Dhabihu’llah Mahrami died in a prison cell in Yazd, Iran on December 15, 2005, where he had been held in jail for 10 years solely because he was a follower of Bahá’u’lláh.  The causes of his death are not clear. He was named a martyr by the Universal House of Justice. Photo and information courtesy of http://www.bahai.us/.

 

 

 

 

 

 Bahá’ís do not disbelieve in accounts of miracles found in the holy texts of other religions or in the ability of a Manifestation of God to perform them, although some of these accounts are actually symbolic expressions or metaphors for important spiritual occurrences.  After all, who can find them convincing or persuasive other than eye witnesses? And what do they have to do with a Manifestation’s divine mission? Even Pharoah’s priests were able to turn staffs into serpents in the presence of Moses, so apparently this power is not confined to God’s Messengers. As a result, Bahá’ís pay little attention to the personal accounts of believers or others of miracles by the Báb or Bahá’u’lláh.  They are given no special attention in our literature, but they are there.  

 

The martyrs of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh are not alone at the time of their martyrdom. Here is a remarkable story of  Bahá’u’lláh being physically present in two places at the same time – Akká and Yazd. Yazd has been the scene of much barbaric cruelty toward Bábís and Bahá’ís for over 160 years. The episode is the martyrdom of seven Bahá’ís in Yazd in 1891.  It is told by Adib Taherzadeh in The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol III.

~

But thousands of men and women who went to the field of martyrdom and joyously laid down their lives in the path of God must have experienced the presence of Bahá’u’lláh so vividly and with such real feeling that the giving of life became a joy instead of torture. To cite an example, the following is a story which Haji Muhammad-Tahir-i-Malmiri has recounted about Mirza Aqay-i-Halabi Saz who was a devoted believer and had had the privilege of attaining the presence of Bahá’u’lláh. He was a tinsmith and had a shop in one of the bazaars of Yazd. In 1891, seven Bahá’ís were put to death by the order of Mahmud Mirza, the Jalalu’d-Dawlih, the Governor of Yazd. They are known as the first seven martyrs of Yazd, the story of whose martyrdom Bahá’u’lláh wrote to The Times of London. The seven were chained together and conducted towards the bazaar amid scenes of jubilation, and at each major crossroads one of them was executed in a most barbaric fashion. The other believers who were shopkeepers or merchants were ordered to stay at their premises and were forced to join others in decorating their shops to celebrate the event.

Haji Mirza was sitting in his shop, his heart filled with grief owing to the tragic turn of events. Then came the tense moment when the few remaining of the seven, chained together, passed in front of his shop. The next junction where one of them was to be beheaded was not far away and could be easily sighted. Haji Muhammad-Tahir-i-Malmiri has recounted that Haji Mirza used to tell the believers in Yazd of his unusual experience on that occasion. He saw to his great surprise that Bahá’u’lláh Himself passed in front of his shop only a few hundred paces behind the martyrs-to-be and was walking quickly in order to reach them. Haji Mirza immediately stepped out of his shop to follow Bahá’u’lláh, who signalled him with the movement of His hand that he should return to the shop. From there, Haji Mirza looked out and saw that Bahá’u’lláh reached the party at the junction and at that very moment the executioner removed the chain from one man and executed him.

Of course, Haji Mirza knew that Bahá’u’lláh was in ‘Akká and not in Yazd, but he had no doubt that it was Bahá’u’lláh whom he saw in the bazaar. From this amazing vision he realized that the martyrs were not alone at the time of martyrdom, that their unparalleled courage and heroism was not entirely due to themselves, that Bahá’u’lláh strengthened them with His unfailing power and that those who had reached the pinnacle of faith and assurance were bound to feel the  presence of Bahá’u’lláh at their side. It is interesting to note that some years later, Haji Mirza himself was martyred in Yazd.

What Haji Mirza witnessed in the bazaar, although there is no way of proving it, was not mere imagination. The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh is not a man-made, man-inspired cult. Any cult which the minds of men have created can only be expressed within the bounds of man’s experience by virtue of its limitations. On the contrary, the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh has originated from God, it has released unimaginable potentialities, both material and spiritual, within human society and like other religions it has brought forth mysteries which human beings can in no wise fathom. The history of the Faith shows episodes similar to that experienced by Haji Mirza.

