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Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

World Canada
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Date 1948-04, descending sort earliest first

date event tags firsts
1948 24 - 25 Apr
194-
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Dominion of Canada was established. [BBRSM:186; BW13:856; MBW143; PP397]
  • See BW11:160, 184 for pictures.
  • The first National Convention was held in the Maxwell's home (in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's home as will be the election of the Universal House of Justice some 15 years hence.) with 13/19 delegates from all the provinces attending. (Six were unable to attend due to a flood.) Those elected to the first National Spiritual Assembly were: Laura Davis, Rowland Estall, Lloyd Gardner, Doris Richardson, John Robarts, Emeric Sala, Rosemary Sala, Siegfried Schopflocher, and Ross Woodman. [TG110, OBCC269]
  • For a picture of the first Canadian National Spiritual Assembly see OBCC148.
  • National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Conventions, National; Laura Davis; Rowland Estall; Lloyd Gardner; Doris Richardson; John Robarts; Emeric Sala; Rosemary Sala; Siegfried Schopflocher; Ross Woodman; Canada first NSA Canada
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The first Local Spiritual Assembly was established in Edinburgh, Scotland [SBBH Vol 14 p275] Local Spiritual Assembly, formation; Edinburgh, Scotland; Scotland The first Local Spiritual Assembly in Edinburgh
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The first local assembly was established in Geneva, Switzerland. [BQYM201] Local Spiritual Assembly; Geneva, Switzerland; Switzerland first Local Spiritual Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The first local assembly was established in Bern, Switzerland. [BQYM201 Local Spiritual Assembly; Bern, Switzerland; Switzerland first Local Spiritual Assembly in Bern, Switzerland.
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The first Local Spiritual Assembly was established in Oslo. [BQYM201] Local Spiritual Assembly; Oslo, Norway; Norway first the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Norway.
    1948 21 - 22 Apr
    194-
    The 2nd Battle of Haifa: A Jewish offensive to gain control of the strategic port of Haifa. Prior to the 30-hour battle, the Arab population of Haifa was estimated to be 65,000 compared to 70,000 Palestinian Jews. At the end of the operation, the Arab population was reduced to about 4,000 people. [Battle of Haifa] War; History (general); Haifa, Israel
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The National Spiritual Assembly was elected in the United States. Those elected were: Dorothy Baker (Chair), Paul Haney (Vice·Chalr), Horace Holley (Secretary), Philip Sprague (Treasurer), Elsie Austin, Kenneth Christian, Edna True, Amelia Collins, and George Latimer. [USBN No. 207 May, 1948 p 4] National Spiritual Assembly of the United States; Dorothy Baker; Paul Haney; Horace Holley; Philip G. Sprague; Elsie Austin; Kenneth Christian; Edna True; Amelia Collins; George Latimer; United States (USA) first National Spiritual Assembly of the United States
    1948 Ridvan
    194-
    The formation of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Cardiff. See CG9 for a picture. Local Spiritual Assembly; Cardiff, Wales; Wales, UK; United Kingdom the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Cardiff
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The first Bahá'í institution in Italy, the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Rome was elected.
  • See picture.
  • Local Spiritual Assembly; Rome, Italy; Italy first Local Spiritual Assembly in Italy
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The first local spiritual assembly in Spain was established in Madrid. Local Spiritual Assembly; Madrid, Spain first Local Spiritual Assembly in Spain
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The Local Spiritual Assembly of Budapest reformed. The Assembly was forced to dissolve again near the end of 1950 under the new regime. Most Bahá'ís fled the country during or after the Revolution in 1956. [www.bahai.hu]. Local Spiritual Assembly; Local Spiritual Assembly, re-formed; Budapest, Hungary; Hungary
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The first local spiritual assembly in Sweden was established in Stockholm. [BW11:689]
  • For picture see BW11p689.
  • Local Spiritual Assembly; Stockholm, Sweden first Local Spiritual Assembly in Sweden
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The first All-Native Bahá'í Assembly was established on the Omaha Reservation in Macy, Nebraska. [BW13:837; CF72]
  • See BW11:536 for a picture.
  • For the role of Amelia Collins in establishing this Assembly see PSBW88.
  • Amelia Collins; Local Spiritual Assembly; Macy, NE; Nebraska, USA; United States (USA) first All-Native Local Spiritual Assembly Macy, Nebraska
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The first local spiritual assembly in Ireland was established in Dublin. Local Spiritual Assembly; Dublin, Ireland; Ireland first Local Spiritual Assembly in Ireland
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The first local spiritual assembly in Afghanistan was established in Kabul. Local Spiritual Assembly; Kabul, Afghanistan; Afghanistan firstLocal Spiritual Assembly in Afghanistan
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The first local spiritual assembly in Belgium was established in Brussels. [BW11p727] Local Spiritual Assembly; Brussels, Belgium; Belgium first Local Spiritual Assembly in Belgium
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    When the state of Pakistan was formed it was incorporated into the National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma. The name of the new assembly was known as the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India, Pakistan and Burma.
  • This assembly until Pakistan formed an independent Assembly in 1957.
  • National Spiritual Assembly, formation; India; Pakistan; Myanmar
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The newly formed National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada launched a Five Year Plan (1948-1953). [Ruhi 8.2 p46; BBRSM158; Letter from Shoghi Effendi dated 14 April. 1948]

