Open House at Bahá’í National Centre welcomes visitors

Since the Universal House of Justice announced that a National Bahá’í House of Worship is to be erected in Canada, hundreds of friends have visited the Temple site and Hazíratu’l-Quds.

The York North cluster from Ontario visited the open house as a large group. Some friends from York North are pictured at the Temple site.

For a period of five weeks this summer, the National Spiritual Assembly arranged an open house program, where visitors were welcomed to the Bahá’í National Centre, located just outside of Toronto in Markham, Ont. Here, they were greeted by volunteers and treated to a tour of the Hazíratu’l-Quds[1] and Temple land. Taking a short walk through the forest, the friends offered prayers in the spot where the House of Worship will be built in the coming years.

The visitors also viewed three-dimensional models showing the placement of the Temple and the design of the future Bahá’í National Centre and viewed sacred artifacts—including a prayer in Arabic calligraphy that incorporates a lock of Bahá’u’lláh’s hair[2] and a pair of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s shoes—located in the Council Chamber of the National Assembly.

The open houses, which took place every Sunday between August 6th to September 3rd, welcomed over 300 people. Some friends came from the nearby communities in the Greater Toronto Area, while others had come from as far as North Vancouver, B.C., Montreal, Que., Summerside, P.E.I., and Nevada, U.S.A. Some were visiting the National Centre after decades, while others were visiting for the first time.

Friends from the York North cluster—front: Friends sign their names in the guest book at the reception area of the Bahá’í National Centre. Back: Friends view three-dimensional models showing the placement of the Temple and the design of the future Bahá’í National Centre.

One friend, who came from Mississauga, Ont. with her husband and children, said, “Echoes of the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá when he broke the land for the Chicago Temple over 100 ago rang through: ‘the Temple is already built.’ Even though the physical structure is not yet in place, the spirit can be strongly felt on the Temple site.” In reflecting on the impact of the Temple in the community, she shared, “It will be a source of bounty, joy and of uniting hearts.”

For a group of youth visiting from the Victoria Hills neighbourhood in Kitchener, Ont., the tour was the first time they had visited the Bahá’í National Centre and surrounding property. The open house helped them to better understand the role of the National Spiritual Assembly and provided insight into the responsibilities of those serving on national Bahá’í agencies.

A tutor from the Victoria Hills neighbourhood who accompanied the group said, “Seeing the sacred artifacts gave everyone a great opportunity to draw closer to the Personages of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Bahá’u’lláh.” He continued, “Hopefully these youth will see the Temple as another centre for prayer and worship and feel inclined to visit it as much as they can to draw nearer and nearer to our Creator.”

While the open house program took place during the summer months, groups who wish to visit the Temple land can arrange to do so with the Office Coordinator by emailing officecoordinator@bahai.ca.

[1] A designation given to a building that acts as the center of Bahá’í administrative activity, in this case, the Canadian Bahá’í National Centre. Means “the sacred fold.”

[2] The prayer is by Bahá’u’lláh and the calligrapher is Mishkín-Qalam.