 ~

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The fortress of Máh-Kú in northwestern Iran, where the Báb was imprisoned in 1847 and 1848. Photo courtesy of Médiathèque Baha’ie Francophone http://www.bahai-biblio.org.

 

Bahá’ís do not disbelieve in accounts of miracles found in the holy texts of other religions or in the ability of a Manifestation of God to perform them, although some of these accounts are actually symbolic expressions or metaphors for important spiritual occurrences.  After all, who can find them convincing or persuasive other than eye witnesses? And what do they have to do with a Manifestation’s divine mission? Even Pharoah’s priests were able to turn staffs into serpents in the presence of Moses, so apparently this power is not confined to God’s Messengers. As a result, Bahá’ís pay little attention to the personal accounts of believers or others of miracles by the Báb or Bahá’u’lláh.  They are given no special attention in our literature, but they are there.  

Here is an astonishing account of the Báb being physically present in two places at the same time. And, it was not witnessed by one of His followers, but by the warden of the castle where he was imprisoned in Máh-Kú, a man by the name of ‘Alí-Khán. You may find this story in The Revelation of  Bahá’u’lláh, Vol III, by Adib Taherzadeh.

~

… when the Báb was imprisoned in the castle of Mah-Ku, the warden of the Castle was a man named ‘All-Khan, who discharged his functions with the utmost severity and refused to allow any of the followers of the Báb to gain admittance into His presence. Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi, one of the ardent disciples of the Báb, came to Mah-Ku, but was refused admission. Nabil-i-A’zam has recounted the following story as related by Siyyid Husayn-i-Yazdi, the amanuensis of the Bab:

‘For the first two weeks,’ Siyyid Husayn further related, ‘no
one was permitted to visit the Báb. My brother and I alone
were admitted to His presence. Siyyid Hasan would, every
day, accompanied by one of the guards, descend to the town
and purchase our daily necessities. Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi,
who had arrived at Mah-Ku, spent the nights in a masjid
outside the gate of the town. He acted as an intermediary
between those of the followers of the Báb who occasionally
visited Mah-Ku and Siyyid Hasan, my brother, who would
in turn submit the petitions of the believers to their Master
and would acquaint Shaykh Hasan with His reply.   

‘One day the Báb charged my brother to inform Shaykh
Hasan that He would Himself request ‘Ali Khan to alter his
attitude towards the believers who visited Mah-Ku and to
abandon his severity. “Tell him,” He added, “I will
tomorrow instruct the warden to conduct him to this
place.” I was greatly surprised at such a message. How
could the domineering and self-willed ‘Ali Khan, I thought
to myself, be induced to relax the severity of his discipline?
Early the next day, the gate of the castle being still closed,
we were surprised by a sudden knock at the door, knowing
full well that orders had been given that no one was to be
admitted before the hour of sunrise. We recognised the
voice of ‘Ali Khan, who seemed to be expostulating with the
guards, one of whom presently came in and informed me
that the warden of the castle insisted on being allowed
admittance into the presence of the Báb. I conveyed his
message and was commanded to usher him at once into His
presence. As I was stepping out of the door of His
antechamber, I found ‘Ali Khan standing at the threshold in
an attitude of complete submission, his face betraying an
expression of unusual humility and wonder. His self-assertiveness
and pride seemed to have entirely vanished.
Humbly and with extreme courtesy, he returned my salute
and begged me to allow him to enter the presence of the Báb.
I conducted him to the room which my Master occupied
His limbs trembled as he followed me. An inner agitation
which he could not conceal brooded over his face. The Bab
arose from His seat and welcomed him. Bowing reverently,
‘Ali Khan approached and flung himself at His feet.
“Deliver me,” he pleaded, “from my perplexity. I adjure
You, by the Prophet of God, Your illustrious Ancestor, to
dissipate my doubts, for their weight has well-nigh crushed
my heart. I was riding through the wilderness and was
approaching the gate of the town, when, it being the hour of
dawn, my eyes suddenly beheld You standing by the side of
the river engaged in offering Your prayer. With
outstretched arms and upraised eyes, You were invoking
the name of God. I stood still and watched You. I was
waiting for You to terminate Your devotions that I might   
approach and rebuke You for having ventured to leave the
castle without my leave. In Your communion with God,
You seemed so wrapt in worship that You were utterly
forgetful of Yourself. I quietly approached You; in Your
state of rapture, You remained wholly unaware of my
presence. I was suddenly seized with great fear and recoiled
at the thought of awakening You from Your ecstasy. I
decided to leave You, to proceed to the guards and to
reprove them for their negligent conduct. I soon found out,
to my amazement, that both the outer and inner gates were
closed. They were opened at my request, I was ushered into
your presence, and now find You, to my wonder, seated
before me. I am utterly confounded. I know not whether
my reason has deserted me.” The Báb answered and said:
“What you have witnessed is true and undeniable. You
belittled this Revelation and have contemptuously
disdained its Author. God, the All-Merciful, desiring not to
afflict you with His punishment, has willed to reveal to your
eyes the Truth. By His Divine interposition, He has
instilled into your heart the love of His chosen One, and
caused you to recognize the unconquerable power of His
Faith.”‘

