The Baháʼà World Congress is a large gathering of
BaháʼÃs from across the world that is called irregularly by the
Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the BaháʼÃs. There have only been two conferences of this nature; in 1963 and 1992.
1963: First Baháʼà World Congress
The first Baháʼà World Congress was held in
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
in
London,
England and approximately 6,000 BaháʼÃs attended. It was called to announce and present the election of the first Universal House of Justice, elected by the participation of over 50
National Spiritual Assemblies
Spiritual Assembly is a term given by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to refer to elected councils that govern the Baháʼà Faith. Because the Baháʼà Faith has no clergy, they carry out the affairs of the community. In addition to existing at the local level ...
.
Enoch Olinga
Enoch Olinga (June 24, 1926September 16, 1979) was born to a Ugandan family of the Iteso ethnic group. He became a BaháʼÃ, earned the title Knight of Baháʼu'lláh and was appointed as the youngest Hand of the Cause, the highest appointed pos ...
, last of the named
Hands of the Cause, chaired the main meeting of the Congress.
Issam Tahan was in London during treatment for heart problems he later died from. He was the small boy who, while his father was in prison in Morocco that had risen to public pressure on Morocco, chanted a prayer before the audience of the Congress.
Mrs. Ruthy Tu, the first woman citizen of Taiwan to become a BaháʼÃ, was able to attend the first Congress,
as did the first Baháʼà convert outside the mainland of Scotland - Lilian McKay.
O. Z. Whitehead
Oothout Zabriskie Whitehead (March 1, 1911 – July 29, 1998) was an American stage and film character actor. He was born in New York City and attended Harvard University. Called "O.Z." or "Zebby", he also authored several volumes of biographi ...
, actor in
Grapes of Wrath movie and writer
also attended.
1992: Second Baháʼà World Congress
The Second Baháʼà World Congress from 23–26 November 1992 took place in order to pay homage to the 100th anniversary of the passing of the founder of the Baháʼà Faith,
Baháʼu'lláh
Baháʼu'lláh (born Ḥusayn-Ê»AlÃ; 12 November 1817 – 29 May 1892) was the founder of the Baháʼà Faith. He was born to an aristocratic family in Persia, and was exiled due to his adherence to the messianic Bábà Faith. In 1863, in I ...
. 30,000 BaháʼÃs attended the event in the
Jacob Javits Center in
New York City, United States, for four days of commemoration in the form of music, speeches, artistic performances and social gathering.
The Congress participants represented the diversity of the BaháʼÃs from over 180 different nations. The purpose of this World Congress was to "celebrate the Centenary of the inauguration of the Covenant of Baháʼu'lláh and to proclaim its aims and unifying power."
Program
The main sessions of the World Congress took place two hours each day at the Jacob Javits Center.
*Day one concentrated on the recognition of Baha'u'llah as the Promise of All Ages.
*Day two celebrated
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (; Persian language, Persian: , 23 May 1844 – 28 November 1921), born ʻAbbás ( fa, عباس), was the eldest son of Baháʼu'lláh and served as head of the Baháʼà Faith from 1892 until 1921. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá was later C ...
as the Center of the Covenant. The program highlighted the nature of the
Covenant, and New York as the City of the Covenant.
*Day three covered some achievements of the Baháʼà community.
*Day four explored humanity's encounter with Baháʼu'lláh as a prelude to the culmination of the congress, a message from the Universal House of Justice.
References
Baháʼà World Congress: Frequently Asked Questions
External links
Baháʼà World Congress, New York, 1992: video's
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baháʼà World Congress
History of the Bahá'à Faith
1963 conferences
1992 conferences