Bahá’í World/Volume 27/1998-99, A Year of Retrospect and Prospect
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The Bahá’í communities ofBelgium, C anada,
France, Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom celebrated notable anniversaries this year. Robert Weinberg reports on their commemorative activities.
1 998— 1 999 A Year oi Retrospect and Prospect
hile a large proportion of humanity has taken the opportunity
during the past year to anticipate the turn of a century and the beginning of a new millennium, several national Bahá’í communities have spent the period reflecting on their origins, celebrating their achievements, and initiating dialogue on their country’sindeed the whole planet’s—future.
The last twelve months saw significant celebrations of the centenary Of the establishment of the Bahá’í Faith 0n the European continent, most particularly in France and the United Kingdom. Germany, meanwhile, acknowledged the seventy—fifth anniversary of the foundation of its Bahá’í community, Belgian Bahá’ís marked their fiftieth birthday, and in Ireland, events were held to celebrate half a century of the establishment of Bahá’í institutions in that country. Canada, meanwhile, observed a double commemoration, marking the centenary of the arrival of the Bahá’í Faith in Canada and the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the Canadian National Spiritual Assembly.
Millennia, centenaries, and anniversaries are all, of course, a human invention. The Nobel Prize-winning novelist Thomas Mann
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wrote, “Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunderstorm or blare of trumpets tovannounee the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells or fire off pistols.” Yet, for Bahá’ís, a significant anniversary is something to celebrate. It gives community members an opportunity to contemplate how far they have come, who their spiritual forebears were, and how they managed to achieve what they did. Anniversaries can provide a lesson in how to transmit the experiences of the past to the future.
The first Bahá’í center in Europe was established by May Maxwell (née Bolles). Born in 1870 in the United States, Mrs. Maxwell spent many years resident in Paris with her mother and brother. In February 1899, she was among the first group of western pilgrims to go to Acre (in what was then Palestine) to Visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Baha’u’llah and leader of the Bahá’í Faith, who was still being held as a prisoner of the Ottoman Empire. On her return to the French capital, she began to tell others of the new religious movement she had discovered. A significant group of Bahá’ís emerged around her, among them a number of
In I 913, ‘A bdu ’l—Bahd visited Paris for approximatelyfive months. He is pictured here with His companions at the Eiffel Tower.
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In November 1998, more than one thousand Bahd ’z's gathered beneath the Eiffel T ower to commemorate ‘Abdu ’l—Baha't 3‘ visit to Paris in 1913 and to inaugurate a conference marking the centenary of the Bahd ’t' F ait‘h in Paris.
artists and artisans, and believers of various nationalities, including the early English Bahá’í Thomas Breakwell.
To mark the centenary of these momentous events, the Bahá’í community of F rance held an ambitious conference in Paris from 27 to 29 November 1998. The celebrations began when more than one thousand Bahá’ís gathered beneath the Eiffel Tower for a photograph, on the same spot where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had been photographed during His historic Visit to Paris in 1913. Later, the conference opened with the participation of two thousand people, including more than two hundred guests of the Bahá’ís and six hundred Bahá’ís from outside France. The structure of the program, which was modeled on the Second Bahá’í World Congress held in New York in 1992, included talks, film and Video presentations, and theatrical and musical segments. A high point of the conference was the colorful public concert “La Nuit de l’espoir” (“The Night of Hope”), held at the Salle de la Mutualité, one of the largest halls in Paris. Before the event, more than two hundred and fifty special guests, including ambassadors, politicians, religious and civil dignitaries, journalists, and representatives of
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Civic dignitaries and Bahd ’17s in the north of England gathered in
_ Liverpool is St George is ‘ Hallfor a regional celebration offhe centenary Ofthe Bahá’í' Faith in the
United Kingdom.
major non-governmental organizations attended a reception and expressed great interest in and admiration for the work of the Bahá’í community. Another highlight of the event was a dedication and reception held immediately after the conference at the Paris apartment where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had stayed.
Also marking the French centenary, a colloquium entitled “France, a Land Of Faith,” was held on 5 December in the prestigious Palais du Luxembourg. The goal of the event was to show how spiritual values have played an important role in the nation’s growth and to point out the necessity, if F rance is to meet the Challenges posed by the accelerating pace of global development, for balance between material civilization and spiritual values. Nine speakers representing the main religions of the country took part, including the Grand Mufti Of Marseilles and the Director of the Institute of Science and the Theology of Religions at the Catholic Institute of Paris. Some one hundred and seventy people attended the colloquium.
