The Birth of the Independent Canadian Bahá’í Community and the Five Year Plan 1948–1953

The Birth of the Independent Canadian Bahá’í Community and the Five Year Plan 1948–1953

Letter of 13 April 1948

[From the Guardian:]

13 April 1948

To the Canadian Bahá’í Convention

HEARTS UPLIFTED THANKSGIVING BAHÁ’U’LLÁH EPOCH-MAKING EVENT COMING AGE DEARLY BELOVED CANADIAN BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY FORMATION FIRST NATIONAL CONVENTION CITY MONTREAL FORTHCOMING ELECTION CANADA’S NATIONAL ASSEMBLY CONSTITUTING NINTH PILLAR INSTITUTION UNIVERSAL HOUSE JUSTICE. ACKNOWLEDGE REVERENT GRATITUDE DEEPEST JOY MARVELLOUS INFLUENCE OPERATION INITIAL STAGE ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ’S DIVINE PLAN ENABLING NORTHERNMOST COMMUNITY FOLLOWERS FAITH AMERICAN CONTINENT PASS STAGE INFANCY ATTAIN STATUS ASSUME FUNCTIONS INDEPENDENT EXISTENCE WITHIN WORLD BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY. RECALL THIS AUSPICIOUS OCCASION WITH PROFOUND EMOTION HEROIC SERVICES MOTHER COMMUNITY MAY MAXWELL¹ WHOSE LIFE DEATH FORGED UNBREAKABLE LINKS BINDING BODY CANADIAN BELIEVERS SISTER COMMUNITIES UNITED STATES LATIN AMERICA. MOVED APPEAL ASSEMBLED DELEGATES ARISE CONJUNCTION FIRST CANADIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY TOKEN GRATITUDE MANIFOLD BLESSINGS DIVINE PROVIDENCE INITIATE HOUR BIRTH THEIR NATIONAL ACTIVITIES FIVE YEAR PLAN DESIGNED ASSOCIATE THEM FORMALLY SYSTEMATICALLY INDEPENDENTLY SISTER COMMUNITY UNITED STATES COMMON TASK PROSECUTION WORLD ENCOMPASSING MISSION. FULFILMENT THIS COLLECTIVE TASK CONFRONTING RAPIDLY MATURING COMMUNITY NECESSITATES INCORPORATION CANADIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ESTABLISHMENT NATIONAL BAHÁ’Í ENDOWMENTS DOUBLING NUMBER LOCAL ASSEMBLIES THROUGHOUT DOMINION RAISING TO ONE HUNDRED TOTAL NUMBER LOCALITIES WHERE BAHÁ’ÍS RESIDE THROUGHOUT PROVINCES CONSTITUTION GROUP NEWFOUNDLAND FORMATION NUCLEUS FAITH TERRITORY GREENLAND SINGLED OUT SPECIAL MENTION AUTHOR DIVINE PLAN PARTICIPATION ESKIMOS RED INDIANS MEMBERSHIP SHARE ADMINISTRATIVE PRIVILEGES LOCAL INSTITUTIONS FAITH CANADA. FONDLY HOPE ARDENTLY PRAY CELEBRATION FIRST CENTENARY BIRTH BAHÁ’U’LLÁH’S PROPHETIC MISSION WILL WITNESS TRIUMPHANT CONSUMMATION FIRST HISTORIC PLAN LAUNCHED CANADIAN BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY IN LAND WHOSE FUTURE GREATNESS GLORY BOTH MATERIALLY SPIRITUALLY CENTRE BAHÁ’U’LLÁH’S COVENANT TWICE EMPHATICALLY PROCLAIMED HIS IMMORTAL TABLETS.²

SHOGHI

Letter of 28 April 1948

[From the Guardian:]

28 April 1948

To the National Spiritual Assembly

JOYOUSLY WELCOME ASSEMBLY’S PLEDGE SUPPLICATING BAHÁ’U’LLÁH GUIDE SUSTAIN MEMBERS BEFITTINGLY DISCHARGE SACRED RESPONSIBILITIES. URGE UTMOST UNITY ENERGETIC ACTION UNRELAXING DETERMINATION ENSURE BRILLIANT SUCCESS INITIAL TASKS MOMENTOUS NEW PERIOD CANADIAN BAHÁ’Í HISTORY.

SHOGHI

Letter of 16 September 1948

[From the Guardian:]

16 September 1948

To the National Spiritual Assembly

CONGRATULATE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES SPLENDID INITIATION MOMENTOUS ENTERPRISES SIGNALIZING OPENING PHASE HISTORIC PLAN. OVERJOYED EVIDENCES MAGNIFICENT SPIRIT CONSECRATION UNITY DETERMINATION AUGURING WELL IMMEDIATE DESTINIES LAND SO RICH DIVINE PROMISES COVERING SO EXTENSIVE TERRITORY ENDOWED SUCH VAST POTENTIALITIES.

WELCOME ITS CONTINUED ASSOCIATION AMERICAN SISTER COMMUNITY. FERVENTLY PRAYING MULTIPLICATION RESOURCES INCREASE NUMBERS INTENSIFICATION EFFORT ACCELERATION MOMENTUM DEPENDING CONSECRATION DEDICATION SACRED URGENT EPOCH-MAKING TASKS CONFRONTING NEWBORN HIGHLY PROMISING MUCH ADMIRED CANADIAN NATIONAL BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY.

SHOGHI

Letter of 15 October 1948

[From the Guardian:]

15 October 1948

To the National Spiritual Assembly

NO LETTER RECEIVED FROM ASSEMBLY FORMATION CABLE DATE LETTERS SENT AIRMAIL COPIES.

SHOGHI RABBANI

Letter of 4 November 1948

4 November 1948

To the National Spiritual Assembly

Dear Bahá’í Sister:³

Your letter to our beloved Guardian, dated October 6th, has been received, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

Regarding the matter of the young men you have raised in your letter: he feels that they should be treated like any other people seeking admittance to the Faith, and be accepted on the same basis. Our teachings, as outlined in the Advent of Divine Justice, on the subject of living a chaste life, should be emphasized to them just as every other applicant, but certainly no ruling whatsoever 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 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 National Spiritual Assembly, than there is for the British or the Australian and New Zealand National Spiritual Assemblies 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

P.S. Unfortunately your letter was not received in time to cable your October 14th meeting an answer.

[From the Guardian:]

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 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.

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 cast the radiance of His person, in the evening of His life, on its mother city,⁴ 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 she⁵ 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.

