CANADA’S PART IN THE TEN YEAR WORLD SPIRITUAL CRUSADE. 1953–57
(Cablegrams) April 22, 1953
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.
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.
Letter of May 1, 1953
May 1, 1953.
Deeply touched message fervently supplicating signal victories loving remembrance shrines.
SHOGHI.
Letter of June 20, 1953
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[29] 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 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.
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 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 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.
Letter of May 6, 1954
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 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. The friends must concentrate on the goals of the Ten Year Crusade, which are principally national and universal. For instance, no local Hazírás 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.
Letter of June 15, 1954
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[30], 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 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[31]. 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[32] 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[33], 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 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 Hazíratu’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, 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[34] 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 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[35] 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 Hazíratu’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 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[36] 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[37], [38] 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[39]—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[40] 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.
Letter of September 5, 1954
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.
Letter of December 4, 1954
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.
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.
Letter of March 3, 1955
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 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.
Letter of July 16, 1955
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[41] 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 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[42] : 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[43], 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[44].
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 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 national Hazíratu’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[45] 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[46] of their community and by the two Hands of the Cause[47] 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 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.
Letter of January 13, 1956
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 Máh-kú had not been placed in the grave of Mr. Maxwell[48]; 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[49] 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.
Letter of March 10, 1956
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.
Letter of June 26, 1956
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[50] 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.
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[51], 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[52] 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[53], 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 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 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[54], 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, 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 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.
Letter of December 14, 1956
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 attract Catholics and then confirm them in the Faith.
He sends the members of the National Assembly his loving greetings.
Faithfully yours,
LEROY IOAS.
Letter of December 22, 1956
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[55] 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.
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[56] 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.
Letter of March 30, 1957
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.
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-Bahá’ís 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.
Letter of October 19, 1957
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[57] 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.
Letter of July 18, 1957
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 Hazíratu’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 Aḥmad Sohrab[58] 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 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[59].
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 Bill Carr[60], 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[61] 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[62].
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 Hazíratu’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 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[63] 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.