This marvellous experience completely changed the heart
of ‘All Khan. Those words had calmed his agitation and
subdued the fierceness of his animosity. By every means in
his power, he determined to atone for his past behaviour. ‘A
poor man, a shaykh,’ he hastily informed the Báb, ‘is
yearning to attain Your presence. He lives in a masjid
outside the gate of Mah-Ku. I pray You that I myself be
allowed to bring him to this place that he may meet You. By
this act I hope that my evil deeds may be forgiven, that I may
be enabled to wash away the stains of my cruel behaviour
toward Your friends.’ His request was granted, whereupon
he went straightway to Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi and
conducted him into the presence of his Master.

~ 

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Image courtesy of Médiathèque Baha’ie Francophone  http://www.bahai-biblio.org

JO SAND

Bahá’í Teacher of Unity

 

Prehistory – A Farmer’s Compassion

 

The ancestors of Jo Sand’s maternal grandmother were Cherokee refugees traveling on the northern stream of Indian families on the Trail of Tears. As they passed through southern Illinois in the winter, many had already died from disease, exhaustion, and the cold.     

 

No one would let them rest on their journey, but drove them further along until one farmer near Marion took pity on them and allowed them to winter over on his farm, providing food, clothing and shelter. I was told that his name was Hubbard, and some took his name as a tribute to his merciful generosity.

 

Jo Sand was born Jo Ann Hubbard on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1933, in St. Louis, Missouri. 

 

Early years – Grandmother Hubbard

 

When Jo was an infant, her vision was precarious – her grandmother was told that the baby would soon be blind. Her grandmother applied a salve from an Indian remedy directly to the infant’s eyes, and it saved her vision, though her eyesight remained extremely poor in her life.

 

Her mother returned to New Orleans, and Jo was raised by her grandmother and aged grandfather. Jo said that the strength of character, faith, and guidance of her grandmother was the inspiration of her life, and learned her silent faith in God’s provision and service to the unfortunate and the poor from Grandmother Hubbard.

 

Growing Up 

 

Her father was Jewish, but she saw him only once- when she was ten years old.

 

When her grandmother died, her mother raised her for a few years until Jo was fifteen years old.

 

Marriages

 

Jo moved to Tacoma where she met and married a man named William van Buskirk, with whom she had her only child. Jo was soon left to raise her daughter, Kristine Lee, by herself. She earned enough money working as a bookkeeper to buy a small house on Cushman Avenue in Tacoma, and took courses at the University of Puget Sound.   

 

She subsequently married Ray Sand, and moved to Raymond, Washington. No children came from that marriage, and she moved back to Tacoma.

 

Community Action- MDC and Indian School

 

Jo went to work about 1967 at the local Community Action Agency in Tacoma, a part of President Johnson’s War on Poverty. The local, anti-poverty agency was then called Opportunity & Development Inc. (ODI), and was later reorganized as Metropolitan Development Council, directed by the brilliant William Seline. As its Finance Officer, she had a fundamental influence on the success of the agency and was responsible for not only its financial management and planning, but was instrumental in the conception, development, and operations management of the large number of anti-poverty and training projects of MDC. Many of them were pilot programs unique in the state or the nation, which became models for similar projects around the country, and were spun off into the community to become independent organizations contributing to the life and welfare of the area: Indian School, Gypsy Education, Law & Justice, Communications and Journalism, Infant Nutrition, Drug Addiction Treatment, Displaced Homemakers, Hispanic Employment and Education, Asian Community Services, Family Counseling… the list goes on and on. Her long-time boss and friend, Linsey Hinand, said, simply, “She was a genius.”

