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The
Bahá'ís of Ottawa come from a variety of backgrounds, brought together
by a common belief in the oneness of humanity and the unity of
religion. We work alongside others to become a force of positive
change, applying insights from the Bahá'í teachings to bring about a
more just, peaceful and unified community.
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July
3, 2018
Baby
Devotional is Taking Off in Ottawa
Abdu’l-Bahá, the
son of
Bahá’u’lláh and His appointed successor, said that there is nothing
sweeter in the world of existence than prayer.” How much sweeter can it
get, then, when reciting prayers with precious little babies?
Over a year ago, two moms started a Facebook group with the intent of
getting together with other new moms to say prayers and socialize. This
group was called the Ottawa Baby Devotional... more...
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June
28,
2018
Stittsville/Kanata
Junior Youth Group Marks First Anniversary
April
2018 marked the one-year anniversary of the formation of a new junior
youth group in the Stittsville-Kanata area. For the past year
this group (one of 30 such groups in the Ottawa area) consisting of six
junior youths (11-14 year olds) and three animators (facilitators),
have met every Sunday to study the Junior Youth Empowerment Program
(JYEP) materials by the Ruhi Institute, discuss spiritual topics, plan
service projects, and play and socialize with their peers. Over the
past year, the junior youth have not only grown in height, but in
maturity as well. more...
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June
8,
2018
CELEBRATING
THE DECLARATION OF THE BÁB
By Susan Ward
 On
the evening of May 23rd,
Bahá’ís around the world celebrated the Declaration of the Báb, the
prophet-founder who ushered in a new era for humanity. Bahá’ís observe
this holy day by gathering at homes and venues to commemorate this
momentous event.
In my own neighbourhood in Ottawa's West End, the Bahá’í community held
a pleasant celebration. We met at 9 pm at the home of our hosts Tony
and Jane to mingle with kindness and share sweets and tea. The program
for the evening was then launched with gentle piano music. The evening
included a beautiful program that told the story about the night the
Báb declared His mission to his first disciple, Mullá Husayn, on May
23, 1844, which included prayers and passages from the Báb’s
writings. We paused twice during the readings to sing and
chant verses led by a mother and daughter duo. At 10:11 pm,
around the time that the Báb declared His mission to His guest, a
special prayer known as the Tablet of Visitation was recited. We then
ended our celebration in love and fellowship.
 The story of the Báb is a
fascinating one. Mullá Husayn belonged to a religious school called the
Shaykhís that believed the bearer of a new divine revelation would
shortly makes his appearance in the world and would prove His claim
both by fulfilling certain physical characteristics and through His
writings. To that end, Mullá Husayn and other Shaykhís were sent on a
quest across Persia to find this new prophet.
During his travels, Mullá Husayn was drawn like a magnet to the city of
Shiraz, Iran, and there he met a young man wearing a green turban Read more...
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June
2,
2018
Public
Screening of Light to the World
 A public screening of Light to
the World, a 51-minute documentary film on the life and teachings of
the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, Bahá’u’lláh – which was produced to
commemorate the bicentenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s birth in 2017 – took place
free of charge at the CineStarz in Orleans on May 11, 2018 from 7 to 9
pm.
The film was attended by about
75 people, including 20 youth and young adults. The screening was
followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session where a variety of
topics were broached ranging from the history of the life of
Bahá'u'lláh to the core activities (children's classes, junior youth
empowerment, study circles, and devotional meetings), as well as on
various Bahá'í principles and teachings such as consultation.
 In the months leading up to the
public screening on May 11th, many efforts were undertaken to publicize
the event, which included distributing about 500 invitation cards to
the screening in the Baha’i community by email, at feasts, at holy day
events, through a Facebook group, as well as personal word-of-mouth
invitations to colleagues, friends and family. The organizers – Samin
Moradipour, Basim Moradipour and Elia Touesnard – worked very hard over
a period of about four months to make the screening a reality and a
success. More...
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Join us for the Ottawa Baha'i
Choir concert on Sat. June 2, 7:30 p.m.
