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On November 27, 2021, Baha’is the world over will commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, one of the three central figures of the Baha’i Faith. He is not yet well known to much of the world, but his influence on the early Bahá'ís of Urbana was profound. Born on May 23, 1844, he lived for 77 years, more than 40 years as a prisoner of conscience with His family in exile in the prison city of Akka in old Palestine. Some of the first Bahá'ís in Urbana visited him in Palestine, others attended his talks in 1912 when he traveled in the United States for eight months, and still others received letters from him answering questions they had asked by mail.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s attraction came from his wisdom, gained from Baha’u’llah, his father, Whose divine mission in the world 'Abdu'l-Bahá recognized when he was a nine-year-old child. ‘Abdu’l-Baha filled many important and unique roles in the Bahá'í Faith: acting as the appointed interpreter of Baha’u’llah’s teachings and ordinances, preserving the unity of the Faith, educating the growing Baha’i Community as its administrative structure unfolded, serving as a role model for Bahá'í behavior, and answering the many requests for guidance received from Bahá'ís and inquirers around the planet.
We will share selections from Edwin and Annie Crathorne Mattoon’s family written recollections of their sea voyage to Akka in the summer of 1921, with two daughters, one six years old and one three months old. They had several meetings with 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the course of their visit to Akka and Haifa. Elizabeth Hackley, born in 1895, and Eleanor Hutchens, born in 1917, wrote their early memories about the effects of 'Abdu'l-Bahá’s letters to the Urbana community and to the children’s class members and their teachers. Dr. Jakob Kunz, inventor of the photo electric cell at the U. of I., and his wife Anna Bollinger Kunz were early adherents of the Baha'í Faith, as was the Rev. Albert Vail of the Unitarian Church-Channing Murray on the campus. Many other local early admirers and followers of the teachings Bahá'u'lláh gained valuable understanding of this new world religion., including Garreta Busey, born in 1893, daughter of Kate and George W. Busey. Miss Busey was the vice president of the Commercial Bank of Champaign when she died in 1976. Both she and her mother were Bahá'ís in the early 1900s.
Please join us by Zoom at 3:00 pm on Saturday, November 27 as we enrich our understanding of the history of the Bahá'í Faith in Urbana-Champaign in the early 1900s. To receive the link by email or phone, please text or call 217-637-3125.