 

She was a natural teacher, and throughout her short life, trained and educated a large number of people in classrooms, workshops and seminars, and in small groups and individually. She seemed dedicated to promoting every good thing but herself.

 

One of her loves was Indian Teaching, and she was the primary grant planner for the original project that established the Tacoma Indian School Education Grant at the old Hawthorne school. She left MDC to devote more time to the Puyallup Tribe’s Indian School, and was working alone there late one night on her own time when she began to have a heart attack.

 

Bahá’í

 

Jo Sand became a Bahá’í in Tacoma, and served on its local Spiritual Assembly and on many committees and teaching projects.

 

Personal Benevolence

 

Jo Sand was an extraordinary person. I never knew her to work at only one job for long – she usually worked at two or more jobs. I once even estimated a year’s contribution in off-duty personal time to MDC alone, and was stupefied by the total. She worked late into the night on her own time on an endless variety of projects, and taught innumerable groups financial management, grant writing, and project planning. She gave her personal time to individuals to teach them planning, accounting, teaching English to refugees, and she helped people obtain their citizenship, get jobs, and buy their first homes.

 

She sponsored two Laotian refugees, and adopted the younger one, Tong Chanh, who later took the name, Mark Sand, in her honor.

 

And that was only some of those cases I knew about. She had asked me to be the Executor of her will, and in examining her papers, I discovered further evidence of a lifetime of throwing herself into perpetual service – letters thanking her for this or that help and assistance getting into school, jobs, counseling, services, and direction. She gave her money, her time, her energy, her talent, her knowledge and wisdom, and, ultimately, her life in service. I found a letter and a photograph of a 12 year old girl in India for whom she had been the principal support for years. I wrote to the last known address to tell the sad news. 

 

Death

 

Jo drove herself to the hospital when she began to have pains over her chest, and was placed immediately in Intensive Care.

 

I had been helping her work on a transportation planning project for Indian School at her house on Thursday, and promised to come back the next day to complete it. When I arrived at her home, she was not there, but she called later saying that she was in the hospital. When I got there, she was resting, so I didn’t wake her, but went to see her that evening. It was clear that she was in grave danger, and her life support and cardiac monitoring machines would go wild whenever she spoke or raised her arm. We went home, and received the call from her daughter that she had passed from this world about an hour after midnight, nine days after her 45th birthday.

 

The multitude of people who attended her funeral was an astonishing mix of humanity: there were people of every color and ethnic background. Every age, economic, educational and religious group seemed to be represented. The most striking thing about that human concourse was that every single person attending had come because she had done something directly for every one of them to make each of their lives better – they stood up spontaneously and recounted one after another, weeping unashamedly, of the difference that she had made in their lives.

 

Her mortal remains rest in the Old Tacoma Cemetery. The bronze plaque over her grave at the foot of a great oak says,

 

                                                                                              Jo Sand

                                                                               Bahá’í Teacher of Unity

 

 

 

 

Prepared by Loyd Myatt

                     

A group of Bahá’ís in Moscow, Russia about 1926.  Courtesy of Médiathèque Baha’ie Francophone http://www.bahai-biblio.org

 

Of these spiritual prerequisites of success, which constitute  the bedrock on which the security of all teaching plans, Temple projects, and financial schemes, must ultimately rest, the following stand out as preeminent and vital….

A rectitude of conduct, an abiding sense of undeviating justice, unobscured by the demoralizing influences which a corruption-ridden political life so strikingly manifests; a chaste, pure, and holy life, unsullied and unclouded by the indecencies, the vices, the false standards, which an inherently deficient moral code tolerates, perpetuates, and fosters; a fraternity freed from that cancerous growth of racial prejudice, which is eating into the vitals of an already debilitated society — these are the ideals which the American believers must, from now on, individually and through concerted action, strive to promote, in both their private and public lives, ideals which are the chief propelling forces that can most effectively accelerate the march of their institutions, plans, and enterprises, that can guard the honor and integrity of their Faith, and subdue any obstacles that may confront it in the future.

