Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith in Canada

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Date 1952, ascending — sort newest first

date event tags firsts
1952 (In the year) A spiritual assembly was formed in North York, the 19th to form. [CBN No. 46 November, 1953 p2] Local Spiritual Assembly, formation; North York, ON
1952 5 Jan Fred and Jean Graham were registered as Bahá'ís. They had been closely aligned and were sympathetic to the Faith since 1948. [UC33]
  • In the months and years that followed their relatives enrolled in the Faith. It can be said that the Graham family established the first dynasty in Canada.
  • 1952 November 2: Fred's mother Florence as well as Fred's sister Jeanie and her husband Orv Seddon enrolled. [UC35]
    		• Fred Graham; Jean Graham; Jeanie Seddon; Orv Seddon; Hamilton, ON first Bahá'í dynasty in Canada
    1952 10 Jan The passing of Honoré Jaxon (b. 1861 as William Henry Jackson in the village of Wingham, ON). He died one month after his eviction from his basement apartment where he hoarded three tons of archival material which he hoped would become a library for the study of the Métis people of Saskatchewan.

    See Speechless 4 December 2009 for a chronological biography as well as a bibliography / webliogrphy of other works on him.

    See NUVO for a photo of his eviction from the New York Daily News archive and a short biography.

    See as well BFA1p90-93; OBCC18-21, 25-26.

    		 In Memoriam; Honoré Jaxon; Metis; New York City, NY
    1952 29 Feb 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 Schopflocher; - Hands of the Cause; Haifa, Israel; Montreal, QC
    1952 25 Mar Sutherland Maxwell, Hand of the Cause of God, passed away in Montreal. (b.14 November, 1874) [DH143; MBW132; PP246]
  • For his obituary see BW12:657–62.
  • Shoghi Effendi had appointed him among the first contingent on the 24th of December, 1951. [MoCxxiii]
  • For his relationship with Shoghi Effendi and work on the superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb see PP236–43.
  • Shoghi Effendi named the southern door of the Báb's tomb after him in memory of his services.
  • On June 16th, 1956, friends of the Montreal area gathered at the grave to place, under the headstone, an alabaster box that had been sent by the Guardian. The box contained a piece of plaster taken from the walls of the prison in Máh-Kú where the Báb had been incarcerated in 1847. Another piece of plaster from the same source had been placed under the first golden tile of the dome of the Shrine of the Báb. The superstructure of the Shrine had been designed by Sutherland Maxwell. [TG55; CBN No 80 September 1956 p2]
  • Find a grave.
  • For a brief biography see LoF276-286.
  • See Bahá'í Chronicles.
  • The Canadian Bahá'í News published a special Memorial issue.
    		•  Sutherland Maxwell; Fortress of Mah-Ku; Relics; Báb, Shrine of; In Memoriam; Montreal, QC
    1952 26 Mar` Shoghi Effendi appointed Ruhíyyih Khánum Hand of the Cause of God to replace her father. [UC34] - Hands of the Cause; Amatul-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum; Haifa, Israel
    1953 29 Mar The funeral for Hand of the Cause Sutherland Maxwell was chaired by John Robarts, the then chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly.
  • Mr. Eddie Elliott, member of the Spiritual Assembly of Montreal and son of a former servant in the Maxwell household sang the spiritual "Steal Away".
  • Mr Rowland Estall, the vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly read some Writings and then delivered the eulogy.
  • A cable that had just arrived from the Guardian announced that the southern door of the Tomb of the Báb would be named after him.
  • Mr. Estall read the Prayer for the Departed.
  • Mr Horace Holley, secretary of the National spiritual assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United states and Mr Fred Schopflocher, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada, both distinguished Hands of the cause, had the honour to represent the Guardian at the service. Each of them read a prayer at the interment in Mount royal Cemetery. [CBN undated Memorial Issue]
    		•  Sutherland Maxwell; John Robarts; Eddie Elliot; Rowland Estall; Horace Holley; Fred Schopflocher; Montreal, QC
    1952 Apr In an article in the Canadian Bahá'í News by Jameson Bond, instructions were given to locate the direction of the Qiblih using the "Great Circle Route". [CBN No 28 April, 1952 p5] Qiblih; Great Circle Route; Jameson Bond; Canada
    1952 25 - 29 Apr The fifth National Convention was held in the Brunswick Hotel in Moncton, NB. Sixteen delegates and twenty-five observers were in attendance. Those elected to the National Spiritual Assembly were: Lloyd Gardener John Robarts, Emeric Sala, Rowland Estall, Laura Davis, Freddy Schopflocher, Rosemary Sala, Winnifred Harvey, and Ross Woodman. [CBN No 28 April 1952 p6; Bahá'í News No 258, August 1952 p10] National Convention; Moncton, NB
    1952 14 May In a cable to the National Spiritual Assembly the Guardian advised them the he would contribute £2,000 to the future Haziratu'l-Quds. [MtCp153]

