News

Montreal, November 9, 2019 - As part of the Bicentennial activities of the Birth of the Báb, the Herald of the Baha'i faith, an arts festival was organized by the Montreal Community.

A premiere in Montreal's artistic activities, the Festival has brought together a considerable number of musicians, painters, graphic artists and authors for all tastes!

This event was very well received by Community members and friends from all over the island of Montreal. We also had the pleasure of having an author from British Columbia, Bernice Muir, with her excellent book: "Single, Alone, and Lowly, the story of a lady with an unshakeable faith and her journey through life! "   http://bernicelmuir.com

The author, professor emeritus at the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University in Montreal and a distinguished member of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Abdu'l-Missagh Ghadirian shared with the audience the story of Lua Getsigner (November 1, 1871, Hume, NY - May 2, 1916, Cairo, Egypt.), One of the first American Bahá'iís and the disciple of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá!

'Abdu'l-Bahá gave her the title of ‘Livá’ meaning ‘banner’, which allowed her to serve the Faith in many places, namely in Paris and on the American continent; she taught the principles of Bahá'u'lláh at the Unity and Peace Conference in India and represented the Faith during her visits to Muzaffari'd-Dín Shah of Persia when she went to Paris as well as to maharajah of Jhalawar.

Lua Getsinger had begged 'Abdu'l-Bahá to give him the blessing of becoming a martyr, but Master had advised her to teach the Faith instead! When Lua died suddenly of a heart attack in Egypt on May 2, 1916, at the age of forty-three, 'Abdu'l-Bahá named her a martyr posthumously.

In her presentation, Heather Niderost shared her experience of becoming the author of her first book. She had taken an art course at McGill university and while she was a student there she was undoubtedly inspired by the mentorship of Betty Galbraith-Cornell, a renowned Montreal landscape painter and portraitist who spent her time every summer at Metis Beach , in Gaspésie. Betty has taken Heather under her wing so to speak! Her environment was the source of inspiration for her paintings and the sketchbook was and still is her diary. Our house, she says, was designed by us, the studio and my books all reflect this genius inside.

Heather published her first book "The Quest" following her pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The book tells the story of a mad and wonderful journey of three young people searching for spiritual answers to today's conflict and chaos. The journey reveals a silver thread, a "promise", that runs through our human history as a whole and ultimately leads us to a solution that will save humanity from the clutches of its madness. It is a huge gallop in time, an intensive course of progressive revelation, a fundamental concept that is reflected in the Bahá'í Faith. The heroes of this epic - Lumina, Eric and Sophie - have arrived in the imminent world of existence, the "Light World", where all the questions arising from our earthly lives will have answers! Sophie joins Lumina and Eric, who call themselves "The Light Knights" and engage in this bold pursuit by taking us with them. Following the publication of this book, Heather's grandson commented that he had always thought that religions were confused and disconnected, but after reading "The Quest", he sees an explanation that makes sense!

Several musical interventions emblazoned the evening. Pierre Tremblay with his ensemble of instrumentalist musicians and vocalists made the evening a happy event! Rachel Luce, Mira-Clair Lepage, Gustaff Besungu, Jonathan, Ophélie Weldon and Pierre have created a very warm and enthusiastic atmosphere throughout the Festival. The artists invited to this Festival were Rachel Tremblay and Elham Paiandeh who presented their magnificent works, a delight for the eyes and an inspiration for souls! A display of variety of books written by authors present was available to view or buy.

A considerable number of authors, painters, photographers and filmmakers were among the participants in the Festival. This event was organized by the Montreal Bahá’í bookstore and the Montreal Bahá’í Authors group as an annual event where a variety of books, authors, visual artists and musicians are featured. 

"The arts, crafts and sciences elevate the world of being and are conducive to its exaltation. "

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

 

Bahá'í Center

 

177, av des Pins E
Montréal, QC H2W 1N9
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: 514-849-0753

Click here for map and hours

 

 

Montreal Shrine

 

1548, av des Pins O, Montreal
Phone: 514-568-2104

Click here for map and hours

 

S5 Box