Chronology: Date 1947

Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 1947, descending — sort earliest first

date	event	tags	firsts
1947 31 Dec 194-	Suzette Hipp became a Bahá'í in Luxembourg, the second Luxembourger to accept the Faith and the first to do so in Luxembourg.	- First Bahá'ís by country or area; Luxembourg	first to become Bahá'í in Luxembourg
1947 12 Dec 194-	The first pioneer to Portugal, Valeria Lamb Nicols, arrived from a pioneer post in Denmark.	- First Bahá'ís by country or area; Portugal	first pioneer to Portugal
1947 17 Nov 194-	The first two Danes to accept the Faith, May Marit Vestby and Palle Benemann Bischoff became Bahá'ís.	May Marit Vestby; Palle Benemann Bischoff; Denmark	first two Danish Bahá’ís
1947 30 Sep 194-	George Townshend, at the age of 71 years, resigned his position with the Church of Ireland. [GT195] He was the first ordained priest of a Christian Protestant church to renounce his Orders and to become a fully accredited member of the Bahá'í community. [GT183] For the story of his resignation and transition to a lay life see GT199–200, 202.	George Townshend; Ireland	first ordained priest of a Protestant church to renounce his Orders and become Bahá'í
1947 13 Sep 194-	The passing of Haji Mahmúd Qassabchí. In 1933 Qassabchí had suffered a severe attack of paralysis which he narrowly survived and as a result of which he could hardly move or speak for the rest of his life. He was buried at Salman Pak, about thirty miles southeast of Baghdad. [BW11p502-503] He had become a Bahá'í in 1911 after reading accounts of the travels of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the Star of the West. Prior to that he had made the acquaintance of Músá Banání and had been impressed with the young man's honesty. With regard to his service to the Faith, after WWI he undertook the restoration of the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad. A few years later he played a leading part in the purchase and the establishment of the Hazíratu'l-Quds of Baghdad and he participated in no small measure to the erection of the Hazíratu'l-Quds in the village of Avasiq, the first built in Iraq. His most imperishable service was the construction of three rooms at the rear of the Shrine of the Báb that were temporarily used as the International Bahá'í Archives before the construction of its permanent seat. [BW11p502-503]	Hájí Mahmud Qassabchi; - In Memoriam; House of Bahá'u'lláh (Baghdad); Báb, Shrine of (Haifa); Musa Banani; - Restoration and renovation; Baghdad, Iraq; Avashiq, Iraq; Iraq	first Hazíratu'l-Quds in Iraq in the village of Avashiq
1947 Sep 194-	Léa Nys became a Bahá'í in Belgium, the first Belgian to accept the Faith after World War Two. She is considered the first Belgian Bahá'í. She served in the first National Spiritual Assembly of Belgium elected in 1962 and served until 1965. [Bahaipedia] See her "In Memoriam".	- First Bahá'ís by country or area; Belgium	first Belgian Bahá'í
1947 9 Jul 194-	Shoghi Effendi, as Head of the Bahá'í Faith resident in the Bahá'í World Centre, received a letter from the chairman of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine requesting a statement on the relationship the Bahá'í Faith had to Palestine and the Bahá'í attitude to any future changes in the status of the country. [BW11:43, Text] Shoghi Effendi replied on 14 July setting out the non-political character of the Bahá'í Faith and explaining that Palestine is both the administrative and the spiritual headquarters of the religion. In his reply, Shoghi Effendi made it clear that "Our aim is the establishment of universal peace in the world and our desire to see justice prevail in every domain of human society, including the domain of politics." The Guardian also pointed out his concern that "the fact be recognized by whoever exercises sovereignty over Haifa and 'Akká, that within this area exists the spiritual and administrative center of a world Faith, and that the independence of that Faith, its right to manage its international affairs from this source, the rights of Bahá'ís from any and every country of the globe to visit it as pilgrims (enjoying the same privilege in this respect as Jews, Muslims and Christians do in regard to visiting Jerusalem) be acknowledged and permanently safeguarded." [BW11:42-44; BW12 p596-597] He also included a statement of the history, aims and significance of the Bahá'í Faith, later published by the American National Spiritual Assembly in pamphlet form. [BW11:44; PP351] For the text of this latter statement see Guidance for Today and Tomorrow p1–10. Previous to this, on May 9, 1947, the Guardian had written through his secretary to explain why he was encouraging Bahá'í association with United Nations: "He feels that the friends should bear in mind that the primary reason that he is encouraging Bahá'í