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

Letter of 23 November 1948

[From the Guardian:]

23 November 1948

To the National Spiritual Assembly

DELIGHTED INCREASE MEMBERSHIP PRAYING RESPONSE PIONEERS URGE MAINTENANCE STATUS EXISTING ASSEMBLIES STEADY DEVELOPMENT MULTIPLICATION GROUPS. DETAILED LETTER DATED NOVEMBER FOURTH MAILED CABLE RECEIPT ALSO CABLE ASSEMBLY’S TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS DEEPEST LOVE.

SHOGHI RABBANI

Letter of 12 January 1949

[From the Guardian:]

12 January 1949

To the National Spiritual Assembly

CHEERED GRATEFUL PROUD INITIAL VICTORIES MARKING UNFOLDMENT PLAN DEARLY BELOVED MUCH ADMIRED CANADIAN BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY. FERVENTLY PRAYING STILL GREATER MEASURE BLESSINGS PROVIDENCE. URGE INCREASED UNITY CLOSER COLLABORATION GREATER SOLIDARITY NOBLER SELF-SACRIFICE. DEEPEST ABIDING LOVING APPRECIATION MIGHTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

SHOGHI RABBANI

Letter of 16 March 1949

[From the Guardian:]

16 March 1949

To the National Spiritual Assembly

DELIGHTED RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FERVENTLY SUPPLICATING ALMIGHTY’S BLESSINGS DELIBERATIONS ACTIVITIES DEEPEST LOVE.

SHOGHI RABBANI

Letter of 1 April 1949

[From the Guardian:]

1 April 1949

To the National Spiritual Assembly

CABLE NUMBER ASSEMBLIES GROUPS ISOLATED BELIEVERS ALSO ANTICIPATED NUMBER ASSEMBLIES COMING RIDVÁN.

SHOGHI RABBANI

Letter of 21 April 1949

[From the Guardian:]

21 April 1949

To the National Spiritual Assembly

PAYMENT EXPENSES NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MEMBERS CONVENTION DELEGATES LEFT DISCRETION ASSEMBLY.

SHOGHI

Letter of 2 May 1949

[From the Guardian:]

2 May 1949

To the Canadian Bahá’í Convention

ACCLAIM MAGNIFICENT VICTORY⁶ UNIQUE ANNALS FAITH EAST WEST. GLORIOUS EVENTS FORESHADOWED BY ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ TABLETS DIVINE PLAN 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

Letter of 9 May 1949

[From the Guardian:]

9 May 1949

To the National Spiritual Assembly

WELCOME ASSEMBLY’S REDEDICATION TASK SUPPLICATING ABUNDANT BLESSING TREMENDOUS GLORIOUS UNDERTAKING FULFILMENT HIGHEST HOPES.

SHOGHI

Letter of 19 June 1949

19 June 1949

To the National Spiritual Assembly

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letters to our beloved Guardian, dated October 19 and December 11, 1948 and March 30, 1949, have been received, with their enclosures, as well as the material you sent under separate cover….

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 Bill⁷ 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 Bahji, 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 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

[From the Guardian:]

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.

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 seaboard; 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.

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

Letter of 5 July 1949

5 July 1949

To an individual believer

Dear …:

Your letters to our beloved Guardian, dated April 19 and June 15, with copy of the By-Laws enclosed, and other material sent, have been received, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He approves of the By-Laws of the Canadian National Spiritual Assembly, and is immensely pleased over this remarkable witness to our Faith’s growing importance as evidenced through the passing of the Bill regarding them in both Houses at Ottawa. As he has already stated, this is a unique precedent, and one which in time to come will no doubt be of great assistance in similar cases in other countries. You must be very happy indeed to see the way your tireless efforts have been crowned with such success in this important matter.

It is these evidences of the progress of the Cause which bring the greatest joy to his heart, as he is often weary, and feels the weight of the years of Guardianship very keenly at times. The many problems which beset the Faith, especially in the Eastern countries, the actions of those who have been disloyal to the Master, the ever-increasing amount of work, weigh upon him heavily. Such news therefore, you convey from Canada, lightens his heart.

Dear …, he is glad to hear you are well and constantly devoting yourself to serving the Cause, and hastening the fulfilment of the Five Year Plan, in Canada. There is much to be done, but he feels the Canadian National Spiritual Assembly is alert and devoted, and intent upon reaching all the goals set in good time. The spread of the Cause there is truly remarkable and promising. After all the years when the Faith seemed to barely move forward, it is now leaping ahead in that Dominion, which shows the patiently laid foundation was well laid, and the superstructure can now rise rapidly.

His loving thoughts are often with you, you may be sure.

With Bahá’í love,

Rúhíyyih

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-worker:

Your recent and splendid accomplishments in connection with the incorporation of the Canadian National Assembly and the formulation of its By-laws are services of which I feel truly proud, and for which I will always feel grateful. You have indeed enriched the long and splendid record of your services to our beloved Cause. The Beloved will surely reward you abundantly for all that you have achieved. I will continue to remember you in my prayers, and will supplicate for you the Master’s richest blessings.

Your true and grateful brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 5 August 1949

5 August 1949

To individual believers

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter of June 3 has been received, as well as the prospectus about your summer camp, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He wishes you and your son every success in this new undertaking, and hopes it will be a place where young minds can be guided into the right path — for they sorely need it in an age when the parents themselves are often confused, and can provide no moral inspiration for their children, and no proper example.

The way the work in Canada is progressing encourages him very much, and he appreciates very much the loyal and devoted services you are constantly rendering the Cause there.

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Assuring you of my loving and fervent prayers for your welfare and spiritual advancement, and the realization of every wish you cherish, and the success of every effort you exert, for the promotion of our beloved Faith and the consolidation of its newly-born Institutions in that vast and promising country,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 5 August 1949

5 August 1949

To Winnifred Harvey⁸

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letter of June 28, 1949, was received, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

In regard to your going to Newfoundland: he feels that since someone else is willing and eager to proceed there, and you would lose a great deal by giving up your present employment, it is better for you to postpone going there and in the mean time try and see if the government would not be able to give you a job there in its service, and by which you would not forfeit your pension. Also, you might be able to arrange to spend your vacations there and thus directly help the work.

The work you have done in Ottawa is very deeply appreciated by the Guardian, and he feels sure that wherever you are, you will constantly be supporting and expanding the work of the Faith.

