would now have a Minorities Committee, with sub-committees
to specialize in the teaching work of the Eskimos, another sub-committee for
the Indians, another for the French Canadians, and another one for the Poles
and Ukrainians.
With loving Bahá'í greetings, I am,
Faithfully yours,
LEROY IOAS.
--------------------
Haifa, Israel,
March 30, 1957.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
The beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer certain matters
raised in your recent correspondence with him.
He is delighted to see that substantial progress is being made in Samoa.
It is too early for him to say under whose administrative jurisdiction the
Samoan Bahá'ís will come in the future. It will probably be Australia, but
at the present time, these things have not been definitely settled.
+P65
DEFINITION OF COVENANT-BREAKING
People who have withdrawn from the Cause because they no longer feel
that they can support its Teachings and Institutions sincerely, are not
Covenant-breakers--they are non-Baha'is and should just be treated as
such. Only those who ally themselves actively with known enemies of the Faith
who are Covenant-breakers, and who attack the Faith in the same spirit as
these people, can be considered, themselves, to be Covenant-breakers. As you
know, up to the present time, no one has been permitted to pronounce anybody a
Covenant-breaker but the Guardian himself.
With warm Bahá'í greetings, and assuring you all of his prayers for the
success of your important work,
R. RABBANI.
--------------------
Haifa, Israel,
October 19, 1957.
IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING THE INDIANS
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
Your loving letter of October 5 was duly received and its contents have
been presented to the beloved Guardian.
He was very happy indeed to learn of the very active manner in which
the Canadian Bahá'ís have taken hold of this most important subject of
teaching the Indians.
He attaches the greatest importance to this matter as the Master has
spoken of the latent strength of character of these people and feels that when
the Spirit of the Faith has a chance to work in their midst, it will produce
remarkable results.
You+E28 yourself are to be congratulated on the very wonderful work you
have been doing with the Indians on the Tyendinaga Reserve. The Guardian
greatly appreciates this service, and wishes you to know that he values it very
highly. He hopes nothing will interfere with your carrying it forward to the
fine conclusion which you hope will be the establishment of an Assembly on
this reserve. It would be a distinct victory for the Faith if that is
accomplished.
The Guardian will pray for you and the success of your work.
Faithfully yours,
LEROY IOAS.
+P66
Haifa, Israel,
July 18, 1957.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada.
Your Assembly's communications with their enclosures have all arrived
safely, and the beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his
behalf...
MOST URGENT TASKS
It is a pity that the Canadian believers are having so much difficulty
settling the question of both their Temple land and their National
Headquarters. He was very surprised and distressed to learn that the Temple
site you had chosen has entirely fallen through, and that you have to begin
all over again looking for a Temple site. He feels that your Assembly should
appreciate the fact that the important thing at this time is to acquire a
Temple site. It does not have to be a very large piece of land, and, if the
worst comes to the worst, at a future date, when the time comes to build a
Temple in Canada, it can be exchanged or sold and a better site procured; but
the question for this present National Body to settle once and for all is the
purchase of a Temple plot as a beginning in order to remove from the Ten Year
Plan one of its most important goals, and one the accomplishment of which has
been dragging too long. He feels that your Assembly should also look around
for a suitable and permanent Haziratu'l-Quds in Toronto, and try and dispose
of the one you have without loss, if possible, in order to enable you to
acquire the new and he hopes permanent one at once.
As regards the matter of those who have withdrawn from the Faith ....:
as you know, no one has the right to excommunicate anybody except the
Guardian of the Faith, himself. Those people who have withdrawn from
the Faith, though critical of it and disgruntled, are not necessarily
Covenant-breakers. If they were associating with Ahmad Sohrab+E29 and
upholding his claims actively, then they would come into an entirely different
category. If this is the case, you should inform the Guardian, but otherwise
the friends should be advised to just leave these people alone, for their
influence can be nothing but negative and destructive, and the less they
breathe the breath, so to speak, of those who have turned their back on the
light of this Faith, the better.
It is not enough to bring people into the Faith, one must educate them
and deepen their love for it and their knowledge of its teachings, after they
declare themselves. As the Bahá'ís are few in number, especially the active
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teachers, and there is a great deal of work to be done, the education of these
new believers is often sadly neglected, and then results are seen such as the
resignations you have had recently. In this respect, the Summer Schools can
be of the greatest help to the friends, new and old Bahá'ís alike, for in
them they can study, and enjoy the feeling of Bahá'í companionship which is,
alas, usually lacking in their home communities, owing to the smallness of
their numbers.
