April 23, 2023

To the Delegates to the Thirteenth International Bahá’í Convention

Dear Bahá’í  Friends,

With love and in a spirit of jubilation, we welcome you to the Holy Land on the occasion of the Thirteenth International Bahá’i Convention. Delegates are anticipated to attend from 176 National Spiritual Assemblies, the highest number of Assemblies ever represented and the largest gathering of participants at an International Convention. With profound gratitude to the Blessed Beauty, we recognize the historic presence of representatives from the National Spiritual Assemblies of Afghanistan, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, who are attending an International Convention for the first time. We are also delighted that your ranks are now fortified by members of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Croatia and Timor-Leste, which were established for the first time in the past five years. Further, we acknowledge the presence of members of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Sao Tome and Principe and of Sierra Leone, which were re-formed in the same period.

In the days immediately preceding the Convention, you will have the bounty of visiting the Holy Shrines as well as sites associated with the life and suffering of the Abhá Beauty. With your thoughts centred upon Him Who is the Object of the adoration of the entire creation, and your faces turned to the wonders of His heavenly Kingdom, let your spirits be reinvigorated through the outpourings of His infinite grace. This will serve as a befitting preparation for the fulfilment of the sacred responsibility for which you have come. With sanctified hearts and in a rarefied atmosphere of purity and detachment, you will then gather on the first morning of the Convention to discharge, in a manner far, far removed from the prevailing standards of elections in the world, your vital duty of electing the Universal House of Justice.

As the chosen representatives of the Bahá’í world at this momentous gathering, your participation in the consultative sessions of the Convention provide you with a precious opportunity to discuss matters of vital importance to the Faith at this time, especially in the context of the mighty spiritual enterprise of nine years on which the Bahá’í world is embarked, and to share new insights that have been gained through experience. The exigencies of the present stage of the Divine Plan will be central to these deliberations, with separate topics designated for each of the sessions. You may, of course, after due reflection, bring forward other issues that you feel are essential to the progress and well-being of the Cause.

A specially commissioned film entitled An Expansive Prospect, which will be screened on the second day of the Convention, looks at four places in the world, capturing the efforts of individuals, communities, and institutions as they strive together to release the society-building power of the Faith in ever-greater measures. A short film on the construction of the Shrine of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá will be presented on the third day. As you visit the Holy Places in the days preceding the Convention, you will witness first-hand major developments at the Baha’i World Centre which occurred over the past five years.

Despite numerous obstacles arising from the global health crisis, as well as the fire that broke out in early April 2022, impressive progress has been made on the construction of the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Other developments include the completion of a major project undertaken for the comprehensive conservation of the House of ‘Abbúd at the heart of the ancient city of Akkaá the House has been restored to a standard that aims at preserving the building in a befitting condition for centuries to come. Substantial restoration work was also completed at the Mansion of Mazra'ih, including the room of Baha’u’lláh, the courtyard, surrounding walls, and a section of the aqueduct—a small portion of the very waterway that was repaired at the suggestion of Baha’u’lláh in response to an offer of service by the governor of ‘Akká.

May your souls be uplifted by your supplications in the Holy Shrines during this Ridván

season and your hearts and minds strengthened for the weighty responsibilities which you

shoulder. Following these swiftly passing days at the world spiritual and administrative centre of the Cause, may you return to your Communities with heightened dedication, renewed energy, and clearer vision, eager to contribute your share to the great spiritual enterprise in which the worldwide community is collectively engaged.

[Signed: The Universal House of Justice]

cc: International Teaching Centre Counsellors