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Featured in: Highlighting Australia
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The Australian Baha’i Community has released this short video about the Dayspring of Light project to renovate the Baha’i House of Worship in Sydney.
The video has been described in these words:
The The Mashriqu’l-Adhkar is described by Abdu’l-Baha as “one of the most vital institutions in the world”. Here in Australia, our Continental House of Worship, the Mother Temple of the Antipodes, was brought into being through the vision, sacrifice and dedicated labours of a small but devoted Australian Baha’i community, numbering fewer than 500 believers, who, in the midst of the Ten Year Crusade, took on the daunting task to locate and purchase a Temple site and proceed to have this Mashriqu’l-Adhkar designed and constructed. Its dedication in 1961 by Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Baha Ruhíyyih Khanum marked a significant step towards the emergence of our community from obscurity. This is not the place to recount in detail the setbacks and challenges they overcame, but to recognise that every soul who has visited and drawn upon the House of Worship since that time is indebted to their heroic sacrifice.
After more than 60 years of service, the building and grounds require repairs and modernisation. Following a review of the condition of the building and grounds, the National Assembly invited designs from several Australian Baha’i architects. After extensive review and consultation, the National Assembly selected a design which was approved by the Universal House of Justice which described the design as “beautiful and befitting”. The National Assembly is delighted to announce that the Northern Beaches Council has recently approved the Development Application for this project to proceed.
Shown in this video is an architectural visualisation and flythrough of the approved designs. The Baha’is of the 1950s understood the spiritual journey on which they had embarked; they persevered and overcame seemingly unsurmountable challenges. The National Assembly is confident that today’s Baha’i community, vastly more equipped with human and material resources, will similarly rise to the challenge of the Dayspring of Light Project.
You can also watch a short video where we hear remarks from the National Baha’i treasurer, Anton Jones, about the legacies of sacrifice of the early Baha’is towards building the House of Worship in 1961, and the opportunity all Baha’is have today to add to this enduring contribution to Australian society.
Find more videos by the Australian Baha’i Community on YouTube.
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Horizons is an online magazine of news, stories and reflections from around individuals, communities
and Baha’i institutions around Australia
Baha’i beliefs address essential spiritual themes for humanity’s collective and individual advancement. Learn more about these and more.
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