Message from Universal House of Justice to NSA

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Dear Bahá’í Friends,

The National Spiritual Assembly hastens to share with you the attached letter addressed by the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies, received yesterday.  Within hours of its receipt the National Assembly convened to study the letter, grateful for the technology that makes this possible, and we commend the same swift attention to this weighty message on the part of institutions across the country.  We ask, too, that you arrange for its quick and wide distribution to the community for exploration by individuals, families, groups of friends serving together and communities.

We did not wish to wait to send you the letter until our three-day meeting next weekend with our beloved Counsellors, though there will undoubtedly be more that we will wish to share with you following that consultation.  In the meantime, and always, as questions and possibilities arise in your study of the message, we invite you to convey them to us, so that our own discussions are illumined by your experience and insight.

Our prayers for you, our treasured companions, are especially stirred by the assurance and hope expressed in the closing paragraph:  “Not a moment passes when you are not in our thoughts. All our trust and confidence in your capacity to face this challenge comes from our knowledge that your ultimate supporter and helper is the Abhá Beauty Himself. In our entreaties at the Sacred Threshold, we implore Him to make you pure channels for the flow of His grace to humankind.”

With loving Bahá’í greetings,
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF CANADA
Karen McKye, Secretary

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Results of Election of National Spiritual Assembly

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

It is with joy and gratitude to Bahá’u’lláh for His unfailing assistance that we share the results of the election of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada this year, under circumstances that may well never be repeated.  Since the Convention had to be cancelled owing to public health guidelines related to the current health crisis, delegates mailed in their ballots or made arrangements to phone them in, safeguarding the confidentiality of the voting process and achieving 100% participation.

The names of those called to serve on the National Spiritual Assembly for the coming year are, in alphabetical order:  Mehran Anvari, Deloria Bighorn, Zelalem Bimrew Kasse, Hoda Farahmandpour, Gerald Filson, Judy Filson, Ciprian Jauca, Karen McKye and Elizabeth Wright.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF CANADA
Karen McKye, Secretary

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Suspension of Pilgrimage and Brief Visits to the Holy Land

Dear Bahá'í Friends,

We are writing to share with you a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies dated 12 March 2020 regarding the suspension of pilgrimage and brief visits to the Holy Land.

The Universal House of Justice has been following closely the evolving global health crisis caused by the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and for some time the Department of Pilgrimage has been advising prospective pilgrims and visitors about the rapidly changing restrictions being imposed on travellers by the government of Israel. The current situation and the escalating measures being taken by governments and airlines have now necessitated the suspension of pilgrimage and brief visits to the Holy Land until such time as circumstances permit them to resume.

The House of Justice regrets that many friends who were planning to visit the World Centre of the Cause will be affected by this suspension, but it hopes that they will, before long, be able to fulfil their hearts' desire.

Kindly assure the friends in your communities of the supplications of the House of Justice at the Sacred Threshold that Bahá'u'lláh's unfailing assistance and strengthening grace may surround them as well as their compatriots and that all those affected by this outbreak may be sheltered beneath the canopy of His watchful care.

With loving Bahá'í greetings,
Karen McKye, Secretary

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Travel Advisory for Iran

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Dear Bahá’í Friends,

Federal government officials have asked for our assistance in disseminating the following information, published on travel.gc.ca, to Canadian Bahá’ís of Iranian origin. At the present time, individuals are advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran, one reason for which is the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in that country. The website also recommends that travellers currently in Iran who plan to return to Canada should make every effort to do so by commercial means while it is still possible, “as it is becoming increasingly difficult to leave the country. Many airlines have suspended or reduced flights to and from Iran”. Additional information is available and updated frequently at https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/iran#entryexit and https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/travel-health-notices/217.

We are confident that the friends are already conscious of the special risks that such travel has always held for them as Bahá’ís and are well aware of the current situation.  Nonetheless, we seek your assistance in distributing this letter to your communities, to ensure that it reaches the Persian friends without delay.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Karen McKye, Secretary

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Compilation on Prayer and Devotional Life

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Dear Bahá’í Friends,

We are very happy to share with you the attached newly-released compilation on prayer and devotional life; kindly arrange for its wide distribution. It is also available in the compilation section of the Bahá’í Reference Library.  A French version will be circulated as soon as one is available.

In its covering letter dated 28 February 2019, the Department of the Secretariat of the Universal House of Justice shared the following about this compilation:

“As the friends intensify their efforts to pursue the last Plan of the series of Plans that end in 2021, a year that marks the centenary of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the inauguration of the Formative Age, signs of the enrichment of the devotional life of the community are manifest. Devotional activities are everywhere multiplying and are increasingly being integrated into the core of community life. To add further stimulus to this signal development and to help the friends take full advantage of the period of special potency during which the bicentennial anniversaries of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh and of the Báb are commemorated, the Universal House of Justice has directed us to enclose a compilation of extracts on prayer and devotional life drawn from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and from the letters of the Guardian and the House of Justice.

“It is the hope of the House of Justice that this compilation, prepared by the Research Department at its request, will be studied widely and will be of assistance to individuals, families, and communities as they strive to evoke the spirit of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in the creation of occasions where any soul may inhale the divine fragrances, experience the elevating power of prayer, and be drawn together with others in fellowship and common cause.”

With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Karen McKye, Secretary