association with the United Nations is to give the Cause due publicity as an agency working for and firmly believing in the unification of the human family and permanent peace, and not because he believes that we are at present in a position to shape or influence directly the course of human affairs! Also, he believes this association will afford the believers an opportunity of contacting prominent and progressive-minded people from different countries and calling the Faith and its principles to their attention. We should associate ourselves in every way with all movements of UN which are in accordance with our principles and objectives; but we should not seek to take the initiative or . . . focus a glare of publicity and public attention on a very wide scale upon ourselves which might prove very detrimental to our own interests. He considered, for instance, the 'Bahá'í Declaration of Human Obligations and Rights' appropriate and believes this type of action to be wise and suitable." [BW12 p597-598]	United Nations; * Shoghi Effendi (chronology); Shoghi Effendi, Writings of; - Statements; * Publications; Shoghi Effendi, Works of; Politics; Peace; - Bahá'í World Centre; Haifa, Israel; Palestine; Israel
1947 5 Jul 194-	Manuel Garcia Vasquez became a Bahá'í in Spain, the first believer in the country.	- First Bahá'ís by country or area; Spain	first Bahá'í in Spain
1947 4 Jul 194-	'Abbás Sháhídzádih was martyred in Sháhí, Mázandarán, Iran and a fellow Bahá'í, Habib Allah Hushmand, was murdered in Sarvistan. [BW18:390, Towards a History of Iran's Bahá'í Community During the Reign of Mohammad Reza Shah, 1941-1979 by Mina Yazdani.]	* Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Deaths; - Persecution; Shahi, Iran; Mazandaran, Iran; Iran
1947 20 Jun 194-	George Townshend sent a letter of resignation from the Church of Ireland to the Bishop of Killaloe, naming 30 September for the effective date. [GT195]	George Townshend; Ireland
1947 18 Jun 194-	The International Bahá'í Bureau contributed to the preparatory work of the Human Rights Commission for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. [BIC History 18 Jun 1947]	United Nations; Bahá'í International Community; New York City, NY
1947 5 Jun 194-	Shoghi Effendi issued a directive to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada. Among other objectives he assigned tasks to the Canadian community in preparation for establishing their own National Spiritual Assembly. They were to carry the message to territories not yet opened in country and externally to Newfoundland and Greenland. [Bahá'í News No 198 August 1947 p8] In 1948 the newly formed National Spiritual Assembly of Canada established a Teaching Committee for Greenland and Newfoundland. [Bahá'í News No 210 August 1948 p7]	Greenland; Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
1947 18 May 194-	The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada was accredited by the United Nations as a non-governmental organization with observer status. [BW12:597; PP303; BIC site History 18 May 1947]	National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada; United Nations; - Non-governmental organizations (NGO); Bahá'í International Community; New York, USA; United States (USA)
1947 May 194-	Clarence Iverson visited the Bahamas, the first recorded visit to the islands by a Bahá'í.	- First Bahá'ís by country or area; - Islands; Bahamas	first recorded visit to Bahamas
1947 Apr 194-	The Tokyo Spiritual Assembly, suspended during the war, was re-established.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Tokyo, Japan
1947 Ridván 194-	The Bahá'ís of Germany held their first National Convention since Himmler's proclamation in 1937, marking the removal of more than a decade of oppression and the establishment of a return to normalcy. This freedom would not last long in the eastern part of Germany, as the newly-formed communist German Democratic Republic banned all Bahá'í activities again in 1948. Bahá'í activities were encouraged to continue in the Western Zone, under the new government now known as West Germany. The ban on the Faith in the GDR would last for the entirety of the GDR, where the Faith was not officially recognized until after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990. During this time, the Bahá'ís of Germany distributed Bahá'u'lláh's messages of peace and unity throughout Eastern Europe. See the article The Baha'i Faith: Banned by the Nazis and the Communists by Caroline Fowler on Bahá'í Teachings.org.	Persecution, German Democratic Republic; Germany
1947 Ridván 194-	The National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma added the newly formed nation of Pakistan to their unit. As the state of Pakistan was created on the 14th of August 1947 it can be assumed that the National Spiritual Assembly of India, Pakistan and Burma was created after this date. In a letter from the Guardian 24 October 1947 he mentions all three nations as one unit. [MSEIp289] ]	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; India; India; Myanmar
