wfn.org | BWNS - Celebrations in a principality

["Michael Day" <mday@bwc.org>]

Baha'i World News Service
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Celebrations in a principality
MONTE CARLO, Monaco, 24 May 2004 (BWNS) -- Guests from 25 countries joined
the
Baha'is of Monaco to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the
Baha'i Faith in the principality.

More than 320 participants came from a range of countries that included
Albania, Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Ghana, Italy, and Uruguay.

The jubilee celebrations on 24-25 April 2004 were held at the Theatre des
Varietes in Monte Carlo, and opened with the reading of a welcoming message
from the National Council of the Principality.

In September 1953 Nellie French, 85, became the first Baha'i to arrive in
Monaco, but she passed away a few months later. For her act of service in
bringing the Faith to the country, she received the accolade Knight of
Baha'u'llah from Shoghi Effendi.

Some of the other Baha'is who first brought the message of the Baha'i Faith
to
Monaco 50 years ago were present at the jubilee, together with members of
their families.

One was Shamsi Navidi who had arrived from Iran with her daughters Vida and
Guilda, in February 1954. Mrs. Navidi's husband, the late Aziz Navidi, a
distinguished Baha'i lawyer, joined his family a few months later. Shoghi
Effendi named both Mr. and Mrs. Navidi Knights of Baha'u'llah.

In March 1954 Florence Ullrich (later Ullrich-Kelley), a young college
graduate, and Olivia Kelsey, an accomplished Baha'i author and poet, arrived
from the United States. Ms. Ullrich and Ms. Kelsey were also named Knights of
Baha'u'llah.

"We didn't know their language nor did we know their culture,"
Ms.Ullrich-Kelley told the conference while recounting her memories of her
first days in the principality.

Ms. Ullrich-Kelley said the Baha'is initially found it difficult to establish
contact with the locals. However, they made the effort to learn the language
and soon met people who were interested in the Faith.

The first person to become a Baha'i in Monaco was Margaret Lantz, of
Luxembourg. Soon after her a Frenchman, Mr. Charbonnet, who owed an antique
shop in Monaco, also accepted the Faith. Charlottte Campana was the first
person of Monegasque nationality to become a Baha'i.

The first Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Monaco was established in
1955.

Since then, as the representative of the Swiss National Spiritual Assembly of
the Baha'i of Switzerland, John-Paul Vader, told the jubilee, the Monaco
community has sent out Baha'is who assisted and taught the Faith in other
countries, and also worked for the Faith in international institutions and in
defense of the persecuted Baha'is in Iran.

Baha'i writings translated into Monegasque were officially presented to Crown
Prince Albert in 2001, and one highlight of the jubilee was the reading of a
prayer in that language.

Stephane Valeri, President of the Monaco National Council, sent
representatives to the jubilee: a member of the National Council, Christophe
Spiliotis-Saquet, and Christian Berti. Also present was Henri Doria, the
representative of the mayor of Monaco.

The guests of honor at the jubilee were former member of the Universal House
of Justice, Mr. Ali Nakhjavani, who addressed the participants on spiritual
matters, and his wife Violette, who described the visit in the 1980s to
Monaco
of Madame Rabbani, a Hand of the Cause of God and the widow of Shoghi
Effendi.

Others Hands of the Cause who visited Monaco during the past 50 years
included
Abul Qasim Faizi, John Ferraby, Djalal Khaseh, Adelbert Muhlschlegel, and
Tarazullah Samandari.

Present at the jubilee were representatives of the National Spiritual
Assemblies of France, Italy, and Switzerland. Congratulatory messages arrived
from other Baha'i communities, including Germany, Hawaii, Luxembourg,
Morocco,
and New Zealand.

A member of the Continental Board of Counsellors, Nosrat Tirandaz, delivered
the message of the Board of Counsellors for Europe to the Monaco Baha'i
community.

Participants enjoyed viewing slides prepared by Rochan Mavaddat which
depicted
the history of the Monaco Baha'i community.

Linda Youssefian-Marshall of Italy paid a tribute to the most prominent
Baha'i
to have resided in Monaco, the late Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery, who spent
his latter years there with his wife Angeline. A short film of the Giacherys
made by Gregoire Foucher was also shown.

The celebrations, which were chaired by Paul Hakim, also featured many
artistic presentations. Ranzie Mensah from Italy sang excerpts from the
Baha'i
writings put to music and a Tunisian-born singer Hatef Sedkaoui, also known
as
Atef, performed European and North African songs. One of the Baha'i youth,
Melodie Kahl played the cello. Guitarist Serge Merlaud and pianist Francine
Astani also performed.

The joyous celebrations ended with a dinner party for 300 at the seashore
restaurant of one of the local Baha'is, Eric Chauvet.

The Monaco postal authorities issued a special postal mark to commemorate the
50th anniversary.

Following the event a local weekly magazine, The Monaco Hebdo, published an
article about the jubilee.