This rectitude of conduct, with its implications of justice, equity, truthfulness, honesty, fair-mindedness, reliability, and trustworthiness, must distinguish every phase of the life of the Bahá’í community. “The companions of God,” Bahá’u’lláh Himself has declared, “are, in this day, the lump that must leaven the peoples of the world. They must show forth such trustworthiness, such truthfulness and perseverance, such deeds and character that all mankind may profit by their example.” “I swear by Him Who is the Most Great Ocean!” He again affirms, “Within the very breath of such souls as are pure and sanctified far-reaching potentialities are hidden. So great are these potentialities that they exercise their influence upon all created things.” “He is the true servant of God,” He, in another passage has written, “who, in this day, were he to pass through cities of silver and gold, would not deign to look upon them, and whose heart would remain pure and undefiled from whatever things can be seen in this world, be they its goods or its treasures. I swear by the Sun of Truth! The breath of such a man is endowed with potency, and his words with attraction.” …

“O army of God!” writes ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “Through the protection and help vouchsafed by the Blessed Beauty — may my life be a sacrifice to His loved ones — ye must conduct yourselves in  such a manner that ye may stand out distinguished and brilliant as the sun among other souls. Should any one of you enter a city, he should become a center of attraction by reason of his sincerity, his faithfulness and love, his honesty and fidelity, his truthfulness and loving-kindness towards all the peoples of the world, so that the people of that city may cry out and say: ‘This man is unquestionably a Bahá’í, for his manners, his behavior, his conduct, his morals, his nature, and disposition reflect the attributes of the Bahá’ís.’ Not until ye attain this station can ye be said to have been faithful to the Covenant and Testament of God.” “The most vital duty, in this day,” He, moreover, has written, “is to purify your characters, to correct your manners, and improve your conduct. The beloved of the Merciful must show forth such character and conduct among His creatures, that the fragrance of their holiness may be shed upon the whole world, and may quicken the dead, inasmuch as the purpose of the Manifestation of God and the dawning of the limitless lights of the Invisible is to educate the souls of men, and refine the character of every living man….” “Truthfulness,” He asserts, “is the foundation of all human virtues. Without truthfulness progress and success, in all the worlds of God, are impossible for any soul. When this holy attribute is established in man, all the divine qualities will also be acquired.”

Such a rectitude of conduct must manifest itself, with ever-increasing potency, in every verdict which the elected representatives of the Bahá’í community, in whatever capacity they may find themselves, may be called upon to pronounce. It must be constantly reflected in the business dealings of all its members, in their domestic lives, in all manner of employment, and in any service they may, in the future, render their government or people. It must be exemplified in the conduct of all Bahá’í electors, when exercising their sacred rights and functions. It must characterize the attitude of every loyal believer towards nonacceptance of political posts, nonidentification with political parties, nonparticipation in political controversies, and nonmembership in political organizations and ecclesiastical institutions. It must reveal itself in the uncompromising adherence of all, whether  young or old, to the clearly enunciated and fundamental principles laid down by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His addresses, and to the laws and ordinances revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in His Most Holy Book. It must be demonstrated in the impartiality of every defender of the Faith against its enemies, in his fair-mindedness in recognizing any merits that enemy may possess, and in his honesty in discharging any obligations he may have towards him. It must constitute the brightest ornament of the life, the pursuits, the exertions, and the utterances of every Bahá’í teacher, whether laboring at home or abroad, whether in the front ranks of the teaching force, or occupying a less active and responsible position.

 Shoghi Effendi in The Advent of Divine Justice

 

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Photo courtesy of International Bahá’í Library Collections. http://library.bahai.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the early decades of the Faith of the Báb and then of Bahá’u’lláh, the primary courage and sacrifice demanded of the believers was the courage to face the threat of physical harm, including death. Many of the early converts to the Faith were fully aware that their conversion could mean their death, yet, once convinced of the truth of Bahá’u’lláh’s stupendous claim to be the Promised One of all the religions of God, they did not fail to risk their wealth and lives for their Lord.  They became souls ignited by the spirit of God, soaring in the illimitable realms of the spirit, rather than people whose focus was the transitory things of this brief physical life.