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Assuring you of my loving prayers for your welfare, success and spiritual advancement, and the realization of every hope you cherish for the promotion of the interests of our beloved Faith in Canada, and particularly in Newfoundland,

Your true and grateful brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 22 August 1949

[From the Guardian:]

22 August 1949

To the National Spiritual Assembly

CABLE WHETHER LETTER TO ASSEMBLY REACHED YOU.

SHOGHI

Letter of 23 August 1949

[From the Guardian:]

23 August 1949

To the National Spiritual Assembly

DELIGHTED RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS URGE DIRECT SPECIAL ATTENTION VITAL URGENT NEEDS GREENLAND AND INDIANS ARDENTLY SUPPLICATING BLESSINGS MANIFOLD TASKS CONFRONTING YOUNG VALIANT PROMISING COMMUNITY.

SHOGHI

Letter of 4 September 1949

4 September 1949

To an individual believer

Dear Spiritual Brother:

Your letter dated June 13 has been received by the Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf, and to thank you for the interesting material you forwarded with it.

He can only offer you, sincerely, his advice, which is to overcome whatever obstacles are hindering you from active membership in the Bahá’í Community. Man-made things are one thing, and God-given things another. It is not spiritually healthy to recognize the Revelation of God for this age — or at any period in history to recognize a Revelation sent by God for our good and development — and not embrace it. There is no middle course open for the soul who has found the Eternal Beloved. He must serve Him, or he will grow cold and spiritually confused.

As you obviously seem to have taken these teachings to heart he feels you should now become active in the service of the Cause.

He will pray for your progress and happiness and that you may be able to take this next step on your spiritual journey through life.

With kind regards,

R. Rabbani, Secretary

Letter of 17 September 1949

[From the Guardian:]

17 September 1949

To the National Spiritual Assembly

ASSURE PIONEERS TRAVELLING TEACHERS FERVENT PRAYERS ACCOMPANYING THEM HIGHLY GRATIFIED ASSEMBLY’S DECISION MERITORIOUS LABOURS CONTINUALLY SUPPLICATING RICHEST BLESSINGS MAGNIFICENT HISTORIC ENDEAVOURS EVENTUAL GLORIOUS VICTORY.

SHOGHI

Letter of 24 September 1949

24 September 1949

To John A. Robarts⁹

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your welcome letter of August 22 has been received, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He was very happy to hear the good news you conveyed in your letter, especially about the prospect of being able to arrange a pioneer for Greenland, as he attaches the greatest importance to this work, a work he feels which would particularly rejoice ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s heart. He hopes the Canadian National Spiritual Assembly will be able to follow up this possibility and crown it with success.

You are welcome to write to him, but please do not feel he does not appreciate it if his answer is not always prompt.

Your trip will no doubt be of great interest to the friends in Canada and stimulate them, when they hear of the solid accomplishments of the European friends, in their own labours to fulfil their Plan.

He will certainly pray for your dear family, and your success in every way. Your constant services are deeply appreciated, you may be sure, by him.

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-worker:

I was so pleased to receive your letter and to learn of your active participation in the proceedings of the European Conference. Your meritorious activities and services in Canada are deeply appreciated, and I will supplicate the Beloved to bless continually your efforts, guide every step you take, remove all obstacles from your path, and enable you to win splendid victories for the newly born institutions of our beloved Faith. Persevere, rest assured and be happy.

Your true and grateful brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 30 September 1949

30 September 1949

To an individual believer

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letter to our beloved Guardian, dated August 16, reached him and he has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.

He was grieved to hear of some of the things you describe. It shows great spiritual immaturity on the part of some of the Bahá’ís and an astonishing lack of understanding and study of the teachings. To live up to our Faith’s moral teachings is a task far harder than to live up to those noble principles the Moral Re-Armament inculcates, fine and encompassing as they are! Every other word of Bahá’u’lláh’s and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s writings is a preachment on moral and ethical conduct; all else is the form, the chalice, into which the pure spirit must be poured, without the spirit and the action which must demonstrate it, it is a lifeless form.

He judges, from what you say, that the friends have not or at least many of them have not, been properly taught in the beginning.

There is certainly no objection to stressing the “four standards” of the Moral Re-Armament — though any teaching of our precious Faith would go much more deeply into these subjects and add more to them.

When we realize that Bahá’u’lláh says adultery retards the progress of the soul in the afterlife — so grievous is it — and that drinking destroys the mind, and not to so much as approach it, we see how clear are our teachings on these subjects.

You must not make the great mistake of judging our Faith by one community which obviously needs to study and obey the Bahá’í teachings. Human frailties and peculiarities can be a great test. But the only way, or perhaps I should say the first and best way, to remedy such situations, is to oneself do what is right. One soul can be the cause of the spiritual illumination of a continent. Now that you have seen, and remedied, a great fault in your own life, now that you see more clearly what is lacking in your own community, there is nothing to prevent you from arising and showing such an example, such a love and spirit of service, as to enkindle the hearts of your fellow Bahá’ís.

He urges you to study deeply the teachings, teach others, study with those Bahá’ís who are anxious to do so, the deeper teachings of our Faith, and through example, effort and prayer, bring about a change.

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

P.S. He feels your experience at the Temple should be regarded as in part an emotional reaction produced by disappointment and the fact you were still exalted by your happy days at the Moral Re-Armament camp. No doubt, if you visit the Temple under different circumstances, you will feel there an entirely different atmosphere — the one you expected to find, and which does exist.

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty guide, bless and sustain you, remove all obstacles from your path, and enable you to serve, effectively and at all times, the vital interests of His Faith and of its institutions,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 20 October 1949

20 October 1949

To an individual believer

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letter dated August 10 has been received by our beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf. He regrets the delay, but he has been very busy of late.

In regard to the question you asked him: he feels that if this annuity is paid to you by the Government direct, as a recompense for services you rendered, and in return for contributions you yourself made towards receiving it, there is no objection to your accepting it. But, if it is being given to you under the apprehension you are still a member of the church, he feels that is not proper, as, of course, you no longer are a church adherent.

He will certainly pray for the progress of the work in Regina, and he deeply appreciates the many devoted services you render our glorious Faith.

With warm Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty guide and sustain you in your devoted endeavours for the advancement of our beloved Faith, enable you to promote effectively the best interests of its nascent institutions, and contribute, at all times, to their multiplication and consolidation,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 26 October 1949

26 October 1949

To an individual believer

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your letter of September 21 was received, and our beloved Guardian is happy to see you are now settled down and that your dear mother and the Salas¹⁰ such devoted and fine believers — gave you assistance when you needed it.