He is very happy to see that the friends are making every effort to
execute the provisions of the Ten Year Plan, as they apply to the Canadian
Community. The most urgent of all tasks facing them in connection with the
execution of their part of the Ten Year Plan is to increase the number of
Spiritual Assemblies.
DEADLY INFLUENCE OF MATERIALISTIC CIVILIZATION
The Bahá'ís should realize that today's intensely materialistic
civilization, alas, most perfectly exemplified by the United States, has far
exceeded the bounds of moderation, and, as Bahá'u'lláh has pointed out in His
Writings, civilization itself, when carried to extremes, leads to destruction.
The Canadian friends should be on their guard against this deadly influence to
which they are so constantly exposed, and which we can see is undermining the
moral strength of not only America, but indeed of Europe and other parts of
the world to which it is rapidly spreading.
The fortuitous combination of British solidity and good judgment and
American get-up-and-go and enthusiasm, which has characterized Canada,
must not be lost in the Canadian Bahá'í Community. Its members must
demonstrate their outstanding abilities, and, through a greater vision, more
consecration and renewed self-sacrifice, arise and attain their goals.
He is very happy over the work in the Pacific region in general, and was
glad to receive word recently of the formation of the Samoan Assembly, a
feat of which your Assembly can be duly proud. However, the situation in
the Marquesas needs immediate attention, and every effort should be exerted
to reinforce the work initiated there, at the cost of much self-sacrifice, by
the first pioneer+E30.
INFERTILE FIELDS EQUALLY VITAL
The work in the north should likewise be consolidated, and every effort
made to get more pioneers to join those heroic souls already labouring in
such an infertile field. This applies equally to Labrador and Greenland, where
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Bill Carr+E31, the lone Canadian pioneer, is demonstrating the Bahá'í spirit
in such an exemplary manner. It is hard for the friends to appreciate, when
they are isolated in one of these goal territories, and see that they are
making no progress in teaching others, are living in inhospitable climes for
the most part, and are lonesome for Bahá'í companionship and activity, that
they represent a force for good, that they are like a light-house of
Bahá'u'lláh shining at a strategic point and casting its beam out into the
darkness. This is why he so consistently urges these pioneers not to abandon
their posts. Apropos of this, he hopes that it will again be possible in the
near future to get someone into Anticosti. It is a great pity that the
friend+E25 who went there could not remain.
The beloved Guardian sends all the members of your Assembly his loving
greetings and assures you all of his ardent prayers for your success.
With warm Bahá'í love,
R. RABBANI.
Dear and Valued Co-workers:
The opening of the second year of the third phase of the Ten Year
Bahá'í Spiritual Crusade presents the entire Canadian Bahá'í Community,
and, particularly, its elected representatives, with an opportunity, and brings
them face to face with a challenge, unique since its inception over half a
century ago.
The achievements that have distinguished the record of its stewardship,
ever since its founding, and particularly since the launching of the World
Bahá'í Crusade, both on the homefront and beyond its confines, have been
such as to ennoble the annals of the Faith to which it is so whole-heartedly
dedicated, and to arouse in the hearts of all those who have watched,
throughout succeeding decades, the rise, its emergence into independent
existence, and its rapid consolidation, feelings of profound admiration, of
pride and of thankfulness.
The distance that has been traversed, in the course of the four brief
years since the inauguration of the Ten Year Plan, by a community, still highly
restricted in numbers and circumscribed in resources, and faced with tremendous
responsibilities, as a result of the colossal task it has willingly shouldered,
is admittedly great, and augurs well for its further advancement along the
path traced for it by the Pen of the Centre of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant in His
immortal Tablets+E2.
