‘Abdu’l-Bahá with a group of Bahá’ís at Lincoln Park in Chicago, Illinois, 3 May, 1912. [Courtesy photo]
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, son of Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Baha’i Faith, followed his father in exile and imprisonment for 40 years. Upon liberation from the last prison in ‘Akká, then located in Palestine, he embarked upon a historic, 239-day journey to the United States and Canada from April to December 1912 in the last decade of his life.
In 2012, the anniversary of his trip to Pasadena was celebrated with a special gathering at the Scottish Rite building on Madison Avenue. (You can follow his journey to the United States at 239days.com.)
The closing months of 2021 marked the 100th anniversaries of the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as well as the 100th anniversary of the reading of His will and testament, which created a Covenant preserving the unity of the bourgeoning worldwide Baha’i community.
A film entitled The Exemplar was released in observance of this historic date.
This film follows the life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who is regarded as the perfect example of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings and shows the profound effect He had on people both past and present. The film reflects a few of the universal principles He embodied, both in word and deed—principles that animate a global movement of individuals, communities and institutions striving to emulate His example in service to humanity.
Meeting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, often referred to as “the Apostle of Peace” in the West, must have been no less than extraordinary as he was said to tread “the mystic way with practical feet.”
For 239 days he traveled across America, reaching across political, religious, racial, class, and gender lines to confront Americans with a vision of human nature, social unity, and the nation’s future that was 100 years ahead of its time.
Followers say that while they have not met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in person, they take inspiration from His example and find hope in His exhortations to dedicate themselves to a life of service
No more befitting way to celebrate ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s influence than by an unprecedented series of global conferences aimed at exploring the inherent oneness of humanity and serving as a universal call to work for the betterment of the world.
“…the purpose for which mortal men have, from utter nothingness, stepped into the realm of being, is that they may work for the betterment of the world and live together in concord and harmony.” – Bahá’u’lláh
“Every community in the world findeth in these Divine Teachings the realisation of its highest aspirations. These teachings are even as the tree that beareth the best fruits of all trees.” -‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Some of the themes explored in the conference are: raising vibrant communities that are contributing to spiritual and material progress, the importance of understanding and working towards eliminating the effects of racism on our community, the importance of worship and service, and contributing to the wellbeing of everyone, the centrality of education, and the importance of the educational courses in building both the capacity for service and the ability to contribute to the development of the local community and society, and finally, contributing to social transformation by becoming protagonists of our own development and that of our communities.
Individuals interested in learning more about the Bahá’í approach to community building are invited to contact the Pasadena Bahá’í community at (626) 607-1844 or via email at lsa@pasadenabahai.org
The conference is to be held in Pasadena on March 26 and 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
at the Scottish Rite Building on 150 N. Madison Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. It will be open to public, and attendance is free. To register please go to: https://formfaca.de/sm/dE7cHcM-o