No doubt your presence in Canada will be an asset to the work there, as it was to the progress of the European work, which you served so devotedly, and he will pray that you may soon be reunited with your family.

With warmest greetings,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Assuring you of my deep and abiding appreciation of your past services to the Faith, and of my ardent and loving prayers for the success of every effort you exert for its promotion in the days to come,

Your true and grateful brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 13 November 1949

13 November 1949

To an individual believer

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letter, dated October 28, with photo of your sweet child enclosed, was received, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.

He is very busy; but he assures you he thinks it no sacrilege for a Bahá’í Baby to lisp out the names dearest to our hearts! May she grow up to be a radiant soul!

He will pray for her in the Holy Shrines,

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Assuring you of my prayers for you and for your progress and spiritual advancement,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 24 November 1949

24 November 1949

To an individual believer

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letter of November 11 has been received by our beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.

If there is any such movement, such as the one your friend believes exists, he is not aware of it. He does not know if there is any foundation of truth in this matter or not.

However, he feels that the Bahá’ís have a Plan, a solution to the world’s problems given by the Prophet of God for this day. Their best way of serving the world is through the positive and constructive medium of the Cause, and not through the negative approach of fear of any one group. We have not the power — in the material sense of that word — to do any good in combatting many of the evils in the world today, economic or political or social, but we can do a unique service through our Bahá’í work, for this way we release the power of God, which is the only Force that can redeem men and carry us forward to an ultimate victory over the evil of today. He therefore urges you to devote your mind to peacefully serving the Cause and not worry over whether such a destructive group does or does not exist.

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty sustain, guide and bless you always, remove all obstacles from your path, and enable you to win great and memorable victories for His Faith and its institutions.

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 18 December 1949

[From the Guardian:]

18 December 1949

To the National Spiritual Assembly

DELIGHTED NEWS PROGRESS FAITH ARDENT LOVING PRAYERS SURROUNDING YOU ALWAYS.

SHOGHI

Letter of 19 March 1950

19 March 1950

To individual believers

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

As our beloved Guardian is very busy and over-worked at present this is just a little note on his behalf to tell you your letter of October 28 was received.

He will pray for you both and particularly Mr. … ’s health.

With warm greetings,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

May the Beloved bless your efforts, guide and sustain you always, and enable you to promote the vital interests of His Faith,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 4 April 1950

[From the Guardian:]

4 April 1950

To the National Spiritual Assembly

CABLE WHETHER ANY PIONEER ENTERED GREENLAND. IF NOT WHEN.

SHOGHI

Letter of 9 April 1950

[From the Guardian:]

9 April 1950

To the National Spiritual Assembly

PREPARE PROMPTLY MAP CANADA SHOWING ASSEMBLIES GROUPS ISOLATED CENTRES AIRMAIL HAIFA.

SHOGHI

Letter of 1 May 1950

[From the Guardian:]

1 May 1950

To the National Convention

ASSURE ASSEMBLED DELEGATES VISITORS LOVING REMEMBRANCE SHRINES ARDENTLY PRAYING BLESSINGS DELIBERATIONS. MAY ENTIRE COMMUNITY BE VOUCHSAFED DIVINE STRENGTH DISCHARGE BEFITTINGLY SACRED DUTIES PROSECUTE VIGOROUSLY PLAN LEND TREMENDOUS IMPETUS PROGRESS FAITH CONSOLIDATE MAGNIFICENT HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENTS.

SHOGHI

Letter of 23 June 1950

23 June 1950

To the National Spiritual Assembly

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letters dated June 21, October 3, December 20, 1949, and February 15, April 10, and May 14, 1950 as well as various other material, 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 National Spiritual Assemblies’ letters — when he explains 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,¹¹ 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 sixty-six. 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 co-operation 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 United States, 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.

The Guardian is immensely pleased over the settlement of pioneers¹² 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 Gates¹³ 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 devote 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:

1. The Guardian considers this a purely secondary question of administrative procedure which your Assembly can decide upon for itself.¹⁴ He is very anxious that no new rules and regulations should be introduced. As far as possible each National Spiritual Assembly should decide secondary matters for itself, and not try to lay down a rule general in application. 2. No fixed rule should be laid down about this either.¹⁵ 3. 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 feels that next Convention you should permit only Assemblies to send delegates. This will encourage the various Provinces to ensure they do have an Assembly and consequently a delegate, or delegates.

The Guardian has not found it desirable, for various reasons, to send a recorded message to any Convention.

The work being done by various Bahá’ís, including our dear Indian believer¹⁶ 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

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.

[From the Guardian:]

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 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.

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 allotted 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 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

Letter of 17 July 1950

17 July 1950

To John A. Robarts¹⁷

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your letter of June 24, with the interesting enclosure, was received, and our beloved Guardian was delighted to hear from you, as he followed with interest your trips abroad and your teaching activities.

Although it is a considerable disappointment to have all doors seemingly closed in the face of Nancy Gates,¹⁸ it is wonderful news you give him that Mr. Fuller¹⁹ will be in Greenland for nine months! God seems to have arranged for one believer to be on the spot until your Assembly can get a real pioneer there.

It would be a great help if Mrs. Jensen of Copenhagen could enlist the sympathy of her sister, and perhaps even visit her there, and thus procure an opening for some believer from Denmark to get a job in Greenland?

The Guardian very deeply appreciates the services you are rendering the Cause, and have rendered it in the past. You may be sure he will support you with his loving prayers.

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty bless, sustain and guide you always, reward you abundantly for your meritorious labours, remove every obstacle that hinders the progress of your work, and graciously assist you to promote effectively the best interests of His glorious Faith,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 3 September 1950

[From the Guardian:]

3 September 1950

To the National Spiritual Assembly

DELIGHTED MAGNIFICENT NEWS WELCOME EVIDENCES ENERGETIC EFFORTS NOBLE ENDEAVOURS HIGH PURPOSE APPROACHING VICTORY ARDENTLY SUPPLICATING BOUNTIFUL BLESSINGS FULFILMENT CHERISHED HOPES DEEPEST LOVING GRATITUDE ASSEMBLY’S INCESSANT EXEMPLARY LABOURS.

SHOGHI

Letter of 11 September 1950

11 September 1950

To the National Spiritual Assembly

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Under separate cover the beloved Guardian is mailing you two photographic enlargements of the finished arcade of the Báb’s Shrine.

