Felix Maddela became the first Filipino Bahá'í. His first encounter with the Bahá'í Faith was in 1924 when a purchase he made was wrapped in a piece of old newspaper which contained an article by Martha Root about the religion and a picture of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. As the author's address did not appear in the article, it was another 14 years before he encountered more about the religion. In the early spring of 1937, Loulie Albee Mathews arrived in Manila on board the "Franconia." As the boat was to dock for only a few hours, she managed to place a few pamphlets in a college library on the shelf of comparative religions. A few months later, on a visit to Manila from Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, Mr. Maddela came across the literature. This started a series of correspondence with the Bahá'í Publishing Committee of the United States. With Madella so fired up, he immediately taught his family and friends. Shortly before World War II, the Bahá'í's of Solano numbered around fifty. When war broke out all communications ceased. Immediately after the war, contact was re-established thru Alvin Blum, who was attached to the medical unit of the United States Army. Hitch-hiking to Solano, which was in ruins, he located the Maddelas living in impoverished conditions. Of the fifty enrolled Bahá'í's, twenty-five had been killed or were missing. The others had survived by hiding in rice fields for three years. [WikipediaThe Bahá'í Faith in the Philippines]
• On the 2nd of December 1946, the Local Spiritual Assembly of Sloano was incorporated. At Ridván 1964 the first National Spiritual Assembly was formed and during the Ten Year Crusade Hand of the Cause Dr Rahmatu'lláh Muhájir led the mass conversion with brought the Faith far and wide throughout the islands. [BW19p798]
• Travel teachers that had visited the Philippines were: Jamal Effendi, Mirzá Husayn Tútí, Martha Root and Siegfried Schopflocher. [BW19p798]

The thirty-sixth National Convention was held in Wilmette and hosted representatives of the Bahá'í communities of Central and South America.

Those elected to serve the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada were: George O. Latimer (Chairman), Allen B. McDaniel (Vice), Horace Holley (Secretary), Louis G. Gregory (Recording Secretary), Roy C. Wilhelm (Treasurer), Dorothy Baker. Amelia E. Collins, Philip G. Sprague, Leroy Ioas. The Assembly appointed Siegfried Schopflocher to serve as the Treasurer of the Canadian Bahá'í Fund. [BN No 169 July 1944 p2; BN No285 Nov 1954 p3-4]

• Prior to 1944 delegates to the National Convention were chosen from local communities by proportional representation. [BN No 16 March 1927 p1 refers] After this point delegates no longer represented Local Assemblies but were chosen on a provincial (or state) basis. [MA70-71; OBCC157, 174n2]
• In 1944 there were 35 delegates to the National Convention. iiiii

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.

Siegfried (Fred) Schopflocher, Hand of the Cause of God, passed away in Montreal and was buried beside the grave of Sutherland Maxwell in Mount Royal Cemetery. He was born in Landkreis Fürth, Germany 26 September 1877. [BW12:664-666, LOF390, TG119, CBNS 24 July 2014, Bahá'í Chronicles, SCRIBD, Schopflocher, Siegfried (1877–1953) by Will C. van den Hoonaard]
• Shoghi Effendi had appointed him among the second contingent on the 29th of February, 1952. [MoCxxiii]
• See TG32, 228 and LoF384-390 for short biographies.
• Bahá'í Encyclopedia for a biography written by Will van den Hoonaard.
• See Schopflocher, Siegfried by Will C. van den Hoonaard.
• For his obituary see BW12:664–6.
• He was known as the "Temple Builder" because of his great contributions to the completion of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of the West. [BW12:664-666]
• For a brief biography see Bahá'í Chronicles.
• Find a grave.