Mirza Abu’l-Fadl, however, demonstrated another type of courage and sacrifice. Before his conversion, he was a Muslim who lived in Cairo as a renowned and erudite scholar of Islam. He was a man highly respected and whose advice was often sought. And, not surprisingly, he had acquired a very high opinion of himself as one who, with his knowledge and accomplishments, could best others in argument and explain things to those less intellectually able than himself.  Mirza Abu’l-Fadl was steeped in the kind of knowledge that can act as a veil to obscure spiritual truth, as Bahá’ulláh tells us:

Know verily that Knowledge is of two kinds: Divine and Satanic. The one welleth out from the fountain of divine inspiration; the other is but a reflection of vain and obscure thoughts. The source of the former is God Himself; the motive-force of the latter the whisperings of selfish desire. The one is guided by the principle: “Fear ye God; God will teach you;” the other is but a confirmation of the truth: “Knowledge is the most grievous veil between man and his Creator.” The former bringeth forth the fruit of patience, of longing desire, of true understanding, and love; whilst the latter can yield naught but arrogance, vainglory and conceit.                        Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Iqán

Mirza Abu’l-Fadl had the remarkable courage to tear aside these veils of knowledge, at the price of great emotional pain and turmoil, and to persist in his investigation of the Faith, with great scepticism, until at last, after much prayer and soul-searching, he realized in his heart the truth of Bahá’u’lláh’s claims.  Then he attained true knowledge:

The first Tajalli [Effulgence] which hath dawned from the Day-Star of Truth is the knowledge of God — exalted be His glory. And the knowledge of the King of everlasting days can in no wise be attained save by recognizing Him Who is the Bearer of the Most Great Name. He is, in truth, the Speaker on Sinai Who is now seated upon the throne of Revelation. He is the Hidden Mystery and the Treasured Symbol. All the former and latter Books of God are adorned with His praise and extol His glory. Through Him the standard of knowledge hath been planted in the world and the ensign of the oneness of God hath been unfurled amidst all peoples.

 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh

Armed with this true knowledge, he then, for the remainder of his life, used his great intellectual gifts in the service of his Lord and became one of the humblest and most self-effacing persons that one could ever meet. He became one the greatest scholars of the Bahá’í Faith and was highly admired by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, whom he served during their lifetimes.  

This remarkable story is told by Adib Taherzadeh in The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol. III.  Here is an excerpt that recounts Mirza Abu’l-Fadl’s story of his realization of the truth:

One night I was roused from my slumber and I began to   
admonish myself in these words: ‘It is about one year that
you have been associating and arguing with these Bahá’ís.
These men are illiterate and uneducated, yet they have
asserted their ascendancy over you every time, they have
adduced proofs and demonstrated the validity of their
Cause. Although you consider yourself to be a learned man
and a researcher in the Holy Books, commentaries and
traditions, yet you know that these men are much more
resourceful than you are. It is as if they are inspired and
assisted by God, and the Holy Spirit speaks through them.
You have also been a witness to their exalted character and
heavenly virtues. Why then should you interpret their
words as the breathings of the evil whisperer? You
remember how enchanted you were when you read the
story of the ‘Show of Sultan Salim’ in the Lawh-i-Ra’ís!
How you were attracted by the eloquence and sublimity of
those words! Now, you ought to read and investigate the
writings of the one who claims to be the revealer of the
Word of God with the eye of justice and fairness. If this
Cause be untrue, the first to contend it is God. Therefore, its
survival is impossible…

I arose, performed my ablutions and said prayers. I then
took the Tablet of Bahá’u’lláh [Lawh-i-Ra’ís] which,
although it had been in my possession for a long time, I had
not been moved to read. I opened it, turned tearfully and
with devotion to God, and began to read it. It was then that I
heard the voice of God… calling me through the
mouthpiece of this Manifestation, ‘Am I not your Lord?’
To that call reaching me from the Beauty of the All-Glorious,
I responded with all my heart, ‘Thou art, thou
art! I believed.

I passed from the state of idle fancies and vain imaginings
into that of certitude… I became highly attracted to the
Word of God and carried away by its power. I felt such love
and devotion towards the Dayspring of Divine Revelation
[Bahá’u’lláh] and experienced such joy and ecstasy in myself
that I cannot ever describe it. Words cannot express the   
heights of spirituality to which I had been transformed… I
knew that if I served these souls who had become the cause
of my guidance to the end of my days, and if I laid down my
Life in their path, I should never be able to repay them for
giving me eternal salvation and spiritual life…

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The first Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Terceira Island, Azores, April 1958. Photo from The Bahá’í World 1954 – 1963.

 

Seated left to right are Lois Nolen, Fran Plummer, Josie Wallace, and Ethel Kerns. Standing left to right are Charles Sperling, Jack Kerns, Don Plummer, Nelson Wallace and Richard Nolen. Charles Sperling later lived in Lakewood, Washington (Pierce County).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard and Lois Nolen

Knights of Bahá’u’lláh

 

          Lois A. Nolen (born on 23 July 1917) and her husband, Richard H. Nolen, became Bahá’ís in 1949 in Lansing, Michigan after studying with Kenneth and Roberta Christian.