He wishes you to please have these circulated as far as possible amongst the different centres, so the friends can enjoy seeing the finished beauty of the arcade, and afterwards hang them wherever the Bahá’ís will visit most and be able to enjoy them.

Please also inform the believers that the film of one view has been sent to the American National Spiritual Assembly and copies may be ordered from it.

Also be so kind as to acknowledge at once the safe arrival of these pictures.

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

Letter of 30 September 1950

30 September 1950

To an individual believer

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

This is just a short note in reply to your letter of June 17 to our beloved Guardian, as he is so overworked and exhausted that he can barely keep up with his mail. In fact it begins to look as if he could no longer do so!

He thanks you for the book you are sending him. He sees no reason why you should not tell the Bahá’ís that cancer seems to be successfully treated by this method sometimes. But as we are a religion and not qualified to pass on scientific matters we cannot sponsor different treatments. We are certainly free to pass on what we have found beneficial to others.

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

May the Beloved bless, guide and sustain you, and enable you to promote the vital interests of His Faith,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 30 September 1950

30 September 1950

To the believers present at the 11th Ontario Summer Conference

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your message dated August 18 has been received, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He was delighted to see so many friends had been present, and to witness the growth in this annual gathering, so useful for the teaching work and for promoting closer co-operation amongst the friends.

He assures you of his prayers for the success of your Bahá’í labours, and for the speedy realization of more of the goals set forth in your Five Year Plan.

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-workers:

I was so pleased and cheered to learn of the progress of your highly meritorious labours, and feel deeply grateful for the sentiments you have expressed. I wish to assure you of my special prayers for the steady extension of your activities to which I attach great importance, and for the future of which I cherish the brightest hopes. May the Beloved bless bountifully your high endeavours and assist you to further effectively the vital and manifold interests of His Faith,

Your true and grateful brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 4 October 1950

4 October 1950

To the Greenland Teaching Committee

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your letter of July 14 has been received, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf. As he is very busy and overtired he wishes you to please consider this as an appendix to the letter recently mailed you, as that makes it easier for him.

He feels your Assembly’s best hope for Greenland seems to be the possibility of getting a Danish Bahá’í to go there as your deputy. If some believer from Denmark could get employment, or at least permission to proceed there, the details could no doubt be worked out.

Likewise, any Canadian Bahá’í who could qualify for scientific work there should make every effort to get in.

He is pleased to hear that at least Mr. Bond²⁰ and Mr. Fuller²¹ will be there temporarily, and they should investigate all possibilities and report to your Assembly.

He will continue to pray that the way may open for real pioneer work to be undertaken there.

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

With the assurance of my fervent and loving prayers for your success and the realization of every hope you cherish for the promotion of our beloved Faith,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 30 October 1950

30 October 1950

To James and Melba Loft²²

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Our beloved Guardian was very happy to receive your letter of September 10, which unfortunately took some time to reach him, or he would have answered sooner.

He is delighted over the success you have met with in your teaching efforts there, and very deeply appreciates the sacrifices you and your dear wife have made in order to render our Faith, and your people, this valuable service.

He does not feel it is right for you and your family to impoverish yourselves further in order to remain on the Reservation; on the other hand your being there and living amongst the people is undoubtedly the best way to teach them. He, therefore, suggests you present your problem and your own suggestions to the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, and seek their advice and help.

He will pray that a way may open for you to earn your living properly, and also continue among the Indians.

He sends you and your family his love.

In His service,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

With the assurance of my abiding and deepest appreciation of your services to our beloved Faith, of my heartfelt admiration for the spirit that animates you, and of my ardent prayers for the success of every effort you exert for its promotion and consolidation,

Your true and grateful brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 2 November 1950

2 November 1950

To the National Spiritual Assembly

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

The beloved Guardian has mailed your Assembly, as a gift, two enlargements of the Báb’s Shrine which he wishes to be shown widely to the believers and then hung where as many as possible will be able to see them.

Whenever these photos reach you please acknowledge receipt by cable.

He has sent two negatives to the American National Spiritual Assembly, and copies of these pictures can be purchased from them if the friends desire to order any.

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

P.S. I wrote you all this before but fear the letter may have been lost, as one to Mr. Holley,²³ mailed at the same time, was lost.

Letter of January 1951

January 1951

To the Treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly

Dear Fred:²⁴

Your letter of September 13 has reached the beloved Guardian, as well as the contribution made by the National Spiritual Assembly 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,

Rúhíyyih

[From the Guardian:]

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

Letter of 1 March 1951

1 March 1951

To the National Spiritual Assembly

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letters dated June 20th, September 8th and October 12th, 1950, and February 7th, 1951, with enclosures, have been received; and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf. He has also received the material sent under separate cover, for which he thanks you.

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 Brandle²⁵ 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.

He was also very pleased to see that Mr. Bond²⁶ 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.

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.

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 ensure 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 ensured 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

P.S. The Guardian has no objection to your publishing the excerpt from his letter dated August 25,

[From the Guardian:]

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.

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 splendour 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.”²⁷

It was a Canadian,²⁸ 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, unfold to the eyes of the world. It was a Canadian woman,²⁹ 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 member³⁰ 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,³¹ 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 Canadian³² 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.

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 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 and 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

Letter of 29 April 1951

[From the Guardian:]

29 April 1951

To the National Convention

ASSURE DELEGATES FOURTH ANNUAL CONVENTION HEARTFELT APPRECIATION NOBLE SENTIMENTS LOVING REMEMBRANCE SHRINES. APPEAL CONCENTRATION EFFORTS RESOURCES UNPRECEDENTED INCREASE PIONEERS STEADY MULTIPLICATION CENTRES SETTLEMENT GREENLAND VIGOROUS PROSECUTION WORK INITIATED ESKIMOS RED INDIANS. SHARE HOPE PRAYER HOLY PRECIOUS RELIC MAY ENDOW ENTIRE COMMUNITY LENGTH BREADTH VAST DOMINION POTENTIALITIES ENABLE MEMBERS LEND COLLECTIVE TREMENDOUS IMPETUS TASK CONFRONTING THEM ASSIST THEM ATTAIN OBJECTIVES FIRST HISTORIC PLAN LAUNCHED NEWLY EMERGED RAPIDLY CONSOLIDATING HIGHLY PROMISING MUCH LOVED NATIONAL CANADIAN BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY.

