In the same year he was married to May Bolles. [WMSH16-17]

For obvious reasons, the treatment of aviation matters was a subject at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. The conference was the first political effort to develop the doctrines of international law relating to aerial navigation. Delegates disagreed about the right of foreign aircraft to fly over national territory. It was resolved to create an Aeronautical Commission charged to prepare a convention on international aerial navigation. The result was the creation of the International Commission for Air Navigation under the authority of the League of Nations. This Paris Convention was the first successful attempt at common regulation of international air navigation and laid the foundations of air law.

A proposal was formally taken up by France and submitted to the other principal Allied powers who received it favourably. This action then resulted in the drawing up of the International Air Convention, which was signed by 26 of the 32 Allied and Associated powers represented at the Paris Peace Conference and was ultimately ratified by 38 States. It should be noted that this Convention took over all the principles that had already been formulated by the Conference that had been held in 1910 in Paris. The Convention was ultimately in force for thirty-three States by 1940.

The U.S. government extended an invitation to 55 States to attend an International Civil Aviation Conference in Chicago in 1944. Known then and today more commonly as the 'Chicago Convention', this landmark agreement laid the foundation for the standards and procedures for peaceful global air navigation. It set out as its prime objective the development of international civil aviation "…in a safe and orderly manner", and such that air transport services would be established "on the basis of equality of opportunity and operated soundly and economically." On 4 April 1947, upon sufficient ratifications to the Chicago Convention, the International Civil Aviation Authority came into being. The first official ICAO Assembly was held in Montreal in May of that year. On 3 October 1947 the ICAO became a UN specialized agency.

Today the ICAO has 193 Members States with headquarters located in the Quartier international de Montréal of Montreal, Quebec, Canada with seven Regional Offices throughout the world. [Chicago Convention; 1919 Paris Convention; ICAO website]

`Abdu'l-Bahá left Malden for Boston. He left Boston by train for Montreal, arriving at midnight. [239D:132; AB132; BW8:637]
• He stayed in Montreal for ten days, living for four nights at the Maxwell residence. [239D:132]
• See also `Abdu'l-Bahá in Canada.

'Abdu'l-Bahá gave a talk at the Church of the Messiah, corner of Simpson and Sherbrooke Sts in Montreal. (Architects: The Maxwell Bros. Built 1907, destroyed by fire 1937) [PUP297]
• Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. William Sutherland Maxwell, 716 Pine Avenue West, (now 1548 avenue des Pins, ouest) Montreal, Canada. [PUP302]
• Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. William Sutherland Maxwell, 716 Pine Avenue West, (now 1548 avenue des Pins, ouest) Montreal, Canada. [PUP306]

Talk at St. James Methodist Church, 463 Saint Catherine Street, West, Montreal, Canada. [PUP312]
• See the film Abdu'l-Bahá in Canada.

The third National Convention of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada was held at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal, the hotel where 'Abdu'l-Bahá stayed during His visit in 1912. [Bahá'í News No. 17 April, 1927]
• It was attended by 32 of the 95 elected delegates, others voting "by wire".
• Those elected to the National Spiritual Assembly were: Allen McDaniel, chairman; Roy C. Wilhelm, vice-chairman; Horace Holley, secretary; Carl Scheffler, treasurer: Mesdames Florence R. Moron, May Maxwell and Amelia Collins, Messrs. Alfred E. Lunt and Louis G. Gregory. This reference contains a very complete report of the Convention including letters from the Guardian. [BN No 18 June 1927 p2-9]
• See FMH41-42.
• A major subject of which was race relations. Edwina Powell spoke on the subject, as she had been asked by Shoghi Effendi. In her address, Sadie Oglesby recalled her conversations with Shoghi Effendi on the subject of race. [TMW178–80]

The 'Conference for Inter-Racial Amity' was arranged by Inter-Racial Amity Committee of the Bahá'ís of Montreal'. There were three sessions in three venues: the YMCA, Channing Hall, and the Union Congregational Church. Speakers included Louis Gregory ('International Lecturer on Race Relations') and Agnes MacPhail, first Canadian woman Member of Parliament. [The Bahá'í 'Race Amity' Movement and the Black Intelligentsia in Jim Crow America: Alain Locke and Robert Abbot by Christopher Buck page 34, Bahá'í Studies Review, 17, pages 3-46, 2011, BW7p660]
• See BW6p659-664 for the essay by Louis Gregory entitled "Racial Likenesses and Differences: The Scientific Evidence and the Bahá'í Teachings".
• Date conflict: "The Origins of the Bahá'í Community of Canada, 1898-1948 by Will C. van den Hoonaard on page 90 says: "and on 2-4 March 1930 The Montreal Bahá'ís held Race Amity meeting." His source was the National Bahá'í Archives Canada, Notes on Montreal Bahá'í History.
• SYH147 confirms the conference in Montréal was in "mid-February".