 

In 1953 the Nolens pioneered to the Azores, arriving with their three children, Jean, Cynthia and John, on 8 October 1955.  For this service they were named by the beloved Guardian Knights of Bahá’u’lláh.  After a period of struggle, Mr. Nolen eventually found employment as a draftsman, first for a U.S. contractor, and then for the U.S. government at Lajes Air Force base on Terceira Island, where the first Local Spiritual Assembly was formed at Ridván 1958.  Lois Nolen, having been trained for general office work, also worked between 1954 and 1959 as supply clerk with the U.S. Corps of Engineers at Lajes Field.

 

Mr. Nolen diligently applied himself to a study of the Portuguese language in order to equip himself to teach the Faith.  Two more children, Christopher and Sylvia, were born to them before Mr. Nolen’s failing health forced their return to Tacoma, Washington in 1962.  Mr. Nolen died on 5 May 1964.

 

Throughout most of her Bahá’í life, Lois Nolen served on Local Spiritual Assemblies, at least half of that time as either corresponding or recording secretary.  She also served for two years on the Western Washington School Committee under the aegis of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States.

 

From 1966 until 1971, in Tacoma, Washington, Lois was in sole charge of the office of Northwest Processing Company.

 

       Between 1971 and August 1973, Lois Nolen and her two youngest children, Christopher and Sylvia, pioneered in Belize, Central America.  Here, she served as corresponding secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly from April, 1972 until August 1973 when the family returned to the United States.  In 1973 she was privileged to attend the International Convention in Haifa as a delegate from Belize.

 

Upon returning to Tacoma, Lois worked as a procurement clerk at McChord Airforce Base until she came to the World Centre in March 1981.  In the Holy Land she served for a brief time in the Department of Finance before transferring to the Pilgrimage Department.  She left the World Centre in September 1985 to return to the United States.  Her time in the service of the Universal House of Justice was enhanced by the presence of two of her children, Cynthia Walcott O’Shea, and Christopher Nolen, who served at the World Centre for varying periods of time.

 

(Compiled by Roger White, 17 July 1986, from information in World Centre files and from “In Memoriam”, Richard H. Nolen, ‘The Bahá’í World’, vol.  XIV)

 

 

History of the Bahá’í Faith in the Azores

Prepared for Ridván 116 (1959)

 

 

    In 1953 our beloved guardian, Shoghi Effendi, gave to the Bahá’í world the Ten Year Plan. This plan for the period, beginning in 1953 and to end in 1963, was to be a world crusade to spread the message of Bahá’u’lláh to those countries and islands where no mention of the Blessed Beauty, the Lord of the Age, had been made.  Our greatly loved Guardian asked for the Bahá’ís to leave their homes and move to these virgin territories.

 

The name our Beloved Guardian gave to those who answered his call, was the Knights of Bahá’u’lláh.  At this time, hundreds of Bahá’ís from all over the world and from all walks of Life, packed up and moved to those areas the Guardian deemed most necessary to further the Cause of God in this newly ordained Springtime.

   

    Two of these Knights to answer the Guardian’s call were Mr. Richard Nolen and his wife Lois, of Lansing, Michigan.  They, together with their three children – Jean (aged twelve), Cynthia (aged seven), and John (aged five), volunteered to go to a virgin territory.

   

The American N.S.A. suggested the Azores Islands because the temperate climate would be easier for the children.  They knew little of the Islands except that they were Portuguese and had a mild climate.  Application was made for passports, and the Nolens sold their house and furniture, reducing their possessions to what could be carried in suitcases, plus eight packing crates.

 

By September 1953 they were ready to leave Lansing for New York City. At New York they boarded the Portuguese cargo ship “Ribiera Grande” bound for the Azores Islands.  On October 8, 1953 the ship arrived at the harbor of Angra do Heroismo on Terceira Island.  For several weeks the family stayed at the Hotel Atlantico near the docks, while Mr. Nolen looked for work.  He found it was just about impossible to find employment on the Portuguese economy. The Nolen family experienced very trying difficulties while seeking employment, and it was only their possessing a strong faith in the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh that enabled them to stay at their post.  Finally, through the will of God, Mr. Nolen was employed as draftsman with the Prime contractor, Snare Irons and Reynolds, at the American Air Force Base at Lajes Field Azores, on the other side of the Island.  Soon after this they moved to a rented home in the town of Praia da Victoria, located about two miles from the Base.