The passing of Florence Evaline (Lorol) Schopflocher (b.1886 in Montreal. QC) in the Green Acre area. She was buried at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Eliot, Maine [Find a grave]
• Wife of Hand of the Cause of God Siegfried Schopflocher. For his "In Memoriam" see BW7p664.
• She circled the globe nine times on travel teaching tours and visited some 86 countries, many of them multiple times. She travelled to Iran twice visiting parts not previously visited by Western Bahá'ís.
• She visited the Guardian 11 times.
• She had several audiences with King Feisal in Iraq and discussed the question of the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdád with him.
• Favourite themes for her public talks were the World Order letters of Shoghi Effendi and the emancipation and education of women.
• A radiant star went from the West to the East. [BW15p488-489]
• See Bahá'í Chronicles.
• See her account of her travels in her autobiographical book Sunburst.
• See a brief biography in The Bahá'í Community of the British Isles 1844-1963 p464-465.

The author, prominent socialite and wife of the Hand of the Cause of God Siegfried Schopflocher, recounts her own life story and her many travels on behalf of the Bahá'í Faith. [BEL 7.2349 p139]

The varied program provided daily talks and discussions based on the outline 'Deepening the Spiritual Life'; study of the first part of 'The Promised Day Is Come' (led by Miss Winnifred Harvey); separate talks on 'Bahá'í Administration' (Siegfried Schopflocher, Ragnar Mattson, and Lou Boudler); 'Bahá'í Attitude towards Christianity' (Mrs. Agnes King); and 'Post-War Reconstruction' (John De Mille). Lorol Schopflocher contributed an account of her journeys to Central America and the British West Indies, and Emeric and Rosemary Sala gave us stories of their experiences in Venezuela and Columbia. [OBCC268; BW9:28; TG84; BN No 149 December 1941 p5]

Those elected to serve the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada were: George 0. Latimer (Chairman), Allen B. McDaniel (Vice), Horace Holley (Secretary), Louis G. Gregory (Recording Secretary), Roy C. Wilhelm (Treasurer), Dorothy Baker. Amelia E. Collins, Philip G. Sprague, Leroy loss. The Assembly appointed Siegfried Schopflocher to serve as the Treasurer of the Canadian Bahá'í Fund. [BN No 169 July 1944 p2]
• Prior to 1944 delegates to the National Convention were chosen from local communities by proportional representation. [BN No 16 March 1927 p1 refers] After this point delegates no longer represented Local Assemblies but were chosen on a provincial (or state) basis. [MA70-71; OBCC157, 174n2]
• In 1944 there were 35 delegates to the National Convention. iiiii

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Dominion of Canada was established. [BBRSM:186; BW13:856; MBW143; PP397; BW11p20]
• It was attended by 112 Bahá'ís, 19 of them delegates. The country-wide membership was less than 500. [BC Vol 9 No 8 October 1987 p17]
• Those elected were: John Robarts (chair), Emeric Sala (vice), Laura Davis (sec'y), Siegfried Schopflocher (tres), Rowland Estall, Lloyd Gardner, Ross Woodman, Rosemary Sala, and Doris Richardson. [BN No 207 May 1948 105BE p3]
• See BW11:160, 184, Bahá'í Historical Facts for pictures.
• The first National Convention was held in the Maxwell 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, OBCC269-272]
• For a picture of the first Canadian National Spiritual Assembly see OBCC148.
• For Ruhiyyíh Khanum's Message to the first Canadian Convention see BN212 October 1948 pg2-t and Part II of the same address can be found at BN213 Novembe3r 1948 pg10-11.

