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1916
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Therefore, O ye believers of God! Show ye an effort and after this war spread ye the synopsis of the divine teachings in the British Isles, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia,
Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Portugal, Rumania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, San Marino,
Balearic Isles, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, Malta, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Shetland Islands, Hebrides and Orkney Islands.
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Tablet to the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada - April 11, 1916 - 'Abdu'l-Bahá
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1953
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On occasion of the sixty-first Anniversary of the Ascension
of Bahá'u'lláh, on the morrow of the opening, initial phase of the
momentous World Crusade, call upon His followers in all continents
to allow no slackening, nay, to insure acceleration of the marvelous
momentum generated by the historic celebrations climaxing the
festivities of Holy Year. The dispersal, immediate, determined,
sustained and universal, throughout the unopened territories of the
planet, is the paramount issue challenging the spirit and resources
of the privileged prosecutors of the Ten-Year Plan in the course of
the current year. ...
Cablegram, May 28, 1953
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The Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, launches the Ten Year Crusade.
Territories to be opened to the Faith include : Malta.
Languages into which Bahá'í literature is to be translated include :
Maltese.
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1953
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Mrs. Una Townshend-Dean. - 4th October the first
pioneer arrives in Malta. Due to the health of her father, Hand of
the Cause George Townshend, in 1954 Una had to return to Ireland.
She passed on to the Abhá Kingdom on March 9 2003 in Alberta, Canada.
Read article on Una
Townshend Dean in Baha'i World News
Mrs. Olga Mills. - The British Bahá'í Journal
of December 1953 reported that "Olga Mills has joined Una Townshend
in Malta and they are meeting as often as they can to read from the
Writings 'for the benefit of Malta as well as ourselves'." She
stood steadfast at her pioneering post to see the first Spiritual
Assembly formed. She passed away on 2 May 1974 and is buried in
Malta.
Dr. John George Mitchell. - During his
pilgrimage to the Holy Shrines in Haifa, the Guardian entrusted him
with the original maps of the goals of the Ten-year Crusade to take
to Italy for printing. After his return to the UK and a few months
pioneering in Blackpool he came to Malta. By 1955 his illness
required that he be flown back to England for treatment. He died on
19 February, 1957.
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First Bahá'í publication in Maltese : A pamphlet
entitled 'Il-Fidi Universali tal-Bahá'í'
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1965
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In late April, Hand of the Cause Mr. John Ferraby
visit Malta.
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1966
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In February, Hand of the Cause Mr. A. Q. Faizi visit Malta.
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1972
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25 August - First local declarations by Paulette and Cecil Crockford.
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1972
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First Bahá'í marriage in Malta between Charles
Sciberras Vassallo (a Bahá'í ) and Tanya Francalanza Grech (non-Bahá'í)
at the Malta Hilton Hotel, Paceville at 10.30a.m. on December 27.
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1973
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Monday, 29 January, Hand of the Cause Dr.Ugo Giachery and
Mrs. Giachery visit Malta. The next day Dr. Giachery visited the
Tal-Virtu Training College and gave a talk on the Faith to about
twenty female students. He also had several meetings with the Bahá'ís of Malta. Dr. Giachery and his wife left Malta on Thursday 8
of February.
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1973
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First Local Spiritual Assembly formed.
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1978
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First National Hazira tu'l-Quds in the village of Attard. Built and donated to the Malta community by the Jarrah family.
Read the History of Bahá'í
Centres in Malta
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1978
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Between the 16 and 22 December the first Bahá'í School was held at
the new Centre in Attard. Since then, nearly every year, a Bahá'í
school was held in Malta. The school is generally held in Spring and
usually it coincides with the Easter break.
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1981
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First Community Bahá'í Journal distributed.
A letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of the
Bahá'ís of Italy dated August 3. 1981, from the Universal House of
Justice, reads :
Dear Bahá'í Friends,
The Universal House of Justice
has been delighted with the enterprise shown by the dear friends in
Malta in publishing their "Bahá'í Journal", the first three numbers
of which have been received at the World Centre.
The House of Justice is impressed both with the
contents, the appearance and the economy with which the journal has
been produced, and ask you to convey the contents of this letter to
the friends in Malta, and to assure them of the loving prayers of
the House of Justice on their behalf. ...
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1981
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First direct interview on the Faith
on radio
4th April. For the first time, in a direct interview about the
Faith, on Radio Malta International, Claire Honigman, from Paris ,
France, explained the principles of Oneness of God, of progressive
Revelation and of the Unity of Mankind
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1985
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Publication of first Bahá'í book in the Maltese language,
Niltaqghu mal-Fidi Bahá'í, of Gloria Faizi 'The
Bahá'í Faith'.