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VINDICATE INDEPENDENT CHARACTER OF THE FAITH
The utmost care and vigilance, however, should be exercised by this
youthful and dynamic community, so richly laden with the prizes it has so
deservedly won, lest the momentum, so painstakingly gained in recent years,
in both the teaching and administrative spheres of Bahá'í activity, be lost
or reduced. The standard of dedication and of efficiency, attained, while
pursuing the goals it has pledged itself to achieve, must never be allowed,
through apathy, neglect or faint-heartedness, to be lowered. The vision that
has fired its members, on the occasion of the centenary celebrations which
witnessed the launching of the Ten Year Plan must, no matter how prolonged or
arduous the task, never grow dim. Their unswerving fidelity to the Covenant
established by the Author of their Faith, and their attachment to the ideals
and precepts enshrined in His Revelation, should, under no circumstances,
no matter how active and subtle the machinations of its enemies, both within
and without, be weakened. The momentous and highly exacting task, initiated
far beyond the confines of their homeland,--a task which posterity will
recognize as the opening chapter of their glorious Mission overseas--must
be pursued with undiminished diligence, nay with redoubled zeal, and
renewed determination and dedication. The no less vital obligation to expand,
and consolidate the manifold activities conducted on the homefront,
from the Atlantic to the Pacific seaboard, and from the northern confines
of the Great Republic of the West to the fringes of the Arctic Ocean, must be
faithfully discharged. The setbacks and difficulties that have, unexpectedly
and most unfortunately, been recently experienced in connection with the
acquisition of both the National Haziratu'l-Quds and the site of the future
Mother Temple of Canada, must be faced with resolution and vigour, and a
definite and permanent solution be found which will ensure the full attainment
of these twofold primary objectives. The long overdue conversion of
the American Indians, the Eskimos and French Canadians, as well as the
representatives of other minorities permanently residing within the borders
of that vast Dominion, must receive, in the months immediately ahead, such
an impetus as to astonish and stimulate the members of all Bahá'í communities
throughout the length and breadth of the Western Hemisphere.
The independent character of the Faith they profess and champion must,
moreover, be fully vindicated through a closer adherence, on the part of the
rank and file of the believers, to its distinguishing tenets and precepts, as
well as through a fuller recognition by the civil authorities concerned, of the
+P70
Bahá'í Marriage Certificate and of the Bahá'í Holy Days. The integrity of
the fundamental teachings of the Faith, its security, the healthy and steady
development, and ultimate fruition, of its nascent institutions, must, above
all, be ensured and safeguarded, for upon these will depend the consummation
of the Mission with which the Author of the Tablets of the Divine Plan
has chosen to entrust them.
THIS COMMUNITY MUST FORGE AHEAD
The few remaining years, separating the steadfast and high-minded
members of the Canadian Bahá'í Community, striving so assiduously to
achieve their goals, from the time fixed for the termination of a swiftly
unfolding Crusade, are rapidly slipping by. A community which, ever since its
inception, has, through the instrumentality of its most distinguished members,
and particularly its founder+E1 and those nearest to her, as well as a number
of her spiritual children and associates, won such prizes at the World Centre
of the Faith, in Latin America, in Europe, in Africa and in the Pacific area--
such a community, at this crucial hour, cannot afford to either stand still,
falter or hesitate. As this World Crusade sweeps majestically forward and
draws nearer to its close, exploits as superb as those its sons and daughters
have successively achieved in widely scattered areas of the globe, must
continue to distinguish and ennoble the imperishable record of its services.
`Abdu'l-Bahá's prophetic words regarding the future of its homeland,
spiritually as well as materially--the initial evidences of which are becoming
more apparent every day, must not be lost sight of for a moment, however
exacting and all-absorbing the strenuous task ahead, however complex the
problems its prosecution involves, however burdensome the preoccupations
which it must needs engender.
Afire with that same love that burned so brightly in the hearts of its
earliest pioneers, holding fast to the strong cord of the spiritual precepts
and administrative principles of the Faith it has so whole-heartedly espoused,
confident of its ability to achieve, in its entirety, the Mission entrusted to
it by the Author of the Tablets of the Divine Plan, this community must forge
ahead, with undeviating loyalty, with indomitable courage, with unbreakable
unity, and exemplary consecration, striving to scale loftier heights, and
widening constantly the range of its operations, on the American mainland
as well as in neighbouring and distant islands, until each and every objective
of its allotted task has been triumphantly attained.
SHOGHI.
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REFERENCES
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REFERENCES
1 Mrs. May Ellis Maxwell--spiritual mother of the Canadian Bahá'í
community, became a believer in 1898, visited `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1899 and
returned to Paris to found the first Bahá'í centre on the European continent,
married Sutherland Maxwell and settled in Montreal in 1902, achieved "the
priceless honor of a martyr's death" in Argentina in 1940. For a review of
the vast range of her contributions to the Faith in Europe and America, see
"Bahá'í World" Vol. VIII, In Memoriam.
2 The Tablets of the Divine Plan, revealed by `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1916-17,
and addressed severally to the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada,
constitute the authority for the successive Plans inaugurated by the Guardian
for the spread of the Faith and the establishment of its Institutions
throughout the world.