In December of 1925 the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of United States and Canada adopted the "Unified Plan of Action" and among the resolutions was to raise some $400,000 over the following three years to construct the first unit of the superstructure of the Temple. By the end of 1926 only $51,000 had been collected and the following year was just as disappointing. At the National Convention in 1928 Fred Schopflocher's donation of $25,000 inspired contributions and the Fund rose to about $87,000 by March 1929. On this day Fred and Lorol Schopflocher contributed a further $100,000. [LoF388-389, SETPE1p162-163]
• See May 1937 for another contribution of $100,000 from the Schopflochers.

The passing of Dr. Zíá Bagdádí (b. February 9, 1882, Beirut, Lebanon) in Augusta, Georgia. He was buried in Westover Memorial Park, Augusta, Georgia.
• Dr. Bagdádí attended the American University of Beirut and graduated as a physician. In September 1909, on 'Abdu'l-Bahá's advice, he moved to Chicago to further his medical studies and soon emerged as a pillar of the Chicago Bahá'í community. A major translator of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's tablets into English and the editor of the Persian pages of Star of the West, he accompanied 'Abdu'l-Bahá on much of His North American travels in 1912. In the year 1929, Dr. Bagdádí wrote a book telling of his birthplace and travels in the Orient under the title, Treasures of the East. He wrote of his experiences in the presence of Bahá'u'lláh as a child.
• He married Zeenat Khanum who was the daughter of Hasan Aqa Tabrizi, aunt of Ali Nakhjavani who went to the Holy Land to give information relating to the restoration of the house of 'Abdu'llah Pasha. Zeenat's sister was Fatimih Khanum (Ali Nakhjavani's mother) who spent her youth in service to the Greatest Holy Leaf. These two sisters, when they were young girls in 'Akka, nine and eleven years old, were accepted into the household of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. They were married in the first Bahá'í marriage in Montreal, Canada which took place on April 30, 1914. [Bahá'í Chronicles] iiiii

Sutherland Maxwell, Hand of the Cause of God, passed away in Montreal. He died in the very room that the Master had slept in during His visit to Canada. (b.14 November, 1874) [DH143; MBW132; PP246; CBN undated Memorial Issue]
• For his obituary see BW12:657–62.
• Shoghi Effendi had appointed him among the first contingent on the 24th of December, 1951. [MoCxxiii]
• For his relationship with Shoghi Effendi and work on the superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb see PP236–43.
• Shoghi Effendi named the southern door of the Báb's tomb after him in memory of his services.
• On June 16th, 1956, friends of the Montreal area gathered at the grave to place, under the headstone, an alabaster box that had been sent by the Guardian. The box contained a piece of plaster taken from the walls of the prison in Máh-Kú where the Báb had been incarcerated in 1847. Another piece of plaster from the same source had been placed under the first golden tile of the dome of the Shrine of the Báb. The superstructure of the Shrine had been designed by Sutherland Maxwell. [TG55; CBN No 80 September 1956 p2]
• Find a grave.
• For a brief biography see LoF276-286.
• The Canadian Bahá'í News published a special Memorial issue.

Siegfried (Fred) Schopflocher, Hand of the Cause of God, passed away in Montreal and was buried beside the grave of Sutherland Maxwell in Mount Royal Cemetery. He was born in Landkreis Fürth, Germany 26 September 1877. [BW12:664-666, LOF390, TG119, CBNS 24 July 2014, Bahá'í Chronicles, SCRIBD, Schopflocher, Siegfried (1877–1953) by Will C. van den Hoonaard]
• Shoghi Effendi had appointed him among the second contingent on the 29th of February, 1952. [MoCxxiii]
• See TG32, 228 and LoF384-390 for short biographies.
• Bahá'í Encyclopedia for a biography written by Will van den Hoonaard.
• See Schopflocher, Siegfried by Will C. van den Hoonaard.
• For his obituary see BW12:664–6.
• He was known as the "Temple Builder" because of his great contributions to the completion of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of the West. [BW12:664-666]
• For a brief biography see Bahá'í Chronicles.
• Find a grave.

The passing of F. St. George Spendlove (b. 23 April, 1897 in Montreal) in Toronto. [BW13p895-899]
• He was part of the community of early believers in Montreal where he learned about the Faith after returning from the war in Europe.
• He was a curator of the Canadian Collection at the Royal Ontario Museum. The Face of Early Canada, published in 1958, was illustrated with pieces from this collection. A second book, Collectors' Luck, followed in 1960. [BW13p895–899]
• See Bahá'ís of Canada.

The passing of Florence Evaline (Lorol) Schopflocher (b.1886 in Montreal. QC) in the Green Acre area. She was buried at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Eliot, Maine [Find a grave]
• Wife of Hand of the Cause of God Siegfried Schopflocher. For his "In Memoriam" see BW7p664.
• She circled the globe nine times on travel teaching tours and visited some 86 countries, many of them multiple times. She travelled to Iran twice visiting parts not previously visited by Western Bahá'ís.
• She visited the Guardian 11 times.
• She had several audiences with King Feisal in Iraq and discussed the question of the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdád with him.
• Favourite themes for her public talks were the World Order letters of Shoghi Effendi and the emancipation and education of women.
• A radiant star went from the West to the East. [BW15p488-489]
• See Bahá'í Chronicles.
• See her account of her travels in her autobiographical book Sunburst.
• See a brief biography in The Bahá'í Community of the British Isles 1844-1963 p464-465.