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1985
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Opening of Bahá'í Centre, Ta'Xbiex - 24 October in the presence of guests including the then USA Ambassador to Malta., Mr. Matthew.
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1986
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Rúhíyyih
Khánum visited Malta in the summer of
1986 and spent a few days in the company of the Malta community
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1998
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On the 29 September the Spiritual Assembly of
the Bahá'ís of Malta took possession of a building in the capital Valletta to serve as the National Bahá'í Centre.
This 400 year old "Pallazzino" is undergoing extensive refurbishment
work.
Read the History of Bahá'í
Centres in Malta |
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2001
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April - A series of 13 programmes produced, directed
and presented by members of the Malta Bahá'í Community went on air
by the name of Traccji (Traces) on a community radio in the
south of Malta.
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2002
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14 Clusters established.
The National Spiritual Assembly of Italy approves the
suggestion of the Local Assembly to cluster the Islands of Malta
into 14 where local activities, according to the Universal House of
Justice letter of 9 January 2001, would be held.
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2003
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50 years of the Bahá'í Faith in Malta
Visit the page dedicated to the Jubilee
Year.
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2004
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Ruhi Institute
Intensive Course
From May to September, seven members of our Community passed through
an intensive study of the full series of Ruhi Books with Thomas
Rowan acting as tutor. These now can tutor the rest of
the Bahá'í Community
What is the Ruhi Institute?
Check here.
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2005
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Marriage of Trudy Picco & Farhad
Dargahi Shafa
On the 1st of November 2005 Trudy and Farhad, two members of the
Malta community, were married in a Bahá'í ceremony.
See the wedding
pictures Click here.
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2005
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Commonwealth Dialogue for Faith and
Development
The Malta Bahá'í community was specifically asked to send
representatives to the Commonwealth Dialogue for Faith and
Development, one of the activities taking place during the Heads of
Commonwealth meeting in Malta from Thursday, 24 November to Sunday,
27 November.
See
pictures of the meeting Click here.
Read the aims of meeting
Click here.
Read the Commonwealth Dialogue Faith Report
Click here.
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2006
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The Republic of Malta divided into 2 Clusters.
The National Spiritual Assembly of Italy approves the
suggestion of the Local Assembly to reduce the clusters in the
Republic of Malta to 2. Cluster one is the main island of Malta and
the other cluster consist of the islands of Gozo and Comino.
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2006
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New doors & windows at National Bahá'í centre
During the first week of November new doors and windows to the rooftop and big windows around
the first floor hall overlooking the yard were put in place. During the same weekend members of
the Malta Bahá'í community got together to do the plastering around the apertures before the heavy
rains arrive. At the same time a big cleaning operation of the place got under way.
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2007
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2nd generation Maltese Bahá'í
The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Malta has, for the first
time, as one
of its members a 2nd generation Maltese Bahá'í.
Irene Cassar was elected to serve on the Spiritual Institution for
this year.
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2007
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Horticulture Show
The Malta Bahá'í Community participated in the Annual Horticulture
show organised by the Malta Horticultural Society. The Bahá'í display
consisted of an A3 size photo of the Shrine of the Báb with part of
the garden showing as background. By the use of plants, flowers and
foliage we tried to create an extension of the gardens. A poster
explaining who are the Bahá'ís was available.
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2007
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Institutional Meeting - 22 to 24 June
Three members of our esteemed National
Spiritual Assembly, Manouchehr Hedayat, Nayssan Parsa and Giuseppe
Robiati, visited Malta with our dear Auxiliary Board Member for
Protection Azar Melville and our wonderful new Board Member for
Propagation, Kay Hughes. This was historic in being the first time
that so many members of both Institutions visited at one time
specifically for our guidance in an extended meeting of this sort.
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2007
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InterFaith Meeting
The National Commission for Persons with Disability invited the Bahá'í Community to participate in a
Interfaith meeting to mark The European Year of Equal Opportunities
for All and The 20th Anniversary of the NCPD on the topic
"All Different All Equal - Embracing Unity in Diversity" on the
evening of the 28th of June.
Our representative read a
statement taken from the International Bahá'í Community’s
statement to the UN. Other religious bodies that took part
were the Jewish Community, the Hindu Community, the Islamic
Community, the Greek Catholics, the Maltese Catholics, the
German Protestant Church, the Seventh Day Adventists and the
St. Andrews Scots Church.
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2007 |
More work at Bahá'í Centre
More work is being undertaken at the National Bahá'í Centre. The
services of electricity, water, drainage, telephone and the
infrastructure for air-conditioning are being installed.
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2008 |
National Bahá'í Centre
The services having been completed by the end of last year, the work
moves on to the next stage of plastering walls, tiling floors and
bathrooms and painting. With the offer of a professional finisher who
is giving his service to our community the work is progressing
steadily.
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