Media coverage of the centenary celebrations was unprecedented for the French Bahá’í community, with a three-minute report shown on one of France’s major television stations, a dozen radio programs, and a large number of newspaper articles, including a lengthy piece in Le Monde and another in the weekly L ’Express.
Among the participants in the French festivities were many Visitors from the United Kingdom who, on their side of the English Channel, spent much of the past year celebrating the centenary of the establishment of the Bahá’í Faith in Britain. The first Bahá’í
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REkllRQSPECI AN D PIQSPEQI
A production tracing the history ofBritaz'n ’5 relationship with the Bahá’í Faith was held at London 1? historic Hackney Empire Theatre.
of the British Isles, the American-bom Mary Virginia ThornburghCropper, was among the first party of Western pilgrims to Visit ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Soon after returning from her Visit she taught Ethel Jenner Rosenberg, a distinguished painter of miniatures, about the Bahá’í teachings. The two of them formed the nucleus of the first Bahá’í community in Britain. Many of the dedicated early British believers were upper-Class women who expressed their newfound faith through involvement in humanitarian and Charitable causes. The most distinguished Of them—Sara Louisa, Lady Blomfield—was an avid supporter of women’s suffrage, campaigned for the rights of prisoners, animals and children, and was an active early participant in the formation of the Save the Children Fund. As part of the United Kingdom’s centenary activities, plans have been developed to restore the grave of Lady Blomfield in London.
The extraordinary achievements of these women inspired dozens Of gatherings throughout the year, as communities all around the United Kingdom held celebratory events. A special centenary website was established featuring useful information, historical
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Irish President V Mary McAleese w
attended a — h 7 reception in ”W“ Dublin Castle 19 St. Patrickis Hall on 22 April 1998 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of j the founding of _,,_ .. Bahá’í' institutions in Ireland.
.. ah; g To mark the seventy fifth anniversary
~ ‘ : if, h * '1; Of the establish3 3" ‘ ment of the l _ National Spiritual
‘ Assembly, a
~ Bahá’ídelegatian . met with
German President ‘ Roman Herzog
‘ (far left).
articles, and illustrations for communities to draw upon. Many of the year’s activities made use of the exceptional artistic talent to be found in the United Kingdom’s Bahá’í community. The inspiring multinational choir “One World Rhythm” performed throughout the country; a youth dance workshop based in Northeast England, “Express Freedom,” impressed audiences around the region; and a creative and often comical celebratory production written by Bahá’ís was performed at London’s historic Hackney Empire Theatre. Youth also featured in the celebrations, as one hundred and seventy-five young Bahá’ís and their friends attended a centenary conference in Warrington. '
In Northern Ireland, more than two hundred Bahá’ís gathered in Belfast for a program that included a presentation on the history of the Faith in the territory. Participants also looked to the future and discussed methods by which the Bahá’í teachings could be more effectively applied to the problems troubling the region.
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On 22 March 1999, Prime Minister Tony Blair addressed a letter to the United Kingdom’s National Spiritual Assembly, saying. “I congratulate the Bahá’í community on the centenary of its establishment in this country. I share your principle of equality between all people and welcome your encouragement of dialogue between those from different faiths and cultures. I hope your Centenary and New Year celebrations are a great success.”
On 22 April 1998, Irish President Mary McAleese attended a reception in Dublin Castle’s St. Patrick’s Hall to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Bahá’í institutions in Ireland. Representatives of both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland attended, along With dignitaries from the Methodist Church, the Sikh, J ewish, and Buddhist communities, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Dutch Ambassador, the Bulgarian Charge d’Affaires, local schools, and several Irish non-governmental organizations. The President delivered a heartfelt and moving speech about the Bahá’í teachings and the history of the Irish Bahá’í community, enlivened by spontaneous comments and reflections, speaking far beyond the time originally scheduled. This was the
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In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary Ofthe establishment Ofthe Bahá’í' Faith in Belgium, a conference entitled “Spiritual Sources and a New Order of Valuesfor the let C entury ” was held at Brussels ’ Palais des C ongrés.
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first time an Irish President had attended a Bahá’í event, an occasion which coincided with the first time other Irish religious representatives had officially acknowledged a Bahá’í presence in the country by participating in Bahá’í activities.