Bahai.ca: Bahá'í Shrine in Montréal

The release of the film entitled Invitation produced under the auspices of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada by Elizabeth Martin, with the help of Chris Lyons. It was a memoir of Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum incorporating footage from Khánum's Andean trip along with memories of her childhood years in Montreal. [HNWE36]
• The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada invited Hand of the Cause Amatu'l-Bahá to the re-opening of the Bahá'í Shrine in Montreal following the completion of renovations to the historic Bahá'í site. This film documents inspired talks she gave from August 30th to September 7th, including the on given in the Church of the Messiah, where 'Abdu'l-Bahá had given an address in 1912. She shares reminiscences related to her childhood home which was later designated by Shoghi Effendi as a Shrine.
• The film was originally shot in 16mm and was digitally remastered in 2003.

A Bahá'í International Conference to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf was held in Montreal, Canada, attended by 9,400 Bahá'ís from 101 countries. [BW18:100; VV61]
• For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW18:161–2.
• For a pictorial report see BW18:151–4.

There were 16 Bahá'ís in Montreal.
• Percy Woodcock resided briefly in and occasionally visited Brockville, ON
• Dr James Oakshette resided in Toronto [BFA2p157.

`Abdu'l-Bahá left Malden for Boston. He left Boston at 9AM by train for Montreal, arriving at midnight and was met by Sutherland Maxwell. He took only two of His attendants with Him, Mírzá Ahmad Sohrab and Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání, HIs chronicler. [239D:132; AB132; BW8:637]
• In spite of the lateness of the hour a group of friends and a newspaper publisher, Mr John Lewis of the Montreal Daily Star were waiting to see the Master at the Maxwell home. That newspaper and The Gazette provided extensive coverage of the visit. It is noteworthy that the newspaper coverage in the Montreal papers were noticeably free of journalistic quirks and extravagances. [AB256-257; MD226-227]
• He stayed in Montreal for ten days, living for four nights at the Maxwell residence. [239D:132]
• See also the film `Abdu'l-Bahá in Canada by Fred Rohani.

His first act in the morning was to heal the sick child of a neighbouring family, the Birks. The nine year old had been an invalid all her life. Caressingly He laid His hands on her head and shoulders and then told the family that she must go out every day, in the middle of the day, on the ground, and that in time she would be entirely healed. Nine months later, she was perfectly healthy and strong. On leaving their home He went directly to their store and bought a number of watches and rings which He used as gifts on the rest of His trip. [ABC53]
• In the morning the pastor of the Unitarian Church came with several others to visit 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The Master discussed the elimination of religious superstitions and prejudices which are contrary to science and commons sense and which are obstacles to the attainment of the foundation of truth of the divine religions. [MD227]
• He granted an interview with a newspaper reporter. His questions were about His life and the history of the cause. [MD228]
• In the afternoon, at the invitation of Mr. Maxwell, 'Abdu'l-Bahá went for a ride in the carriage. His comment, when He saw the college buildings was:
  "As only material education is imparted and only natural philosophy is taught, these universities do not produce highly talented scholars. When both the natural and divine philosophies are expounded, they will bring forth outstanding souls and evince great advancement. The reason for the success of the Greek schools was that they combined both natural and diving philosophies". [MD228]
• They visited the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Notre Dame. He gazed at the vast cathedral, its ornamentation and numerous statues and spoke of its grandeur and embellishments. Standing in an open sped at the entrance, He said:
  "Behold what eleven disciples of Christ have accomplished, how they sacrificed themselves! I exhort you to walk in their footsteps. When a person is detached, he is capable of revolutionizing the whole world. The disciples of Christ met together in consultation on top of a mountain. They pledged themselves to undergo all manner of hardships, to accept every affliction as a bounty and to consider all difficulties easy to overcome. 'He who is tied to a family, let him arrange to leave it; he who is not should remain single. He should forgo his comfort and his life'. Consulting thus, they descended from the mountain and each on went a different way and never returned. It is for this reason that they were able to leave behind such achievements. After Christ, the disciples truly forgot themselves, and not merely in word." [MD228-229]
  • Note that He had used this same example years earlier when He wrote His Will and Testament. He used that same example of sacrifice.
• In the evening there was a well-attended meeting at 'Abdu'l-Bahá's residence and following the talk many requested private interviews. Among those was the president of the socialist organization who invited the Master to speak to his group. [MD230]
• Among those who came was the Reverend F.J. Griffin, the minister of the Church of the Messiah, Unitarian, who was to introduce Him to his congregation on the following morning. 'Abdu'l-Bahá presented him with an armful of American Beauty roses. [ABC57]
• The list of those attending this first reception included: Martha McBean, a cousin of Sutherland Maxwell, someone who shared with him the distinction of being one of the two first declared believers of Canadian birth, Mrs V S Pomeroy with her daughters, Mary and Elise and Elizabeth Cowles, Miss Anne Savage (librarian), Mrs George S Thompson, Percy Woodcock, Prof Armstrong (McGill University), Dr Carmichael, Dr Johnson, Mr Wright, Mr John Lewis (editor of the Montreal Daily Star) and Mr Archie Eddington and his wife. [Excerpts from the account of Amine De Mille from ABC55-57]
• Attending as well were the two children of the Maxwell household Mary Maxwell and Eddie Elliot, the mother of a servant. He would later become a member of the Montreal Local Assembly and was the only member of his race to become a Bahá'í in Montreal in his lifetime. [Excerpts from the account of Amine De Mille from ABC55-57]