 

The Portuguese language proved slow to learn and difficult, and the progress in teaching the Faith at first was very difficult.  Meantime, they employed a Portuguese maid while Mrs. Nolen worked at the American Corps of Engineers, and in time they regained financial stability.

 

   For the next 3 years the Nolens introduced the Faith to many Portuguese and Americans without making any confirmations. Finally, after four years the first confirmations were made: they were S/Sgt. Nelson Wallace and his wife Josie, and Mr. Jack Kerns and his wife Ethel. They became Bahá’ís in January 1957.  The Wallaces are from York, Pennsylvania, while the Kerns are from Wilbraham, Mass.  From May 1955 to January 1957 the presence at Lajes Air Field of Airman William Rushing.Of Flint Michigan, was a welcome aid and comfort, and brightened the Nineteen-Day Feasts.

 

     With this group as a nucleus, the spirit of the faith grew to include Sgt. Charlie Sperling of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who became a Bahá’í in July 1957. Shortly thereafter, A/2c Donald Plummer and his wife, Francine, of Berlin, New Hampshire.

 

      S/Sgt. Wallace and S/Sgt. Sperling, then became co-teachers of the first Bahá’í Sunday School on Terceira Island, attended by Nelson Wallace Jr., Jane and Susan Kerns, and Cynthia and John Nolen. Sunday school was held each Sunday at one of the homes of the children. Classes included a study of the kingdoms, such as animal, vegetable, mineral, the Kingdom of Man and the Kingdom of God, then a study of the nine revealed religions, topped off by the study of the Faith.

 

          Since there were nine adult Bahá’ís on Terceira Island, on Ridvan, April 21, 1958 they automatically became the first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Azores.  In secret ballot, Mr. Nolen was elected Chairman S/Sgt. Wallace Vice-Chairman, Mrs. Kerns Treasurer, and Mrs. Nolen Secretary.  At this time committees were formed, volunteers for the different committees were: Teaching Commitee, S/Sgt. Wallace, Mr. Kerns, and S/Sgt. Sperling – they in turn elected S/Sgt. Wallace Chairman. The Feast Committee, a committee of one, was Mrs. Plummer.  The Archives Committe volunteeres were Mr. Kerns and Sgt. Sperling – as there only two members, no chairman was elected.  A photograph of the L.S.A. was sent to the Bahá’í News in Willmette Illinois. It appeared in the September issue (No. 331, p.119), Bahá’í year 115 (1958).

 

            In August 1958, M/Sgt. Lawrence Reynolds from Washington, D.C., and stationed at the base, declared and became a Bahá’í, thus bringing the roll call of members to ten, creating a community which the L.S.A. reported to at each Nineteen Day Feast.

 

At this time there were just a few Portuguese Nationals studying the Faith.Two of these were Mr. Edmundo Cabral and Mr. Emberto Goncalves, of Praia da Victoria.  Mr. Cabral became interested in the Faith through his contact with the Kerns, while Mr. Goncalves became interested through his contact with the Nolens.  For several months studies were held at the home of the Nolens, and finally after five years of work and prayer by those two beloved Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, the Nolens’ ceaseless work and prayers bore fruit, for on the lst of December 1958, both Mr.Goncalves and Mr. Cabral declared their belief in the Bahá’í Faith. And on the 6th of December they signed their Bahá’í Declaration cards and were accepted by the L.S.A. of Terceira, becoming the first Portuguese believers of the Azores Islands.  Future generations shall always remember and be extremely grateful to those four souls, the pioneers, the Nolens, who sacrificed so much in bringing the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh to the Azores Islands, and those two searching souls, Emberto Goncalves and Edmundo Cabral and the first Portuguese to accept Bahá’u’lláh. Although this is the end of this report for the Archives for the year (Bahá’í year 115 and part of 116) it is really the beginning.

 

Prepared by Archives Committee members:

Emberto Goncalves

Jack Kerns

S/Sgt. C.R. Sperling

Edmundo Cabral

 

 

Lois and Richard Nolen are buried beside one another in Pierce County, Washington.