Canada's fourth National Convention was held in the Vancouver Hotel. Those elected were; John Robarts (chair), Rowland Estall (vice-chair) Laura Davis (secretary), Emeric Sala (treasurer) Rosemary Sala, Lloyd Gardner, Mae McKenna, Winnifred Harvey, and Siegfried Schopflocher.
• For a list of delegates (18) see CBN No 18 Mar 1951 p2. For the agenda see CBN No 19 April 1951 p10-11.
• Amelia Collins attended the Convention and gave the Canadian Bahá'í Community a lock of hair of Bahá'u'lláh as a gift from Shoghi Effendi. In addition, she gave a piece of Burmese alabaster from the Tomb of the Báb, These precious relics were placed in the Maxwell home archives in Montreal. [UC31]

Shoghi Effendi appointed Siegfried Schopflocher among the second contingent of Hands of the Cause of God. [BW12:375–6; CT202–3 MBW20–1; PP254; ZK47]
• Shoghi Effendi described their two-fold function: propagation of the Faith and preservation of its unity. [BW12:376; MBW21]

Siegfried (Fred) Schopflocher, Hand of the Cause of God, passed away in Montreal and was buried beside the grave of Sutherland Maxwell in Mount Royal Cemetery at the Guardian's suggestion. He was born in Germany in 1877. [BW12:664-666, LOF390, TG119, CBNS 24 July 2014, Bahá'í Chronicles, SCRIBD, Schopflocher, Siegfried (1877–1953) by Will C. van den Hoonaard; CBN No 43 August 1953 p4; CBN No 44 September 1953 p2; MtC185-187]
• Shoghi Effendi had appointed him among the second contingent on the 29th of February, 1952. [MoCxxiii]
• See TG32, 228 and LoF384-390 for short biographies.
• See Schopflocher, Siegfried by Will C. van den Hoonaard.
• For his obituary see BW12:664–6.
• He was known as the "Chief Temple Builder" because of his great contributions to the completion of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of the West. [BW12:664-666]
• He made significant contributions to Green Acre both financially and administratively.
• During the period 1924 to 1947 he was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada fifteen times. He served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada from its formation until his passing.
• He was instrumental in the purchase of the first property for the Haziratu'l Quds.
• For a brief biography see Bahá'í Chronicles.
• Find a grave.
• His funeral was held on the 31st of July presided by the chair of the National Spiritual Assembly John Robarts. The eulogy was delivered by the vice-chair, Rowland Estall. [CBN No 46 November, 1953 p7-10]
• On August 23, the Montreal Assembly arranged a memorial service in the Maxwell Home which was attended by members of the National Assembly and friends, mainly from the Montreal area. This service in Fred's home community was intimate and personal. Many people recalled with loving gratitude personal associations with Fred, kindly and helpful things he had done in his unobtrusive way, gifts of hospitality or consideration that they had treasured sometimes for many years. [CBN No 46 November 1953 Insert]
• A memorial service was held in the Temple in Wilmette on the 28th of August. [CBN No 46 November, 1953 p3]

Hand of the Cause John Robarts dedicated the site of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in Canada. In doing so he paid tribute to Hand of the Cause Siegfried Schopflocher. Among his many services to the Cause he left funds to purchase this property. He had been named "The Chief Temple Builder" by the Guardian because of his devotion to the completing of the Mother Temple of the West. [CBN No 101 June, 1958 p1-2]
• The site was located in North York Township on Cummer Avenue, east of Bayview. This property was later sold for nine times the purchase price in order to buy the large property on Leslie Street in Thornhill in 1968. [UC78]
• For a photo of those attending this event see [CBN No 107 December 1958 p3]

The passing of Florence Evaline (Lorol) Schopflocher (b.1886 in Montreal. QC) in the Green Acre area. She was buried at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Eliot, Maine [Find a grave]
• Wife of Hand of the Cause of God Siegfried Schopflocher. For his "In Memoriam" see BW7p664.
• She circled the globe nine times on travel teaching tours and visited some 86 countries, many of them multiple times. She travelled to Iran twice visiting parts not previously visited by Western Bahá'ís.
• She visited the Guardian 11 times.
• She had several audiences with King Feisal in Iraq and discussed the question of the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdád with him.
• Favourite themes for her public talks were the World Order letters of Shoghi Effendi and the emancipation and education of women.
• A radiant star went from the West to the East. [BW15p488-489]
• See Bahá'í Chronicles.