'Abdu'l-Bahá gave a talk at the Unitarian Church, the Church of the Messiah, located on the corner of Simpson and Sherbrooke Sts in Montreal. (Architects: The Maxwell Bros. Built 1907, destroyed by fire 1937) [PUP297; ABC17-22; MD261]
• Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. William Sutherland Maxwell. [PUP302; ABC17-22]
• Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. William Sutherland Maxwell. [PUP306ABC23-25] It was during this address that His taj fell from His head and His hair tumbled down. He continued to speak in this state for more than half an hour. [MD236-237]

On this day He and HIs companions moved into the Windsor Hotel where He rented three rooms. At the hotel He was able to accomodate much larger numbers of seekers. [HD237]
• Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. William Sutherland Maxwell. [PUP308; ABC26-30]

He was visited by the Bishop of Montreal visited Him and expressed his pleasure at the meetings being held and gratitude for "the address concerning the purpose of the Manifestation of Christ and the other holy Manifestations." 'Abdu'l-Bahá invited him to the talk in the Methodist Church later that day. [239D136]
• Talk at St. James Methodist Church, 463 Sainte Catherine Street, West, to a gathering of 1200. In the talk He indicated that Canada shared much the same destiny as the United States. [PUP312; ABC37-43, 48; AB264-265]
  Praise be to God! I find these two great American nations highly capable and advanced in all that appertains to progress and civilization. These governments are fair and equitable. The motives and purposes of these people are lofty and inspiring. Therefore, it is my hope that these revered nations may become prominent factors in the establishment of international peace and the oneness of the world of humanity; that they may lay the foundations of equality and spiritual brotherhood among mankind; that they may manifest the highest virtues of the human world, revere the divine lights of the Prophets of God and establish the reality of unity so necessary today in the affairs of nations.
• See the film Abdu'l-Bahá in Canada by Fred Rohani, produced by Faramarz Rohani and narrated by Laylee Delaine.

A group of people came to visit Him at His hotel. He explained that just as in the physical world, in the realm of religion there is a time of heavenly and spiritual springtime.
• In the afternoon the Master spoke about the oneness of the fundamental truths of the religions of God. [MD248]

On His last full day in Montreal with the friends 'Abdu'l-Bahá said: "I have sown the seed. Now water it. You must educate the souls in divine morals, make them spiritual, and lead them to the oneness of humanity and to universal peace." [239D137]
• See 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Canada: A compilation from written accounts by Marlene Macke.

The hotel bill for $700 was paid and the party was taken to the railroad station. The chief officer at the Customs and his assistants passed the baggage through indicating that the baggage of the Bahá'ís did not have to be inspected.
• A grand party of well-wishers were on hand to bid Him farewell. The train departed for Buffalo at 9AM. [HD250] iiiii

The formation of a Bahá'í Youth Group in Montreal, perhaps the first in the Western World. [OBCC78, 85]
• Some of the members were: Mary Maxwell, George Spendlove, Rowland Estall, Emeric Sala, Mary Gillis, (later Rosemary Sala), Teddy Edwards Alizade, Norman McGregor, Judie Russell Blakely, Dorothy and Glen Wade, Edward Dewing, Gerrard Sluter, David Hofman, Rena Gordon and Eddie Elliot.
• The Bahá'í youth group was a social club organized by Ruhiyyih Khanum called the "Fratority Club." By this word, Ruhiyyih Khanum meant to put together the words "fraternity" and "sorority" and had invited to belong to it people, mostly young students at McGill, who would otherwise not have been able to find membership in the exclusive fraternities and sororities around the campus. [Black Roses in Canada's Mosaic: Four Decades of Black History by Will C. van den Hoonaard and Lynn Echevarria-Howe]
• When advised of the formation of this group Shoghi Effendi replied, in part
  ...I urge them to study profoundly the revealed utterances of Bahá'u'lláh and the discourses of Àbdu'l-Bahá and not to rely unduly on the representations and interpretation of the Teaching given by the Bahá'í speakers and teachers. [MtC30-31]
• A Bahá'í youth group had been started in California in 1912, but the Montreal group was the first in North America to systematically study the Teachings—an exercise that had a long—lasting influence on the development and growth of the Bahá'í community in Canada and elsewhere. Members of the group would later distinguish themselves as some of the best-known teachers, administrators, pioneers, and writers of the Bahá'í Faith. [BWM46]