Elsewhere in Europe, to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the establishment of Germany’s National Spiritual Assembly, a Bahá’í delegation met with President Roman Herzog. For threequarters of an hour the three Bahá’í representatives talked with the President about the writings of Baha’u’llah, Bahá’í social and economic development projects, the situation of the Bahá’í community in Iran, and Bahá’í involvement in the United Nations.
In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Bahá’í Faith’s introduction to Belgium, a conference entitled “Spiritual Sources and a New Order of Values for the 21st Century” was held at Brussels’ Palais des Congres. One hundred and fifty people attended, of whom half were guests of the Bahá’ís. The keynote speaker of the evening was Chingiz Aitrnatov, the Kyrghyz Ambassador to Belgium and the European Community. Aitmatov is one of the most widely read contemporary writers, with novels translated into more than one hundred and fifty languages. During the colloquium he gave an inspiring presentation in which he offered an analysis of the world’s religions and contemporary cultures. He referred to competition among the religions and bemoaned the afflictions occasioned when “each religion endeavors to affirm itself at the expense of the others.” Other speakers at the event included Andraz Laszlo of the Club of Budapest, Professor William Hatcher from Canada, Professor Anne Morelli from the Institute of the History of Religions of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Free University of Brussels), and Dr. Christine Samandari—Ḥakím of the Bahá’í International Community’s Office of Public Information in Paris.
Many of these European Bahá’í communities owe much to their coreligionists from North America, whose pioneering efforts in many instances brought about the birth and subsequent growth of the Bahá’í Faith in European territories. While May Maxwell’s historic role in establishing the first Bahá’í center in Paris was being remembered during the past year, her adopted home in Canada had its own occasion to celebrate.
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Canada’s Bahá’ís took the opportunity of their National Convention in Montreal, held from 14 to 18 May 1998, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the formation of the country’s first National Spiritual Assembly. A number of invited guests who had rendered distinguished service to the community, as well as those who had been at the Convention in 1948, were present. In a special message to the gathering the Universal House of Justice called upon the Canadian Bahá’ís to maintain their position in the forefront of the development of the worldwide Bahá’í community and particularly emphasized the need to involve the First Nations people of Canada in the unfolding processes towards world unity.
A heartfelt letter was also received from May Maxwell’s daughter, Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, the Bahá’í community’s foremost dignitary. “My ardent hope,” she wrote, “is that the new generation, as well as those who have recently embraced the Divine Message of Baha’u’llah and entered into the tabernacle of His world-protecting, world-guiding teachings, may distinguish themselves, at home and abroad, in its service, and prove themselves worthy of the many blessings they have received as one of the oldest Bahá’í communities in the Western World, whether of Europe or the American continent. We all know that the fastest runner, the most valiant exponent, the most steadfast protagonist is in any event likely to win the palm of Victory.”
The other cause for celebration in Canada during the year was the one hundredth anniversary of the introduction of the Bahá’í Faith to the country. In September 1898 a young woman named Edith Magee returned as a Bahá’í to her home in London, Ontario after learning about the Bahá’í Faith in Chicago. During the anniversary year, local communities around the country took the Mrs. Francoise Smith, center, who opportunity to hold public birth- attended thefirst National Conven d 1 b . d h . 1 lion in Canada, with members of ay C6 6 ratlons an 5 0w spe01a the current National Assembly.
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archival displays about the history of the Faith in Canada. Dr. Will van den Hoonaard, author of The Origins Of the Bahá’í' Community ofCanada 1898—1948, also traveled to various towns and cities to lecture about Canadian Bahá’í history.
In reflecting during this year of anniversaries on their past glories and achievements, these Bahá’í communities have not simply been paying nostalgic tribute to their spiritual forebears. All these events have served to remind Bahá’ís Of the responsibilities they Will shoulder in the coming years when, it is anticipated, more and more of humanity Will turn to the Bahá’í community for the insights and guidance to be found in Baha’u’llah’s teachings. Remembering the achievements of the past reminds Bahá’ís Of the foundation of sacrifice and dedication that built the good standing and reputation of the Bahá’í community in the world today. Bahá’ís all over the world know that no less a sacrificial outpouring of commitment is required to continue the movement towards world peace and unity called for and initiated by the revelation of Baha’u’llah.
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