SHOGHI

Letter of 4 May 1951

[From the Guardian:]

4 May 1951

To the National Spiritual Assembly

DELIGHTED SUCCESS CONVENTION CONFERENCE ASSURE NEWLY ELECTED ASSEMBLY FERVENT PRAYERS EFFECTIVE RAPID PROMOTION PLAN DEEPEST LOVE.

SHOGHI

Letter of 27 July 1951

27 July 1951

To John A. Robarts³³

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your letter of May 21 has been received, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf, and to also forward to you the enclosed receipt for your generous and loving contribution towards the building of the Holy Shrine.

He has been in touch with Mr. Bischoff,³⁴ and was overjoyed to see such a fine, conscientious soul was going to Greenland as a pioneer. Let us hope he will get results, as no doubt his task will require great tact.

The Guardian hopes the Canadian friends will, stimulated by the progress in Bahá’í work over the entire globe, arise with more determination to achieve their own Plan. They are too old and important a community to countenance failure!

He sends his loving greetings to you and your dear family,

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

With the assurance of my abiding appreciation of your generous contribution, my gratitude for your splendid and meritorious services, and my fervent and loving prayers for the success of every effort you exert for the promotion and consolidation of our beloved Faith,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 30 October 1951

30 October 1951

To the National Spiritual Assembly

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letters of March 29 and July 22 have been received, with enclosures, and the beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

Regarding the question of Mr. and Mrs. …: 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.

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 honours, and victories — like all other achievements in life — must be purchased at the cost of persistent effort! He feels sure the Canadian Bahá’ís, perhaps slow to get under way, will display the counterpart of this British characteristic, and cling like bulldogs to their tasks, once they do get under way.

The departure of Mr. Bond³⁵ for the Arctic made the Guardian very happy; this, as well as the sailing of Mr. Bischoff³⁶ for Greenland, marks 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 co-operation 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

P.S. The Guardian has received no copy of his last letter to you, sent last spring, and thinks perhaps the material was lost. Will you please send him a copy in whatever form it was circulated amongst the believers?

[From the Guardian:]

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 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.³⁷ 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 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.

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 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

Letter of 31 October 1951

31 October 1951

To individual believers

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Our beloved Guardian thanks you very much for the loving contribution you forwarded for the Shrine, in your letter of September 9, from you and your dear children. I am enclosing his receipt herewith.

He is delighted to see you are settled in such a virgin region (from our Bahá’í standpoint), and, although the teaching work will no doubt go very slowly at first, the effects of your labours will sooner or later be felt and be fruitful.

He will pray that the way may open for receptive souls to be found, especially among the Indians, and that you may soon claim at least one Bahá’í.

He sends you his loving greetings, and urges you to never feel discouraged.

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Assuring you of my deep appreciation of your contribution, and of my fervent prayers on your behalf,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 25 November 1951

[From the Guardian:]

25 November 1951

To the National Spiritual Assembly

CHARLOTTETOWN ESSENTIAL MONCTON SHOULD WAIT NEXT YEAR. PRAYING SUCCESS CONFERENCE DEEPEST LOVE.

SHOGHI

Letter of 25 December 1951

25 December 1951

To individual believers

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Our beloved Guardian has instructed me to acknowledge on his behalf your letter of November 11th, together with the loving contribution you have enclosed for the Shrine of the Báb. You will find a receipt attached.

The work on the Shrine is steadily progressing; and this holy enterprise is serving to draw the believers all over the world closer to the heart and centre of their Faith.

The Guardian assures you he will pray for the assistance of the devoted Canadian friends in achieving their goal, which includes a strong Halifax Assembly.

He trusts the Canadian Bahá’í Convention, which will be held in Halifax in April, will prove to be a great success and a mighty force to stimulate all the Bahá’ís to redouble their efforts.

With warm Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Assuring you of my deep appreciation of your contribution and of my loving prayers on your behalf,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 3 March 1952

3 March 1952

To an individual believer

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letter of February 14th has reached the beloved Guardian through the kindness of our dear Bahá’í brother, Mr. Schopflocher,³⁸ and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He hopes that you will be able to render the Cause increasingly valuable services; and feels sure that, with your love for it and devotion to it, you will be able to accomplish great things.

With warmest Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Assuring you of my loving prayers for your success and spiritual advancement,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 14 April 1952

14 April 1952

To the National Public Relations and Radio Committee

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letter of February 28th has been received by our beloved Guardian, and he has directed me to answer you on his behalf.

Your newspaper clipping book for the year 107 just arrived; and he will place it in the Mansion of Bahá’u’lláh, in the Reading Room.

He thinks the way the book is gotten up is quite satisfactory, but hopes that it does not cost you too much to go into such a presentable binding!

The services of your Committee are very deeply appreciated; and he hopes that you will ever increasingly be able to bring the Faith before the public in Canada.

With warm Bahá’í greetings,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty bless you and your dear co-workers, and enable you to lend a great impetus to the progress of the Faith and the consolidation of its institutions,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 27 April 1952

[From the Guardian:]

27 April 1952

To the National Convention

DELEGATES LOVINGLY REMEMBERED SHRINES PROFOUNDLY APPRECIATE REDEDICATION SACRED TASKS PRAYING FERVENTLY ATTAINMENT GOALS URGE CONCENTRATE OBJECTIVES MULTIPLICATION CONSOLIDATION ASSEMBLIES ESSENTIAL FOUNDATION EXPANSION FULFILMENT FUTURE MISSION BEYOND CONFINES DOMINION EXECUTION ABDUL-BAHA’S PLAN DEEPEST LOVE.

SHOGHI

Letter of 28 April 1952

[From the Guardian:]

28 April 1952

To the National Spiritual Assembly

FERVENTLY PRAYING SUCCESS NEWLY ELECTED ASSEMBLY.

SHOGHI

Letter of 14 May 1952

[From the Guardian:]

14 May 1952

To the National Spiritual Assembly

WHETHER BEAULAC³⁹ BE MAINTAINED OR NOT LEFT ASSEMBLY’S DISCRETION. CONSIDER MATTER OBJECTIVELY. ARRANGING SEND TWO THOUSAND POUNDS MY CONTRIBUTION FUTURE HAZÍRÁ URGE ENERGETIC EFFORTS DEEPEST LOVE.

SHOGHI

Letter of 20 May 1952

20 May 1952

To an individual believer

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letter of May 4th has been received, and the beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He deeply appreciates your great devotion to the Faith. The Guardian was happy to learn of the success you are having in your teaching work, especially with the Jewish people. He wishes me to assure you that he will pray for those whom you have succeeded in attracting to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh, and that your own efforts may be richly blessed.