The nineteenth National Convention of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada was held at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal, the hotel where 'Abdu'l-Bahá stayed during His visit in 1912. [Bahá'í News No. 17 April, 1927]
• The Declaration of Trust and By-laws of the National Spiritual Assembly was accepted with its implications for more restricted membership. [OBCC166]
• The question of race "was discussed at length and with unprecedented frankness". [OBCC90]
• Edwina Powell spoke on the subject, as she had been asked by Shoghi Effendi. [TMW178]
• In her address, Sadie Oglesby recalled her conversations with Shoghi Effendi on the subject of race. [TMW178–80]

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada drew up and published a 'Declaration of Trust' and 'By-laws of the National Spiritual Assembly'. [BW2:89, BW10:180]
• For text see BW2:90–8.
• The Guardian described it as the Bahá'í 'national constitution' heralding 'the formation of the constitution of the future Bahá'í World Community'. [GPB335; PP302–3]
• The drafting was largely the work of Horace Holley with assistance from the lawyer Mountfort Mills. [SBR234]
• In subsequent years the National Assemblies of India and Burma, of Egypt, Iraq, Persian and the British Isles all adopted this example almost verbatim. [UD101, BA134-5, SETPE1p145-6]

Willard and Doris McKay , then living in Geneva, NY, arrived in Montreal, the last stop on their first major teaching trip. They had visited Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Baltimore, Boston, Portsmouth, NH before arriving in Montreal by train.
• They were guests of the Maxwells for a week and spoke seven times during their visit.
• During their time there they were dinner guest of Ernest Harrison and his family. Years later Ernest, then separated from his wife, would be a pioneer to Prince Edward Island.
• They met Mary's "Youth Group", the second formed in North America and the first to be dedicated to a deeper understanding of the Writings. Many were students at McGill where Mary was taking special classes and others were Eddie Elliot, an electrician who had been raised in the Maxwell house (son of the maid), Emeric Sala, Roland Estall, Rosemary Gillis (later Rosemary Sala).
• During their time there they slept in the bed of 'Abdu'l-Bahá that May covered with "the Robe of Bounty". It was a gown that had belonged to the Greatest Holy Leaf and had been given to Lua Getsinger and Lua had given it to May. [FMH97-102]

Gerrard Sluter-Schlutius— German-born, former U-boat captain, enrolled in November of 1932 and was a member of the Montreal Bahá'í youth group. He moved to Toronto in March 1935 and to Guatemala in 1939 as the second overseas pioneer. [OBCC97, 104-105]
• He also pioneered to Honduras and later to Colombia. In the middle of 1940's Gerrard Sluter was removed from the rolls by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Shoghi Effendi later declared him a Covenant-breaker for his persistent political involvement. Later Sluter appealed to the judicial courts of Colombia to demand the cancellation of the legal status of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Bogota. He failed in all his lawsuits against the Assembly. [BNVol2p315]

May Bolles Maxwell (b. 14 January 1940 in Englewood, NJ) passed away in Buenos Aires. [BBD153; TG49]

Shoghi Effendi called her "the spiritual mother of Canada" Montreal "the mother city of Canada. [OBCC35]

• Shoghi Effendi awarded her the honour of a 'martyr's death' and designated her as a Disciple of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. [BW8:631; MA38]
• She was the first Bahá'í on European soil and the "mother" of both the French and the Canadian Bahá'í communities. [PP149]
• For her "In Memoriam" and tribute written by Marion Holley see BW8p631-642.
• Hooper Dunbar quoted Shoghi Effendi in his cable to the friends in Iran announcing her passing:
  
  May Maxwell, the severed teacher firebrand of the love of God and spreader of the fragrances of God Mrs Maxwell, forsook her native land and hastened to the most distant countries out of love for her Master and yearning to sound the call to the Cause of her Lord and her inspiration, until she ascended to the highest summit attaining the rank of martyrdom in the capital of the Argentine. The furthermost boundary the countenances of paradise invoke blessings upon her in the glorious apex saying, may she enjoy with healthy relish the cup that is full and brimming over with the wine of the love of God for the like of this should the travaillers travail. Inform all the friends of the announcement of this mighty victory. [A talk] given by Mr Dunbar 28:08]
• Shoghi Effendi asked her husband, Sutherland Maxwell, to design her tomb, which was to be a 'historic centre' for 'pioneer Bahá'í activity'. [BW8:642]
• For an account of the erection of the monument to her see PSBW83–6.

