Bahá’í World/Volume 6/Petition of the Bahá’ís of Montreal, Canada
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TO HIS HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC
THE PETITION OF Emeric Sala, importer, 194 Riverside Drive, St. Lambert, Quebec, William Sutherland Maxwell, architect, 1548 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Ernest Vernon Harrison, clerk, 3411 Northcliffe Avenue, Montreal, Miss Anne Savage, spinster, 99 Guilbault Street, Montreal, Mrs. May Maxwell, wife of William Sutherland Maxwell, 1548 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Mrs. Rosemary Sala, wife of Emeric Sala, 194 Riverside Drive, St. Lambert, Quebec, Miss Mary Sutherland Maxwell, writer, 1548 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Siegfried Schopflocher, manufacturer, 1904 Van Horne Avenue, Montreal, and Rowland Ardouin Estall, secretary, 2072 St. Luke Street, Montreal, respectfully showeth as follows:—
The undersigned petitioners are desirous of obtaining Letters Patent under the Provisions of Part Three of the Quebec Companies’ Act, (1920) and Amendments, without share capital, constituting your petitioners and such others as may become members in the corporation thereby created a body corporate and politic under the name of "CORPORATION OF THE SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE CITY OF MONTREAL” or such other name as shall appear to you to be proper in the premises.
The undersigned have satisfied themselves and are assured that the proposed corporate name of the corporation under which incorporation is sought is not the corporate name of any other known corporation, incorporated or unincorporated, or any name liable to be confounded therewith or otherwise on public grounds objectionable.
Your petitioners are of the full age of twenty-one years.
The purposes for which this incorporation is sought by the petitioners are:—
1. To administer the affairs of the Bahá’í Faith for the benefit of the Bahá’ís of the City of Montreal in accordance with the religious teachings and administrative principles of this Faith.
2. The Bahá’ís of the City of Montreal adopt this Corporation in order to supply proper legal status to their conduct of the affairs of a religious community which has had continuous existence for more than thirty years, being the first local Bahá’í community established in Canada. During this period the community has been recognized, encouraged and instructed in letters and communications sent by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who, in one communication dated at Haifa, Palestine, February 21, 1917, and addressed “To the believers of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful in the Dominion of Canada,” expressed the wish "that in the future Montreal may become so stirred, that the melody of the Kingdom may travel to all parts of the world from that Dominion and the breaths of the Holy Spirit may spread from that center to the East and West of America.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá himself spent several days in this City during the course of his visit to America in 1912. The Assembly has been recognized since the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in letters sent by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith. The Montreal Bahá’í Community has been continuously and uninterruptedly represented by delegates in the Annual Meetings held by the recognized national Bahá’í body of North America since the formation of that body in 1909. The Spiritual Assembly is at present enrolled in the list of local Spiritual Assemblies recognized by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada.
3. The Trustees, i.e., the Spiritual Assembly, recognize that this action has been taken in full unanimity and agreement. They acknowledge for themselves and on behalf of their successors the sacred meaning and universal purpose of the Bahá’í Faith, the teachings and principles of which fulfil the divine promise of all former revealed religions.
4. In administering the affairs of the Bahá’í Religion under this Corporation for the benefit of the Bahá’ís of the City of
Montreal in accordance with the religious teachings and administrative principles of this Faith, the Spiritual Assembly shall act in conformity with the functions of a local Spiritual Assembly as defined in the By-Laws adopted by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada and published by that body for the information and guidance of Bahá’ís throughout the United States and Canada.
5. The Spiritual Assembly, in the fulfilment of its obligations and responsibilities under this Corporation, shall have exclusive jurisdiction and authority over all the local activities and affairs of the Bahá’í community of the City of Montreal, including paramount authority in the administration of this Corporation. It shall be responsible for maintaining the integrity and accuracy of all Bahá’í teaching, Whether Written or oral, undertaken throughout the local community. It shall make available the published literature of the Faith. It shall represent the community in its relations to the
AFFIDAVIT
National Spiritual Assembly, in its relation
to the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, to
other local Bahá’í communities, and to the
general public in the City of Montreal.
It shall be charged with the recognition of
all applicants requesting membership in the
local Bahá’í community. It shall pass upon
the right of any and all members of the
community whose membership is in question
to retain their status as voting members
of the community. It shall call the
meetings of the Community, including the
Bahá’í Anniversaries and Feasts, the
meetings of consultation, the Annual Meeting
and the meeting for the election
of delegates to the Annual Meeting of the
National Spiritual Assembly. It
shall appoint and supervise all
committees of the
Bahá’í community. It shall collect and
disburse all funds intended for
the maintenance of this Corporation.
