Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand

Your very cordial message of the 17th November addressed to our beloved Guardian has duly reached him, and he has noted with keen appreciation indeed the desire you had expressed of visiting the Holy Shrines on your way back to New-Zealand.

As you must have surely read in the newspapers, however, the general situation in Palestine is at present so gravely disturbed as to make it quite impossible for you to undertake this trip in the next few months, and in view of this the Guardian would advise that you postpone your visit until the November of next year, by which time, it is hoped, the situation throughout the country will have sufficiently improved to permit you to undertake this long-cherished pilgrimage. The Guardian, needless to say, would be also most delighted to meet you, and to hear from you directly of the news of the Cause in New-Zealand, and to discuss certain matters which the N.S.A. 1 has asked you to present to him for his instructions.

Regarding your question whether there is any special ceremony which the believers should perform when they wish to “name” a baby; the Teachings do not provide for any ceremony whatever on such occasions. We have no “baptismal service” in the Cause, such as the Christians have. There would be no objection, however, for the friends to 48 come together on such happy occasions, provided they do not hold an official public ceremony, and provided also they strictly avoid uniformity and rigidity in all such practices. No rule whatsoever that would tend to be rigid and uniform should be allowed in such secondary matters, particularly as there are no specific instructions in the Teachings regarding them.

With the warmest good wishes of the Guardian to you and to the friends, and assuring you again of his hearty welcome to visit the Holy Shrines during next autumn, and with greetings,

[From the Guardian:]

I shall indeed grieve if the situation in Palestine should prevent our meeting and prevent your pilgrimage to the Holy Shrines. I pray that this may not be the case. I am so eager to meet you, and express in person my deep and abiding sense of appreciation of the splendid and historic services you have rendered. I will continue to pray for you from the depths of my heart.