The varied program provided daily talks and discussions based on the outline 'Deepening the Spiritual Life'; study of the first part of 'The Promised Day Is Come' (led by Miss Winnifred Harvey); separate talks on 'Bahá'í Administration' (Siegfried Schopflocher, Ragnar Mattson, and Lou Boudler); 'Bahá'í Attitude towards Christianity' (Mrs. Agnes King); and 'Post-War Reconstruction' (John De Mille). Lorol Schopflocher contributed an account of her journeys to Central America and the British West Indies, and Emeric and Rosemary Sala gave us stories of their experiences in Venezuela and Columbia. [OBCC268; BW9:28; TG84; BN No 149 December 1941 p5]

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Dominion of Canada was established. [BBRSM:186; BW13:856; MBW143; PP397; BW11p20]
• It was attended by 112 Bahá'ís, 19 of them delegates. The country-wide membership was less than 500. [BC Vol 9 No 8 October 1987 p17]
• Those elected were: John Robarts (chair), Emeric Sala (vice), Laura Davis (sec'y), Siegfried Schopflocher (tres), Rowland Estall, Lloyd Gardner, Ross Woodman, Rosemary Sala, and Doris Richardson. [BN No 207 May 1948 105BE p3]
• See BW11:160, 184, Bahá'í Historical Facts for pictures.
• The first National Convention was held in the Maxwell home (in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's home as will be the election of the Universal House of Justice some 15 years hence.) with 13/19 delegates from all the provinces attending. (Six were unable to attend due to a flood.) Those elected to the first National Spiritual Assembly were: Laura Davis, Rowland Estall, Lloyd Gardner, Doris Richardson, John Robarts, Emeric Sala, Rosemary Sala, Siegfried Schopflocher, and Ross Woodman. [TG110, OBCC269-272]
• For a picture of the first Canadian National Spiritual Assembly see OBCC148.
• For Ruhiyyíh Khanum's Message to the first Canadian Convention see BN212 October 1948 pg2-t and Part II of the same address can be found at BN213 Novembe3r 1948 pg10-11.

Canada's fourth National Convention was held in the Vancouver Hotel. Those elected were; John Robarts (chair), Rowland Estall (vice-chair) Laura Davis (secretary), Emeric Sala (treasurer) Rosemary Sala, Lloyd Gardner, Mae McKenna, Winnifred Harvey, and Siegfried Schopflocher.
• For a list of delegates (18) see CBN No 18 Mar 1951 p2. For the agenda see CBN No 19 April 1951 p10-11.
• Amelia Collins attended the Convention and gave the Canadian Bahá'í Community a lock of hair of Bahá'u'lláh as a gift from Shoghi Effendi. In addition, she gave a piece of Burmese alabaster from the Tomb of the Báb, These precious relics were placed in the Maxwell home archives in Montreal. [UC31]

Shoghi Effendi appointed Siegfried Schopflocher among the second contingent of Hands of the Cause of God. [BW12:375–6; CT202–3 MBW20–1; PP254; ZK47]
• Shoghi Effendi described their two-fold function: propagation of the Faith and preservation of its unity. [BW12:376; MBW21]

Sutherland Maxwell, Hand of the Cause of God, passed away in Montreal. (b.14 November, 1874) [DH143; MBW132; PP246]
• For his obituary see BW12:657–62.
• Shoghi Effendi had appointed him among the first contingent on the 24th of December, 1951. [MoCxxiii]
• For his relationship with Shoghi Effendi and work on the superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb see PP236–43.
• Shoghi Effendi named the southern door of the Báb's tomb after him in memory of his services.
• On June 16th, 1956, friends of the Montreal area gathered at the grave to place, under the headstone, an alabaster box that had been sent by the Guardian. The box contained a piece of plaster taken from the walls of the prison in Máh-Kú where the Báb had been incarcerated in 1847. Another piece of plaster from the same source had been placed under the first golden tile of the dome of the Shrine of the Báb. The superstructure of the Shrine had been designed by Sutherland Maxwell. [TG55; CBN No 80 September 1956 p2]
• Find a grave.
• For a brief biography see LoF276-286.
• See Bahá'í Chronicles.
• The Canadian Bahá'í News published a special Memorial issue.

The funeral for Hand of the Cause Sutherland Maxwell was chaired by John Robarts, the then chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly.
• Mr. Eddie Elliott, member of the Spiritual Assembly of Montreal and son of a former servant in the Maxwell household sang the spiritual "Steal Away".
• Mr Rowland Estall, the vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly read some Writings and then delivered the eulogy.
• A cable that had just arrived from the Guardian announced that the southern door of the Tomb of the Báb would be named after him.
• Mr. Estall read the Prayer for the Departed.
• Mr Horace Holley, secretary of the National spiritual assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United states and Mr Fred Schopflocher, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada, both distinguished Hands of the cause, had the honour to represent the Guardian at the service. Each of them read a prayer at the interment in Mount royal Cemetery. [CBN undated Memorial Issue]

Following her attendance at the Intercontinental Conference in Wilmette Ruhiyyih Khanum met with Bahá'í friends in her former home. She discussed the donation of the Maxwell House to the National Spiritual Assembly as a shrine and suggested how it might be suitably used.
• The following day friends gathered in Mount Royal Cemetery for a commemorative service for her father, Sutherland Maxwell. Rose petals from the Tomb of Bahá'u'lláh were scattered on the grave. [CBN Vol 13 No 3 July 2000 p5]
• She was accompanied by Hand of the Cause and member of the International Council Amelia Collins. [CBN No 41 June 1953 p3; CBN No 45 October, 1953 p3]

