Letter of June 15, 1954
Haifa, Israel,
June 15, 1954.
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada.
The letters of your Assembly ... with enclosures, have all been safely received, and the beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
Although a number of the matters raised in your various letters have been attended to by cable, he is sorry that he has not been able to answer the letters of your Assembly sooner. It is becoming increasingly difficult for him to get around to National Assembly letters at all.
During the past year, the Canadian Bahá’í Community has gone through a great many experiences of both a sad nature and a pleasant one.
The loss of the dear Hand of the Cause, Freddie Schopflocher, is going to be much felt. He was so intensely loyal, so vigilant in watching over the interests of the Faith, so steadfast and tenacious in serving it, that he will be much missed in the national work. For over thirty years, he promoted, not only the interests of the Faith, but those of the Canadian Bahá’í Community, and rendered on a national and an international scale, through contributions and many teaching trips, valuable services to the Cause of God.
The Guardian was very happy that dear Fred could be buried so close to Sutherland Maxwell. Montreal has indeed been blessed in more ways than one; and, as the Mother Community of Canada, should become increasingly active and united, and live up to the high expectations the Master cherished for her future, and prove herself worthy of the many blessings she has already received.
Another thing which your community has had to pass through this year—both a blessing and a calamity—is the departure of so many active members of your National Body for the pioneer fields abroad. It should be a source of great pride that one-third of the membership of your Body set sail for such distant goals, and will render services during the Ten Year Crusade, of such a nature, he feels sure, as to bestow honour upon the entire Canadian Community.
He likewise feels that you have every reason to be satisfied over the progress which has been made during the first year of the Plan in settling the goals entrusted to your care. It is very unfortunate that Anticosti should prove such a hard nut to crack. He appreciates very much the determined efforts which your Body, and particularly Mr. Rakovsky, made to get a pioneer into it before last Ridván. No doubt eventually your efforts will be crowned with success; but you will have to be very tactful and careful in order not to arouse a permanently resistant attitude on the part of the Company that owns the Island.