It shall have
full and complete custody of the
headquarters or meeting place of the Bahá’í
community. It shall report to the National
Spiritual Assembly annually, or when
[Page 327]
requested, the
membership roll of the Bahá’í
community, for the information
and approval of the national Bahá’í body. The
Spiritual Assembly, however, shall recognize
the authority and right of the National
Spiritual Assembly to declare at any time
what activities and affairs of the Bahá’í
community of the City of Montreal are
more than local in scope and hence subject
to the jurisdiction of the National Spiritual
Assembly. It shall likewise recognize the
right of any member of the community to
appeal to the National Spiritual Assembly
for review and decision of any matter in
which the previous decision of the local
Spiritual Assembly is felt by the member
to be contrary to the explicit teachings of
the Bahá’í Faith or opposed to its
best interests. It shall, on the
other hand, have
the authority and right to appeal from the
decision of the National Assembly to the
Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith for review and
final decision of any matter related to the
Faith in the City of Montreal.
6. The Spiritual Assembly, in administering this Corporation, shall ever bear in mind the ideals upheld in the Sacred Writings of the Bahá’í Faith respecting the relationships of a Spiritual Assembly to its Bahá’í community, respecting the relations of Bahá’ís to one another in the community, and the relationships of Bahá’ís to all non-Bahá’ís, without prejudice of race, creed, class or nationality. The Assembly shall therefore above all recognize its sacred duty to maintain full and complete unity throughout the Bahá’í community, to relieve and comfort the sick and distressed, to assist the poor and destitute, to protect the orphans, the crippled and the aged, to educate the children of Bahá’ís according to the highest religious and intellectual standards, to compose differences and disagreements among members of the community, to promulgate the principles of Divine Civilization revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, and to promote in every way possible the Bahá’í aim of the oneness of mankind. It shall faithfully and devotedly uphold the general Bahá’í activities and affairs initiated and sustained by the National Spiritual Assembly. It shall co-operate wholeheartedly with other local Spiritual Assemblies throughout North America in all matters declared by the National Spiritual Assembly to be of general Bahá’í importance and concern. It shall rigorously abstain from any action or influence, direct or indirect, that savours of intervention on the part of a Bahá’í body in matters of political and civil jurisdiction. It shall encourage intercourse between the Bahá’í community of the City of Montreal and other recognized Bahá’í communities, issuing letters of introduction to Bahá’ís traveling from Montreal and passing upon letters of introduction issued by other Bahá’í Assemblies. It shall regard its authority as a means of rendering service to Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís and not as a source of arbitrary power. While retaining the sacred right of final decision in all matters pertaining to the Bahá’í community, the Spiritual Assembly shall ever seek the advice and consultation of all members of the community, keep the community informed of all its affairs and invite full and free discussion on the part of the community of all matters affecting the Faith.
The Head Office of the Corporation shall be at Room No. 214, 1231 St. Catherine Street West in the City and District of Montreal.
The amount to which the value of the immovable property which the Corporation is to possess is to be limited is $250,000.00.
The following are the names in full and the address and profession or calling of each of the petitioners:
PETITIONERS
Emeric Sala Importer
William Sutherland Maxwell Architect
Ernest Vernon Harrison ‘Clerk
PROFESSION OR CALLING
327 ADDRESS 194 Riverside Drive, St. Lambert, Que. 1548 Pine Avenue W., Montreal, Que. 3411 Northcliffe Ave. Montreal, Que.
[Page 328]
PETITION E RS
Miss Anne Savage Spinster
Mrs. May Maxwell
Maxwell Mrs. Rosemary Sala Wife of Emeric Sala Miss Mary Sutherland Writer Maxwell
Siegfried Schopflocher Manufacturer Rowland Ardouin Estall Secretary
The said Emeric Sala, William Sutherland Maxwell, Ernest Vernon Harrison, Miss Anne Savage, Mrs. May Maxwell, Mrs. Rosemary Sala, Miss Mary Sutherland Maxwell, Siegfried Schopflocher, and Rowland Ardouin Estall will be the first or provisional Trustees of the Corporation.
A Memorandum of Agreement by the petitioners under seal and in accordance with the Act has been executed in duplicate, one of the duplicates being transmitted herewith.
The undersigned therefore request that a charter may be granted constituting them and such other persons as hereafter become
THE BAHA’I
PROFESSION OR CALLING
WORLD
ADDRESS
99 Guilbault Street, Montreal, Que.
Wife of William Sutherland 1548 Pine Avenue W.,
Montreal, Que.
194 Riverside Drive, St. Lambert, Que.
1548 Pine Avenue W., Montreal, Que.
1904- Van Horne Avenue, Montreal, Que.
2072 St. Luke Street, Montreal, Que.
members of the Corporation a body politic and corporate without share capital for the purposes above set forth.
Emeric Sala,
William Sutherland Maxwell, Ernest Vernon Harrison, Anne Savage,
May Maxwell,
Rosemary Sala,
Mary Sutherland Maxwell, Siegfried Schopflocher, Rowland Ardouin Estall.
Dated at Montreal this twentieth day of December 1934.