The accidental death of Eddie Elliot, the first African-Canadian Bahá'í. He was a hydro-line worker and met his death while working on a high-voltage transformer. [CBN No 45 October, 1953 p4]
• He had grown up in the same household as Mary Maxwell because his mother was employed as a maid and lived in the house.
• He was a long-time member of the Local Spiritual Assembly and was often called upon to chair. He also maintained his membership in a Christian Church and came to the Faith through Rev Este's church, the Union United Church, the only African Canadian church in Montreal. [OBBC91-92]
• Only a few months previous to his passing the Guardian had invited him to Haifa and then he continued on to attend the African Intercontinental Teaching Conference in Kampala in February, 1953 as a representative of the National Spiritual Assembly. [CBN No 43Aug 1953 p2; BN No 267 May 1953 p5-7; CBN No 45 October, 1953 p4]
• Eddie Elliot is considered the first Black Canadian Bahá'í. [MC2p184]

Siegfried (Fred) Schopflocher, Hand of the Cause of God, passed away in Montreal and was buried beside the grave of Sutherland Maxwell in Mount Royal Cemetery at the Guardian's suggestion. He was born in Germany in 1877. [BW12:664-666, LOF390, TG119, CBNS 24 July 2014, Bahá'í Chronicles, SCRIBD, Schopflocher, Siegfried (1877–1953) by Will C. van den Hoonaard; CBN No 43 August 1953 p4; CBN No 44 September 1953 p2; MtC185-187]
• Shoghi Effendi had appointed him among the second contingent on the 29th of February, 1952. [MoCxxiii]
• See TG32, 228 and LoF384-390 for short biographies.
• See Schopflocher, Siegfried by Will C. van den Hoonaard.
• For his obituary see BW12:664–6.
• He was known as the "Chief Temple Builder" because of his great contributions to the completion of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkár of the West. [BW12:664-666]
• He made significant contributions to Green Acre both financially and administratively.
• During the period 1924 to 1947 he was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada fifteen times. He served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada from its formation until his passing.
• He was instrumental in the purchase of the first property for the Haziratu'l Quds.
• For a brief biography see Bahá'í Chronicles.
• Find a grave.
• His funeral was held on the 31st of July presided by the chair of the National Spiritual Assembly John Robarts. The eulogy was delivered by the vice-chair, Rowland Estall. [CBN No 46 November, 1953 p7-10]
• On August 23, the Montreal Assembly arranged a memorial service in the Maxwell Home which was attended by members of the National Assembly and friends, mainly from the Montreal area. This service in Fred's home community was intimate and personal. Many people recalled with loving gratitude personal associations with Fred, kindly and helpful things he had done in his unobtrusive way, gifts of hospitality or consideration that they had treasured sometimes for many years. [CBN No 46 November 1953 Insert]
• A memorial service was held in the Temple in Wilmette on the 28th of August. [CBN No 46 November, 1953 p3]

Hand of the Cause John Robarts arrived in Canada to begin his extensive tour of Canada. He had been sent to Canada by the Hands in the Holy Land because the Guardian had been concerned about the slow progress in the objectives of the 10-year plan in Canada The first stop was in Moncton where a three-day conference was held with Mr. Robarts. [CBN No 98 March, 1958 p2]
• He had made a stop in Iceland en route to Gander where he met with Bruce Matthew and Bill Howell. [CBN No 99 April 1958 p7]
• He shared with the friends his pioneering experience in Africa, the meeting of the Hands in London and in the Holy Land after the passing of the Guardian as well of the dedication of the Temple in Kampala that he attended just prior to his departure for Canada.
• Mr. Robarts focused on the revitalization of the believers and constantly emphasized the power of prayer in beseeching assistance in winning the goals with special emphasis on the Prayer for Canada, the Tablet of Ahmad and the Long Obligatory Prayer. [CBN No 126 July 1960 p4]
• He spent several weeks visiting communities in Quebec and Ontario, Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton, London, Ottawa and others. [CBN No99 April, 1958 p7]
• In Saskatoon he performed the marriage of Ericka Janzen and Tom Gossen. [CBN No 100 May, 1958 p3]

Judgement was rendered by the Honourable Associate Chief Justice W. B. Scott of the Superior Court in Montreal in favour of the National Spiritual Assembly against the City of Montreal. This achievement was the result of an action commenced on the 5th of October, 1955, to require the City of Montreal to recognize the Bahá'í Faith as an independent religious body and grant exemption to it from Municipal Taxes for the Bahá'í Shrine as a place primarily devoted to religious worship, and eligible for tax exemption under the city's own chart and by-laws.
• The National Spiritual Assembly received a refund of taxes paid since the acquisition of the property. [CBN No 99 April, 1958 p2-3]

The passing of F. St. George Spendlove (b. 23 April 1897 in Montreal) [BW13p895-899; Bahá'ís of Canada]
• He was part of the community of early believers in Montreal where he learned about the Faith after returning from the war in Europe.
• He was a curator of the Canadian Collection at the Royal Ontario Museum. The Face of Early Canada, published in 1958, was illustrated with pieces from this collection. A second book, Collectors' Luck, followed in 1960. [BW13p895–899]
• See Bahá'ís of Canada.