With warm Bahá’í greetings,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

Assuring you of my loving prayers for your success and spiritual advancement,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 20 May 1952

20 May 1952

To an individual believer

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your letter of May 2nd has been received, and the beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

The Guardian has cabled the Canadian National Assembly regarding the Beaulac Summer School,⁴⁰ and feels sure that they will come as a Body to a wise decision….

However, the most important thing is that the Bahá’í Summer Schools should serve the maximum number of friends in as efficient and economic a way as possible. Decisions regarding such institutions must be referred to the National Body; and, as you are a member of that Body, he feels sure that you will add your deliberations to those of your fellow-members, and come to the right decision.

You and your dear wife’s services to the Cause are very deeply appreciated, you may be sure.

With Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

May the Beloved bless, guide and sustain you always, aid you to promote, at all times, the vital interests of His Faith, and lend a great impetus to the consolidation of its institutions,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 8 June 1952

8 June 1952

To the National Spiritual Assembly

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letters dated October 9, 1951, signed by John A. Robarts,⁴¹ November 28, 1951, February 15, March 17 and April 19, 1952, signed by Laura R. Davis⁴² and May 15, 1952 signed by Ross Woodman,⁴³ 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.

As he cabled you, he feels that Charlottetown, 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 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 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.

He sees no objection to circulating the Tablet and the Prayer translated by Dr. Ali Kuli Khan.⁴⁴ The word that you marked in red is “Ark”.

Your Assembly must decide, as the Guardian already told dear Mr. Schopflocher⁴⁵ when he was here, upon the advisability of maintaining the Laurentian School,⁴⁶ 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. We are all familiar with the tremendous sums that have gone into the upkeep of Green Acre over the years, without so far bringing returns commensurate with the investment of our limited Bahá’í monies. However Green Acre, through its close association with the Master, undoubtedly has historic importance, and for this reason cannot be abandoned.

The Guardian’s point is that National Bodies when creating national institutions, should use sound judgement, 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 grave of dear Sutherland Maxwell.⁴⁷ 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 tomb-stone, 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 ten years before our Most Great Jubilee falls due in

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.

[From the Guardian:]

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.

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.

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 nonetheless 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 Hazíratu’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-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 subcontinent, Tihran, the capital of Bahá’u’lláh’s native land, Baghdad, 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 neighborhood 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.

One more word in conclusion. The passing, at this juncture, of one 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 wife⁴⁸ whom posterity will regard, not only as the mother both of the Canadian Bahá’í Community and of the first Bahá’í centre established on the European continent but also as one of the foremost pioneers and martyrs of the Faith, and, on the other with a daughter,⁴⁹ 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 Maxwell⁵⁰ 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 added determination, with increasing dedication, 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

Letter of 15 June 1952

15 June 1952

To the National Spiritual Assembly

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

The beloved Guardian has instructed me to write you in his behalf, to request that the information relating to Canada and its activities, contained in the booklet The Bahá’í Faith: Information Statistical and Comparative be brought up to date as of May 1, 1952, and sent to him here by the first possible air mail post.

One of the features of the Holy Year will be the re-issuance of this important book; inasmuch as the Holy Year is fast approaching, the Guardian wishes the information as quickly as possible.

Briefly, the information which your National Spiritual Assembly is to provide, brought up to date as of May 1, 1952, is as follows:

Incorporated Local Spiritual Assemblies.

Localities where Bahá’ís reside in Canada, showing various Provincial divisions, such as is done in page 24 of the present book.

Any information not immediately available should be handled by telegraph, but such information as is available should not be delayed for any one or two delinquents. You can appreciate that if the booklet is to be published early in the Holy Year, the information should reach the Guardian at a very early date.

The Guardian sends his loving greetings to the National Assembly, and its devoted members.

Faithfully yours,

Leroy C. Ioas

Letter of 18 June 1952

18 June 1952

To an individual believer

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your loving letter of Azamat 14, 109, has been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has asked me to acknowledge it on his behalf.

Your contribution and the one made through you to the Shrine of the Báb are deeply appreciated by him. Enclosed are the two receipts which you request.

The Guardian sends loving greetings to the members of the Toronto Assembly and Community.

The teaching activities in Canada are of the greatest importance, particularly in and around Toronto. The Guardian therefore hopes that all of the friends will devote their energies to the diffusion of the Faith.

The work on the glorious Shrine of the Báb is proceeding. The stone work on the drum is being put in place. The Guardian is very hopeful that this work may continue uninterruptedly until the entire building is completed.

With loving Bahá’í greetings, I am,

Leroy Ioas

Letter of 28 July 1952

28 July 1952

To the Treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your loving letter of July 14th has been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has asked me to acknowledge it in his behalf.

The contributions which have been made to the Shrine of the Báb are deeply appreciated by him. Receipts are enclosed herewith, which he would appreciate your giving to the contributors.

The Guardian is very deeply impressed with the wonderful work being done by the Canadian Bahá’ís. With their limited numbers and resources, they are rendering unique and outstanding services. Certainly they will be richly blessed and confirmed by the Master.

He is hoping that additional victories will be gained by the Canadian Bahá’ís during the present year, so as to lay the proper foundation for the great Teaching Crusade of the next ten years, and the important part that Canada must play in this world undertaking.

The work on the drum of the Shrine is proceeding rapidly now, and its beauty is more evident as the work progresses. The beloved Guardian is very hopeful that the work can continue on the Shrine uninterruptedly until both the drum and the dome have been finished.

With warm Bahá’í greetings,

Leroy Ioas

Letter of 2 August 1952

2 August 1952

To Greta Jankko⁵¹

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your loving letter of July 18th has been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has asked me to acknowledge it in his behalf.

Your contribution to the Shrine of the Báb is very deeply appreciated. Receipt is enclosed herewith.

The Guardian is very happy indeed to learn that, since becoming a Bahá’í, you are very anxious to serve the Faith. It would be very wonderful if you could undertake the translation of one or two pamphlets into Finnish after consultation with the European Teaching Committee, and carry on correspondence with any friends you might have in Finland concerning the Bahá’í Teachings.

There is a small beginning in Helsinki. The Guardian is very anxious that the Faith be spread in your land.

He will pray for your guidance and success.

You will be interested to know that work on the Shrine of the Báb is going forward quite rapidly at this time. The drum is taking shape, and adds to the beauty of the building. The beloved Guardian hopes the work may continue until it is entirely completed.