1947 Ridván 194-	The first Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Quito was established. Those elected were: Hascle Coxnbleth, Chaixman, Eithel Santos, Recording Secretary, Hans Levy, Vice-chairman, Eloy Maran, Treasurer, Hans Dory, Secretary, Nelson Sanchez, Librarian, Rosario Vera B., Jose Elias Cedeño, ama Lais Alcivar Z. [Heroes of God: History of the Bahá'í Faith in Ecuador, 1940-1979 p.33]	Quito, Ecuador	first local spiritual assembly of Quito
1947 Ridván 194-	The National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand launched a Six Year Plan (1947-1953). [Ruhi 8.2 p46]	- Teaching Plans; - Teaching Plans, National; Australia; New Zealand
1947 Ridván 194-	The Bahá'ís of Iraq launched a Three Year Plan (1947-1950). [Ruhi 8.2 p46; BBRSM158] The goals were: -To increase the number of Bahá'í centres -To complete the construction of the National Hazíratu'l-Quds -To raise contributions to support the National Fund -To establish ten new Local Assemblies -To encourage Bahá'í communities in the south of the country	- Teaching Plans; - Teaching Plans, National; Iraq
1947 20 Feb 194-	Ugo and Angeline Giachery moved from New York to Rome. [BN No 192 Feb 1947 p1] The first native believer under this new Seven Year Plan, had declared himself. He is Signor Augusto Salvetti of Italy. Signor Salvetti heard of the Faith from a Persian believer while he was a prisoner of war in India. After returning to his native Italy he corresponded with the International Bureau and the office of the European Teaching Committee in Geneva. Since he was living in one of our "goal" countries, Mrs. Graeffe put him in touch with our pioneers, Mr and Mrs Giachery. [BN No195 May 1947 p1]	Ugo Giachery; Angeline Giachery; Pioneer; Augusto Salvetti; Italy
1947 7 Feb 194-	Honor Kempton arrived in Luxembourg, the first pioneer to the country.	Honor Kempton; Luxembourg	first pioneer to Luxembourg
1947 1 Feb 194-	Reflecting the unity in diversity highly valued by the Bahá'í community, Amin Banani, Mildred Mottahedeh, Hilda Yen, and Matthew Bullock presented the statement "A Bahá'í Declaration of Human Obligations and Rights" to the UN, which ended by quoting a well-known passage by Baha'u'llah: "The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens." In 1947 as was "The Bahá'í Statement of the Rights of Women". [PP304] Amin Banani was an influential scholar; Mildred Mottahedeh was a member of the International Bahá'í Council from 1961-63 and later a representative of the BIC for many years (1948-1967); Hilda Yen was a leading figure in Chinese-American society who worked as a diplomat for many years; and Matthew Bullock was a Knight of Baha'u'llah for the Dutch West Indies, on this day was also a Knight for the Netherlands Antilles, and later a representative of the BIC. [BWNS1172] For background information on the initiative to become involved with the United Nations see PP303-304.	United Nations; Matthew Bullock; Bahá'í International Community; Firsts, other; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Amin Banani; Mildred Mottahedeh; Hilda Yen; New York, USA; United States (USA)	the first delegation of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations
1947 (In the year) 194-	The first summer school in Chile took place in Loncoche on property donated by Mrs Fabienne Guillon.	Fabienne Guillon; Loncoche, Chile; Chile	first summer school in Chile
1947 (In the year) 194-	The Australian-New Zealand teaching plan, the Australian Six Year Plan (1947–53), comprising internal goals only, was launched. [BBRSM158; LGANZ97; The Spiritual Conquest of the Planet (Supplement) p2] The homefront goals were: - To establish two new Spiritual Assemblies in Australia - To establish nineteen groups in Australasia	- Teaching Plans; Australia-New Zealand Six Year Plan; Australia; New Zealand
1947 (In the year) 194-	The Hazíratu'l-Quds of Tihrán was completed. [BW11:588]	Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Tehran, Iran; Iran
1947 (In the year) 194-	Gladys Anderson Weeden arrived at the World Centre to assist Shoghi Effendi, and took responsibility for liaising with government and other officials. [BW18:694] She married Ben Weeden on 20 March 1948 in Jerusalem; he assisted with building projects at the World Centre. [BW15:478; BW18:694]	Gladys Anderson Weeden; Ben Weeden; - Bahá'í World Centre
1947 (In the year) 194-	The first Chilean Teaching Conference was held in Santiago.	Conferences, Bahá'í; Conferences, Teaching; Teaching; - First conferences; Santiago, Chile; Chile	first Teaching Conference in Chile


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