The passing of Florence Evaline (Lorol) Schopflocher (b.1886 in Montreal. QC) in the Green Acre area. She was buried at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Eliot, Maine [Find a grave]
• Wife of Hand of the Cause of God Siegfried Schopflocher. For his "In Memoriam" see BW7p664.
• She circled the globe nine times on travel teaching tours and visited some 86 countries, many of them multiple times. She travelled to Iran twice visiting parts not previously visited by Western Bahá'ís.
• She visited the Guardian 11 times.
• She had several audiences with King Feisal in Iraq and discussed the question of the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdád with him.
• Favourite themes for her public talks were the World Order letters of Shoghi Effendi and the emancipation and education of women.
• A radiant star went from the West to the East. [BW15p488-489]
• See Bahá'í Chronicles.

Bahá'í International Conference to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf was held in Montreal, Canada, attended by 9,400 Bahá'ís from 101 countries. [BW18:100; VV61; BC Vol 3 No 8 p3-16]
• For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW18:161–2.
• For a pictorial report see BW18:151–4.
• A two-member team was appointed by the National Assembly to coordinate the event: Jim Heidema, who was at that time manager of the National Centre and who handled all the logistical planning, and Elizabeth Martin who was made responsible for staging and program arrangements. [HNWE37]

He was a founding member of the Montreal Youth Group along with Rowland Estal and George Spendlove, the first organized youth class in the Western Hemisphere. From that youth group came a Hand of the Cause of God, a member of the Universal House of Justice, two members of the Continental Board of Counsellors, three members of National Spiritual Assemblies, and the authors of three Bahá'í books.

He and Siegfried Schopflocher were instrumental in purchasing and developing the first Canadian Bahá'í property at Beaulac, north of Montreal.

In 1940 he and his wife Rosemary pioneered for one year to Venezuela and served as travelling teachers throughout South America.

In 1945 he published This Earth One Country. He wrote about such revolutionary concepts as a "planetary economy", "a supranational community" and a "world plan". [TG86-92]

Both he and Rosemary were elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada when it was formed in 1948.

In 1953 they tried to pioneer to the Comoro Islands but could not get residential status from the French government so they settled in Eshowe Zululand, now South Africa. When the government would not renew their licence to trade they moved to Port Elizabeth.

They returned to Canada briefly in 1963 and pioneered to Guadalajara, Mexico and travelled extensively throughout Central America. Rosemary died at her post in February of 1980.

In 1980 he married his second wife, Donya, and together they travelled through the Americas, China, India and Europe until they both passed. [BW20 p993-995; Bahá'ís of Canada]

His biography and that of his wife Rosemary, Tending the Garden was written by his niece Ilona Sal Weinstein. This publication is also available in the e-book format.

The passing of Doris McKay (b. Doris Henrietta Hill 29 September, 1894) in Charlottetown.
• She married Willard Judd McKay 30 June 1923. In 1925 she and Willard attended a fireside given by Howard and Mabel Ives. In 1929 she made her fist travel teaching trip to New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Baltimore, Boston, Portsmouth and to Montreal. She was a frequent lecturer at Green Acre. In 1939 she returned to Canada to staff the Bahá'í booth at the Canadian National Exhibition and to visit communities in Hamilton, Montreal and Moncton where she took up residence in 1942. In the fall of 1943 they moved to Prince Edward Island to help win a goal of the Seven Year Plan by establishing a local spiritual assembly in Charlottetown.
• In 1928 while still a resident in the US and a member of the Outline Bureau of the National Teaching Committee she developed "36 Lessons", some of the first deepening materials and study outlines for the American believers. She was a contributor to the Star of the West and later The Bahá'í World.
• Her autobiography Fire in Many Hearts, written with Paul Vreeland, was published in 1991 by Nine Pines Publishing and was republished by George Ronald under a new title Fires in Many Hearts - Memoirs of an early American believer. [BWIM30-32]

She became a Bahá'í in Montreal in 1956 and married Glen Eyford in 1957. She and Glen served in Iceland and in India. Returning to Canada she served as an Auxiliary Board Member and as chair of the National Spiritual Assembly as well as a number of local and national committees. [BW1995-1996p313]

Professor Cotler was the Director of the Human Rights program in the Law Faculty at the University of McGill and was a Member of Parliament from 1999 until 2015. During this time he served as Justice Minister from 2003-2006.

After his retirement from public life Mr Cotler founded the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. [CBNS 27 Sep 2016]

In late 2022 the film First to Stand: The Cases and Causes of Irwin Cotler was released. It was written, directed and produced by Irene Lilienheim Angelicco and Abbey Jack Neidik and follows international human rights lawyer Irwin Cotler and his team of young activists at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre as they take on the cases and causes of political prisoners and human rights activists including Raif Badawi and Shaparak Shajarizadeh, battling against the world's most repressive regimes.