    Some objectives were;
      - To incorporate the National Spiritual Assembly
      - To establish national endowments
      - To increase to thirty the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies
      - To increase to one hundred the number of localities where Bahá'ís reside
      - To form a group in Newfoundland
      - To form a group in Greenland
      - To enroll (Eskimos) Inuit and (Native Indians) First Nations in the Faith

    - Teaching Plans; - Teaching Plans, National; Canada; Greenland
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The Germano-Austrian teaching plan, the German Five Year Plan(1948–53), comprising of internal goals only, was launched. [BBRSM158; The Spiritual Conquest of the Planet (Supplement) p2]

    Some goals were:
      - To double the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies from fourteen to twenty-eight, increasing the Bahá'í membership in each community
      - To raise the number of localities in Germany and Austria where Bahá'ís reside
      - To deepen the understanding of the friends in the operation of the Administrative Order
      - To encourage deeper study of the teachings
      - To construct the National Hazíratu'l-Quds in Frankfurt
      - To enrich Bahá'í literature with two publications by March 1949, fifteen by March 1950, six by March 1951 and nine by 1952

    - Teaching Plans; Germano-Austrian Five Year Plan; Germany; Austria
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Egypt and Sudan launched a Five Year Plan (1948-1953). [Ruhi 8.2 p46, BBRSM158; The Spiritual Conquest of the Planet (Supplement) p2]

    Some goals were:
      - To raise to nine the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies
      - To raise to thirty-three the number of localities where Bahá'ís reside
      - To send pioneers to Tunisia, Algeria and Libya
      - To acquire property for a Bahá'í school
      - To issue a Bahá'í magazine
      - To consolidate the community in Ethiopia

    - Teaching Plans; - Teaching Plans, National; Egypt; Sudan
    1948 Ridván
    194-
    The formation of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Amsterdam, the first in the Netherlands. [BQYM204; BW11p654]
  • See BQYM205 for a picture of the Assembly members.
  • Local Spiritual Assembly; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Netherlands first local spiritual assembly in the Netherlands
    1948 19 Apr
    194-
    The Havana Bahá'ís incorporated as an 'assembly', meaning 'group'.
  • It was incorporated as a local spiritual assembly in 1949.
  • Local Spiritual Assembly; Local Spiritual Assembly, incorporation; Havana, Cuba
    1948 Apr
    194-
    Contracts were placed in Italy for the rose Baveno granite columns for the Shrine of the Báb. [BBD210; DH140]
  • The first shipment of stone reaches Haifa on 23 November 1948.
  • For details of securing the contract and cutting the stone see SE68–83.
  • Báb, Shrine of (Haifa); Granite; Italy
    1948 18 Apr
    194-
    The name 'Bahá'í International Community' was first used to refer to the eight existing National Spiritual Assemblies recognized collectively as a non-governmental organization. Those Assemblies were those of North America; the British Isles; Germany and Austria; Egypt and Sfidan; 'Iráq; Iran (Persia); India, Pakistan and Burma; and Australia and New Zealand. Subsequently to these eight bodies were added the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Bahá'ís of Canada, of Central America and of South America. Each National Spiritual Assembly in its application established the National Assembly of the United States as its representative in relation to the United Nations. [BBRSM149; BW11:43; BW12:597; BIC History 18 April 1948]
  • The Bahá'í International Community evolved to become an international non-governmental organization with affiliates in over 180 countries and territories, which together represent over 5-6 million members of the Bahá'í Faith. As an international NGO, the Office (est. 1948) interacts and cooperates with the United Nations, its specialized agencies, with governments, as well as with inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations. The BIC seeks to promote and apply principles — derived from the teachings of the Bahá'í Faith — which contribute to the resolution of current day challenges facing humanity and the development of a united, peaceful, just, and sustainable civilization. The work of the BIC focuses on the promotion of a universal standard for human rights, the advancement of women, and the promotion of just and equitable means of global prosperity.
  • Mildred Mottahedeh was appointed to serve as the accredited Bahá'í International Observer, a post she held as a volunteer for almost 20 years. [BW12:601]
  • The following is a list of UN agencies with whom the BIC has representation: United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Health Organization (WHO).
  • In the Ridván Message of 2001, the Universal House of Justice wrote:
      On many occasions during this one-year endeavour, the external affairs of the Faith were especially visible. Consider, for example, the instances of Bahá'í representatives' having participated prominently in the millennial events that took place in May, August and September at the urging of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The implications of so close and conspicuous an involvement of the Bahá'í International Community with the processes of the Lesser Peace will require the passage of time to be properly understood. (emphasis added)
  • Bahá'í International Community; - Non-governmental organizations (NGO); Bahá'í International Community (general); Mildred Mottahedeh; UNICEF; UNIFEM; UNEP; Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); World Health Organization (WHO); Firsts, other; - Basic timeline, Expanded; * Shoghi Effendi (chronology); New York, USA; United States (USA) The name ‘Bahá’í International Community’ is first used
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