- 1946-00-00 —
In the second Seven Year Plan from 1946 to 1952, the American Bahá'í community was given the responsibility of working for the establishment of bahá'í communities in several european countries. A European Teaching Committee, which was responsible to the North American National Spiritual Assembly, was set up in Geneva in 1946. Its task was to coordinate the pioneer activities in ten European goal countries; Denmark, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Portugal. [SBBR14p239]
- The Committee was chaired by Edna True. [SBBR14p241]
- Of the pioneers that arrived during this period, Dagmar Dole (stayed 1947 to 1951)) and Eleanor Hollibaugh (stayed May 1947 to October 1948 and March 1950 to October 1950) had the most influence on the growth of the community. [SBBR14p239-243]
- As of 1946 Geresina Campani of Florence was the only known Bahá'í in Italy. In her letter, published in part in Bahá'í News she wrote of the hardship due to the devastation caused by the Allied bombing.
[SYH232]
- 1947-12-12 — The first pioneer to Portugal, Valeria Lamb Nicols, arrived from a pioneer post in Denmark.
- 1953-08-11 — Virginia Orbison arrived in the Balearic Islands from a pioneer post in Spain and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for the Balearic Islands. [BW13:449]
It was neither her first nor her last pioneer experience. Between 1942 and 1946 she pioneered to Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil. After World War II she went to Madrid, Spain where she helped raise the first local spiritual assembly and she did the same thing in Barcelona the following year.
In July of 1953 she went to the Stockholm Intercontinental Teaching Conference where she offered to pioneer to Mallorca in one of the Balearic Islands, She stayed about one year before returning to Barcelona in August of 1954 where she attended the Iberian Teaching Conference that was attended by 60 people. Late that nine, she and nine others were arrested by the police and interrogated for 18 hours. They had thought that the Bahá'í were Communists.
In 1956 she moved to Portugal where she was elected to the first Iberian Regional Spiritual Assembly. After three years she was forced to leave by the authorities because of her Bahá'í activities, holding property and owning a telephone.
She was asked to go to Luxembourg where she spent nine years but made little progress in establishing the Faith. She was then asked to got to Malaga, Spain and by 1972 Malaga had a local spiritual assembly so she pioneered to Margella in 1979.
The National Spiritual Assembly asked her to write a history of the Faith in Spain which was completed in 1980.
As was her wish, she passed to the Abha Kingdom in 1985, still a pioneer. [KoB346-347; Wikipedia]
See also Also see Bahá'í World 19 pages 715-721 or 692-697 in the print version and Bahá'í News #586 January 1980 p2-5. - 1953-09-01 — Ada Schott, Elizabeth Hopper, Sara Kenny and Ella Duffield arrived in the Madeira Islands and were named Knights of Bahá'u'lláh. BW13:453]
- 1957-04-21 —
The Regional Spiritual Assembly for the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) was formed with its seat in Madrid, Spain. [BW13:274]
- The Assembly was disbanded in 1962 when Spain and Portugal established independent National Assemblies.
- 1961-00-00 — The first local assembly was formed on Terceira Island in the Azores at Ridván in 1958. The Faith continued to grow slowly but steadily. By 1961 the local religious authorities grew concerned. The International Police summoned Mr. Nolen, the Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for the Azores, and advised him that he must discontinue teaching the Faith or leave the islands. Despite these
obstacles the Spiritual Assembly continued to meet and study classes were held in Bahá'í homes. [BW15p317-318]
- 1962-04-21 —
The National Spiritual Assembly of Portugal was formed. [BW13:283]
- For picture see BW13:280.
- 1975-04-25 — A revolution in Portugal removed the ban on Bahá'í meetings and teaching activities.
- 1975-06-21 —
Following the revolution in Portugal in April, the National Spiritual Assembly was officially recognized.
- The process of incorporation began in 1951.
- 1988-08-03 — The first Iberian Youth Conference was held in Lisbon, attended by 120 Bahá'ís from nine European countries. [BINS181:6]
- 1994-07-20 — The European Bahá'í Youth Council sponsored five regional 'Shaping Europe' conferences, in Berlin, Bucharest, St Petersburg, Barcelona and Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. [BINS323:3–5; BW94–5:177–8, 189]
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