3 The city of Montreal, Quebec, visited by `Abdu'l-Bahá August
30-September 12, 1912.
4 The Bill to incorporate the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís
of Canada was passed by both Houses of the Canadian Parliament, and given Royal
assent on April 30, 1949.
5 William Sutherland Maxwell--architect of the Shrine of the Báb,
appointed a Hand of the Cause of God in 1951, died in Montreal in 1952. His
"saintly life" is described in "Bahá'í World" Vol. XII, In Memoriam.
6 The first pioneers to Newfoundland, arriving in 1949, were Miss
Margaret Reid, Miss Dorothy Sheets, and Miss Doris Skinner (who remained there
until 1955).
7 Miss Nancy Gates--American pioneer to Denmark who attempted to pioneer
to Greenland, but was unable to do so.
8 James and Mrs. Melba Loft--believers who pioneered from the United
States to the Tyendinaga (Mohawk) Indian Reserve, near Shannonville, Ontario,
1949-.
9 Miss Nan Brandle--beginning in 1950 served several years as a pioneer
to the Indians in Department of Indian Affairs hospitals at Fisher River,
Hodgson, Manitoba and at Moose Factory and Ohsweken, Ontario.
10 Jameson Bond--first pioneer to the Canadian Arctic (District of
Keewatin 1950, District of Franklin 1951-63, with Mrs. Gale Bond from 1953
on).
11 Louis Bourgeois--architect of the Mother Temple of the West, in
Wilmette, Illinois, the construction of which was the first collective
enterprise undertaken by the Bahá'ís of America. He died in 1930.
12 Miss Marion Jack--"immortal heroine" and "shining example to
pioneers", who remained at her post in Sofia, Bulgaria from 1930 until her
death in 1954. Her imperishable services are recorded in "Bahá'í World" Vol.
XII, In Memoriam.
13 Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khánum Rabbani--daughter of May and
Sutherland Maxwell, became the wife of Shoghi Effendi in 1937, appointed a Hand
of the Cause of God in 1952.
+P74
14 Palle Bischoff--Danish believer, the first pioneer to Greenland
(1951-54).
15 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island formed its first Local Spiritual
Assembly in 1944.
16 Siegfried Schopflocher--known as "the Temple Builder" because of his
great contributions to the completion of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of the
West, appointed a Hand of the Cause of God in 1952, died in Montreal 1953. For
a review of his "numerous, magnificent services" see "Bahá'í World" Vol. XII,
In Memoriam.
17 Laurentian Bahá'í School, near Beaulac, Quebec--founded 1946,
transferred in 1949 to the National Spiritual Assembly, the first national
endowment.
18 Maxwell Home, 1548 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec--`Abdu'l-Bahá
stayed in this house during his visit to Montreal in 1912. It was given to the
Canadian Bahá'í community by Hand of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khánum in 1953.
19 Emeric and Rosemary Sala pioneered to South Africa, and John and Mrs.
Audrey Robarts to Bechuanaland. The first three named were members of the
National Spiritual Assembly 1948-53. In 1957 John Robarts was appointed a Hand
of the Cause of God.
20 Albert Rakovsky--first Bahá'í to visit Anticosti Island, member of
the National Spiritual Assembly 1953-56.
21 Peter Pihichyn--a believer of Ukrainian descent.
22 The resurgence of persecution of the Bahá'í community in Irán during
1955 is described in the booklet "Bahá'í Appeal for Religious Freedom in
Irán".
23 Sutherland Maxwell and Siegfried Schopflocher.
24 Allan Raynor--member of the National Spiritual Assembly 1954-60.
25 Miss Mary Zabolotny (now Mrs. Kenneth McCulloch)--first pioneer to
Anticosti Island (1956).
26 Iceland appears to have been visited first by Mrs. Amelia Collins in
1924. Miss Martha Root spent a month in Iceland in 1935.
27 Miss Winnifred Harvey--member of the National Spiritual Assembly
1950-61.
28 Mrs. Peggy Ross--member of the National Spiritual Assembly 1954-63,
appointed a member of the Auxiliary Board for Teaching in 1958.
29 Ahmad Sohrab--former secretary of `Abdu'l-Bahá, declared a
Covenant-breaker by the Guardian, died 1958.
30 Miss Greta Jankko--first pioneer to the Marquesas Islands (1954).
31 William Carr--Canadian pioneer to Thule Air Base, Greenland 1955-.
From 1955 to 1963 Mrs. Kaya Holck, a Danish believer, pioneered among the
Greenlanders.
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