    The National Spiritual Assembly announced that the Hazira Committee would continue its search for a suitable building not exceeding $50,000, [CBN No 31 July 1952 p6]

    		 Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); - Bahá'í World Centre; Canada
    1952 Aug The Ontario Bahá'í Summer School was held at the Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood. [UC35] Summer schools; Collingwood, ON
    1952 Aug The National Spiritual Assembly was actively searching for a property in Toronto to be used as a National Hazíratu'l-Quds. They had $17,000 which included $6,000 that had been a special contribution from the Guardian and other National Spiritual Assemblies. [CBN No 34 October 1952 p2] Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Toronto, ON
    1952 (In the year) Alan and Evelyn Raynor made and extensive travel teaching tour throughout Western Canada. [CBN No 36 December, 1952 p2; 4] Travel Teaching; Alan Raynor; Evelyn Raynor
    1952 25 Sep The National Spiritual Assembly made a deposit payment of $5,0000 on the purchase of a property at 188 St George Street West in Toronto to become the site of the Haziratu'l-Quds. The full purchase price was $49,500 and they were obliged to by $20,000 by the end of November with the balance mortgaged at 5 1/2% interest for 10 years. [CBN No 34 October, 1952 p2; CBN No 36 December, 1952 p2]
  • For a description see CBN No 38 February 1953 p4.
  • See [MtC198-199] for a photo.
    		• Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Toronto, ON
    1952 Oct It was announced in the Canadian Bahá'í News that Mrs Catherine Jones was the first resident of Saskatoon to accept the Faith. [CBN No 35 November, 1952 p7] Catherine Jones; Saskatoon, SK first resident of Saskatoon to accept the Faith
    1952 Oct - 1953 Oct Holy Year, "The Great Jubilee", 16 October 1952 to 16 October 1953, was inaugurated. [MBW16-18; BW12:116; DG84; PP409–10; SBR170–1] The Great Jubilee; Holy Year
    1952 8 Oct The Guardian cabled the the Bahá'í world that he had appointed five Auxiliary Boards, one for each continent, to help the Hands of the Cause in their work. The first Auxiliary Board Members were appointed by the Hands under the direction of the Guardian. They were to serve as adjuncts, deputies and advisers to the Hands and to work closely with the National Spiritual Assemblies. [UC35; MBW44, BW13p335] Auxiliary board members and assistants; Haifa, Israel
    1952 Dec The National Spiritual Assembly announced that the Hazíratu'l-Quds had been purchased at 188 St George Street in Toronto. [UC36; CBNNo 36 December 1952 p2] Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Toronto, ON
    1952 Dec Mr. Schopflocher wrote to the Hon. Lester B. Pearson, Minister of External Affairs in Ottawa, to assist us on behalf of Miss Marian Jack, the Canadian pioneer in Sofia, Bulgaria. She would have been 88 years old at this time. Canada did not have diplomatic representation in Bulgaria at this time so, as a Canadian citizen, she came under the responsibility of the British Delegation. NBAD227; [CBN No 36 December 1952 p2] Sofia, Bulgaria; Bulgaria
    1952 26 Dec - 1 Jan Rosemary Sala spoke about her recent pilgrimage at the Beaulac Winter Session. [CBN No 36 December, 1952 p8] Winter schools; Rosemary Sala; Beaulac, QC

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