With loving greetings, I am,

Leroy Ioas

Letter of 5 August 1952

5 August 1952

To the National Teaching Committee

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

Your letter, on behalf of the National Teaching Committee, dated June 27, has been received, and the beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer it on his behalf.

It would seem as if the Canadian Community strongly resembles the British Community, very slow to move, but indomitable once it gets under way. But, whereas the work in Britain lay dormant for about forty years, the Canadian friends have only shown a relatively slight inertia for four years. He feels sure they will overcome it, and when they do, they will undoubtedly be launched down a path along which they will travel with ever greater momentum and glory.

Their consciousness of full national responsibility is still so fresh in their minds that they seem not yet fully aware of the fact that all their affairs and their destiny are now in their own hands exclusively; there is no one to fall back on and do it for them!

However, they can boast a great deal more experience, forming as they did until recently, an integral part of the American Bahá’í Community in existence since 1894, than their sister-communities in Latin America, who have chosen for themselves recently two plans, much more difficult of accomplishment than the remaining tasks that lie ahead of the Canadian Bahá’ís, in order to complete their Five Year Plan. Shall they then fail? It seems utterly out of the question, and the Guardian is confident they will not.

If each Canadian Bahá’í would decide that the fulfilment of the remaining goals lies solely with him, and no one else, then there would be no room for failure. The Guardian will pray that this consciousness may come to all the friends.

With warm Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty bless abundantly your highly meritorious, strenuous, and constant efforts, aid you to win complete victory, and lend a great impetus to the consolidation of the nascent institutions of our glorious Faith,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 22 August 1952

[From the Guardian:]

22 August 1952

To the National Spiritual Assembly

DELIGHTED RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS PRAYING FERVENTLY MAGNIFICENT SUCCESS HIGH PERSISTENT ENDEAVORS DEEPEST LOVING APPRECIATION.

SHOGHI

Letter of 24 August 1952

24 August 1952

To the Treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly

Dear Bahá’í Brother:

Your letter of August 12th … has been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has asked me to acknowledge it on his behalf.

The contributions made by … are very deeply appreciated by him. Receipt is enclosed herewith, which he would ask you to please send to ….

The Guardian was very deeply touched that … made this very substantial contribution in memory of William Sutherland Maxwell.⁵² Mr. Maxwell rendered outstanding and distinguished service to the Cause and to the Guardian during a very difficult period of its development here. Rúhíyyih Khánum⁵³ likewise is deeply appreciative of this remembrance of Mr. Maxwell.

The Guardian is praying fervently for the success of the work in …. He attaches the utmost importance to the establishment of the Cause in the far-off areas, and particularly in the far north — during the next ten years the Faith is to be established all over the world — and certainly those like …, who pioneer so vigorously at this time, are not only helping to achieve great victories now, but are laying the foundation for the success of the great World Crusade which the present efforts will usher in.

The work on the drum of the Shrine is going forward rapidly. The attractiveness of the drum greatly enhances the beauty of the Shrine itself. Not only that, the masons have started to construct the beautiful elaborate masonry surrounding the eighteen windows of the drum, representing the eighteen Letters of the Living.

With warm Bahá’í greetings,

Leroy Ioas

Letter of 19 September 1952

19 September 1952

To the Bahá’ís who were gathered at the Ontario Summer School Conference

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

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 warmest Bahá’í love,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

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

Letter of 19 September 1952

19 September 1952

To the Bahá’ís who attended the Maritime Bahá’í Summer Conference

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

Your letter of August 10th has been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He appreciates your loving greetings; and is confident that those who were privileged to attend this conference have left it, filled with renewed spiritual vitality to do all in their power in the teaching field.

Within a few brief months, the Canadian believers will be called upon to shoulder heavier responsibilities in the Path of Bahá’u’lláh, to be carried during the Ten Year Crusade; and the firmer the foundation laid now, the more confirmed will be the results of their labours both at home and abroad, with the launching of the great World Crusade.

He will remember you all in his loving prayers.

With warm Bahá’í greetings,

R. Rabbani

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty bless your high and meritorious endeavours, guide and sustain you always, and enable you to promote the vital interests of His Faith and of its institutions,

Your true brother,

Shoghi

Letter of 29 November 1952

29 November 1952

To an individual

Dear Spiritual Brother:

Your letter dated February 13th, 1952, has been received by Shoghi Effendi, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

We are always happy to have friends of the Bahá’í Faith, and have counted amongst them many fine souls who for one reason or another cannot seem to take the step forward of working actively for that which we cherish so highly.

Shoghi Effendi is pleased to see that you are a staunch friend of the Canadian Bahá’ís; for truly in their struggles, the more friends they have amongst the general public, the better.

There are, no doubt, always grounds for criticism. The Bahá’ís are not perfect, and are not able, at present at least, to put into practice all the things they stand for. However, he feels that if you compare them to the people of the world in general, you will find a high average of sincerity and dedication to a great ideal, and a tangible effort being made on their part to live up to that which they preach. As time goes by, and there are larger communities of Bahá’ís believing in the same things, it will obviously become easier for them to put them into community practice. Perhaps sometime you will feel moved to help them. Your collaboration would be most welcome.

He will pray that the dearest wishes of your heart may be realized, and sends you his kind regards.

Yours truly,

R. Rabbani

Letter of 8 February 1953

8 February 1953

To an individual believer

Dear Bahá’í Sister:

The beloved Guardian was pleased to receive your letter of December 20th, also your contribution for the Shrine of the Báb, which came to him through Mr. and Mrs. Rakovsky,⁵⁴ and he has asked me to acknowledge it on his behalf. The receipt for the contribution was taken to you by Mr. Rakovsky.

The Guardian highly values your service and devotion to the Faith. Your letter recalls to his mind the statements of the Master that many people who come to the Holy Land are here in body only, while others, whose body remains away, are here in spirit. The Guardian assures you that your service and devotion to the Faith make your spirit at home in Haifa.

He will continue to pray for your spiritual development, that the gifts of the Holy Spirit may be yours in abundance.

With warm Bahá’í greetings,

Leroy Ioas

Letter of 5 April 1953

[From the Guardian:]

5 April 1953

To the National Spiritual Assembly

APPEAL ENTIRE COMMUNITY ARISE ELEVENTH HOUR SUPREME EFFORT FILL GAPS ENSURE SUCCESS FIRST COLLECTIVE ENTERPRISE CANADIAN BAHÁ’Í HISTORY.

SHOGHI