Dear Baha'i Sister:
Your letters dated June 8th, Sep. 12th, Nov. 12th, Jan. 10th and 17th,
1944, together with their enclosures, have all been received, and the
Guardian has instructed me to answer them on his behalf. He has also
received the envelope of photographs you sent of N.S.A. Members, Father
Dunn's grave and other pictures of Baha'i friends, for which he thanks
you.
He also wishes to thank you for your manuscript for the Baha'i World which
was also received safely.
In regard to the recently purchased National Headquaters in Sydney: He was
delighted that you were able to take possession of a house suitable to the
present requirements of the Faith, and he trusts that by the time this
reaches you all the legal steps will have been completed and the building
registered in the name of the National Spiritual Assembly. It should be
called by its proper title of "Haziratu'l-Quds".
The ideal to be followed, of course, is for the Secretariat, the office of
the treasurer, etc., to be in the National Headquarters. However, this can
be brought about gradually, and he leaves decisions in this matter to the
N.S.A.
He trusts that the combined Centenary Celebrations and annual Convention
will not only draw a large group of believers to Sydney to meet in their
new Haziratu'l-Quds, but will also be a means of attracting the attention
of the public to the Faith on a wider scale than ever before. The
Australian and New Zealand friends are standing not only on the threshold
of the second Baha'i Century but also on the threshold of a new phase of
the Cause in that part of the world. Their responsibilities are therefore
greatly increased, and he believes they will meet them unitedly, with
clear vision, and their characteristic devotion to our beloved Faith.
He assures you and the other members of the N.S.A. of his loving prayers
for the success of your labours and the fulfilment of your dearest hopes.
With Baha'i love,
R. Rabbani.
P.S. He found the newspaper clippings you forwarded of great interest, and
is pleased to see that the press is being so friendly and helpful. He has
already through a cable stated that the convention should be held in
conjunction with the Centenary Celebrations which embrace the 23rd of May.
The Commemoration gathering should be held on the 22nd of May exactly at
two hours and eleven minutes after sunset, which is the time at which the
Bab declared His Mission.
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers:
The activities of the beloved friends in Australia and New Zealand during
recent troubles have been truly remarkable. Now that the Haziratu'l-Quds
is to be established in Sydney I trust and pray that this central
administrative headquarters in the oldest and leading Baha'i centre in
that far-off continent will act as a powerful magnet and attract the
manifold blessings of the Almighty and lend a tremendous impetus to the
organized activities of the believers in Australia and New Zealand. I will
continue to pray for them from the depths of my heart.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi.