Founded on the revelation granted Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth century Persia, the worldwide community of the Bahá'í Faith has as its chief objectives the renewal of belief in God and the universal recognition of the oneness of humanity.
The Bahá'í community was formally established in this province in 1949 when three Bahá'ís from mainland Canada settled in St. John's. As the local Bahá'í communities grew large enough, Spiritual Assemblies (elected administrative bodies) were formed in St. John's (1969), Corner Brook (1971), Mount Pearl (1971), Happy Valley-Goose Bay (1989 ). At the present time Bahá'ís are found in a dozen communities across the island and in five localities in Labrador. Together they represent a variety of religious backgrounds and Newfoundland origins, including Innu, Inuit and Mik'maq. In 1983, the House of Assembly unanimously passed a legislative amendment granting official recognition of the Bahá'í marriage ceremony. It is interesting to note, however, that this province has had unusual and unique connections with the Bahá'í world community from the earliest days of the Faith.
The first woman in the western world (i.e. outside the Middle East) to become a confirmed believer in the Bahá'í Faith was Kate Cowan Ives (1863-1927), in 1894/95 in Chicago. Her parents were John H. and Catherine Cowan from Newfoundland, who left for "the Boston states" sometime before her birth in Orleans, Massachusetts. She lived in the US all her life but is known to have visited St. John's in 1917, with another Bahá'í, the New Brunswick-born artist Marion Jack.
In 1913, `Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of Bahá'u'lláh, revealed a prayer for a "Mr. Crowe of Newfoundland" (probably Harry Judson Crowe, philantropist and founder of several lumber companies in central Newfoundland).
Early in 1914 Agnes Clift (Mrs. J. A. Clift) gave a talk about "Bahaism, a Persian religion that espouses a universal faith" to the Current Events Club at the Ladies Reading Room in St. John's. The talk was printed as a full page article in "The Daily News" of 17th January 1914.
As yet nothing is known of Mr Crowe's or Mrs Clift's encounters with the Baha'i Faith. However it seems possible that they may have been connected in some way with the visit which `Abdu'l-Baha made to Montreal during his tour of North America in 1912, after a lifetime of imprisonment and exile.
Bahá'ís are represented in a wide variety of trades and professions in the province and several have won distinction for their contributions to the arts and sciences. A number of Newfoundlanders have served, or are serving as pioneer teachers of the Bahá'i Faith while employed in other parts of the world such as Africa and the West Indies.
