Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith in Canada

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Date 1939, descending — sort earliest first

date event tags firsts
1939 Sept Kathrine Moscrop of Vancouver began a series of visits to Regina. She, along with Frances Mennzies and two former members of the Winnipeg Phoenix Club, arranged a fireside for Rowland Estall who was passing through on business. [Bahai News No 131 November 1939 p4] Regina, SK
1939 before Sept Rowland Estall combined his business travel with teaching visits to Calgary and Regina as well as Vancouver and West Vancouver. He had earlier laid the foundation of his business in visits to Toronto and Montreal, in both of which cities he lectured, as well as in St. Lambert. He also made excellent contacts with two University professors who, with a few others, have started an important social and religious reform movement in Canada and have published a popular textbook of the movement. During July Mr. Estall taught regularly in Winnipeg a study group of six to eight inquirers, following an outline of seventeen lessons which he developed on the World Order, using as a basis of each discussion a different free literature pamphlet which was distributed. The first result of his Winnipeg work was the registration of Miss Lillian Tomlinson. Dr. Mariette Bolton also visited and spoke in Winnipeg to the Quota Club. [Bahai News No 131 November 1939 p4] Calgary, AB; Regina, SK; Vancouver, BC; West Vancouver, BC; Toronto, ON; Montreal, QC; St. Lambert, QC
1939 early Sept Kathy Moscrop, Rowland Estall, Miss Mae McKenna of Vancouver, and Miss Doris Skinner met together in Calgary to discuss the progress of the Faith in Canada. They represented four provinces. During this time a meeting of fifteen non-Bahá'ís was arranged by Miss Skinner, from which a study class was developing. A radio talk was given in Calgary by Dr. Mariette Bolton. Many Bahá'í books were being circulated. [Bahai News No 131 November 1939 p4] Radio; Calgary, AB
1939 27 Aug Gerrard Sluter-Schlutius— German-born, former U-boat captain, enrolled in November of 1932 and was a member of the Montreal Bahá'í youth group. He moved to Toronto in March 1935 and to Guatemala in 1939 as the second overseas pioneer. [OBCC97, 104-105]
  • He also pioneered to Honduras and later to Colombia. In the middle of 1940's Gerrard Sluter was removed from the rolls by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Shoghi Effendi later declared him a Covenant-breaker for his persistent political involvement. Later Sluter appealed to the judicial courts of Colombia to demand the cancellation of the legal status of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Bogota. He failed in all his lawsuits against the Assembly. [BNVol2p315]
    		•  Gerrard Sluter-Schlutius; Covenant-breakers; Montreal, QC; Toronto, ON; Guatemala; Honduras; Bogota, Colombia
    1939 25 Jun What has been termed the "first international Bahá'í picnic embracing Canada and the United States" was held at Queenstown Heights at the invitation of the Toronto Assembly. It was the brainchild of Howard Ives who was living in Toronto at the time. He and Mabel had "grand-children" on both sides of the border.
  • Willard McKay chaired the event with talks provided by Doris McKay, John Stearns, Mrs. Pettibone, Elizabeth Brooks, Mrs, Marguerite Firoozi. Lulu Barr, Mrs. Enos Barton, Mr, and Mrs. John Robarts and, of course, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Ives.
  • It was attended by 74 persons, 4 of which applied for enrollment in the Faith that day. It was an occasion for Bahá'í youth on both sides of the border to meet each other.
  • Plans were made to widen the New York-Pennsylvania Bahá'í speaker circuit to include Canada and the first youth conference was planned for Jamestown, NY. [FMH277; BN No 128 August 1939 p7; OBCC179]
  • Bahá'ís will note the significant fact that a decisive battle was fought on this site during the Revolutionary War. General Isaac Brock was killed but thanks to a regiment of "coloured" soldiers and Native allies, the Canadian forces were able to dispel the invading forces and take almost 1,000 prisoners.
    		• International Bahá'í Picnic; Howard Ives; Mabel Rice-Wray Ives; Doris McKay; Willard McKay; John Stearns; Mrs Pettibone; Elizabeth Brooks; Mrs Marguerite Firoozi; Lulu Barr; Mrs Enos Barton; John Robarts; Audrey Robarts; Lloyd Gardner; Queenston Heights, ON; Toronto, ON; Jamestown, NY first international Bahá'í Picnic
    1939 16 Jun Emeric Sala visited Winnipeg and spoke at a public meeting in the Marlborough Hotel. After that meeting eight attendees determined to form a study group. [Bloodworth, Grains of Wheat p14] Emeric Sala; Winnipeg, MB
    1939 4 Jun In a letter addressed to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles written on behalf of the Guardian he urged them to "appeal to the government for exemption from active military service in a combatant capacity, stressing the fact that in doing so they are not prompted by any selfish considerations but by the sole and supreme motive of upholding the Teachings of their Faith, which make it a moral obligation for them to desist from any act that would involve them in direct warfare with their fellow-humans oi any other race or nation." [UD128; CBN 15 September 1950 p2]
  • See other correspondence on this theme: UD122; UD134; UD259
    		•  Exemption; Armed Forces; Military; - Bahá'í World Centre; United Kingdom
    1939 May With the assistance of Mabel Ives who extended her travel teaching plans in Toronto, a Bahá'í booth was set up at the Canadian National Exhibition. Over 15,000 pieces of literature were distributed. [OBCC179, 307]
  • The Canadian National Exhibition, "the Ex", is a Canadian institution first held in 1879. [Wikipedia]
    		•  Mabel Rice-Wray Ives; Canadian National Exhibition; Toronto, ON
    1939 May Lillian Tomlinson became the first known Winnipeg Bahá'í. Tomlinson was at the time a telephone operator. She was a friend of Ernest Marsh (The 6th person to become a Bahá'í in Winnipeg.) and a co-worker of Helen Poissant (The 4th person.) [Bloodworth, Grains of Wheat p12] Lillian Tomlinson; Ernest Marsh; Helen Poissant; Winnipeg, MB 1st known Bahá'í in Winnipeg Lillian Tomlinson
    1939 Apr Jean Doris Skinner became the first Bahá'í to settle in Calgary, AB. She had become a Bahá'í in Vancouver in 1936. She left Calgary in 1949 to pioneer to NL. [OBCC184] Doris Skinner; Pioneering; Calgary, AB; Vancouver, BC; Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada the first Bahá'í to settle in Calgary, AB.
    1939 25 Mar The incorporation of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Vancouver under the Societies Act. [OBCC258] Local Spiritual Assembly, incorporation; Vancouver, BC
    1929 (In the year) Lulu Barr was the first Bahá'í in Hamilton, ON. [OBCC196] Lulu Barr; Hamilton, ON first Bahá'í in Hamilton, ON
    1939 (In the year) Emeric Sala gave a talk in Regina proclaiming the Faith for the first time in Saskatchewan. Regina is one of five cities he visited on this business trip. [TG104] Emeric Sala; Regina, SK first public talk in SK

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