Spring Marks a New Year for Boston's Baha’i Community

On Sunday, spring finally arrived. It’s a time of rejuvenation for all of nature, but it’s also a new start for Boston’s Baha’i community. Headquartered in a pale red brick building at the corner of Albany and Canton streets, the relatively young Baha’i religion recognizes the first day of spring as the start of a new calendar year. Members say they hope this year brings them closer to their local community. 

The Baha’i Faith (pronounced buh-HIGH) is a monotheistic world religion which grew out of Iran about 200 years ago. Baha’i communities have been in the United States since the late 1980s, and the movement came to Boston more than a century ago. 

The building on Albany Street was purchased about 15 years ago when the group outgrew its location on Columbus Avenue.  The new Center hosts prayer meetings, study groups, children’s classes, and regional conferences, drawing Baha’is from near and far.

More recently, the Center has played host to students on field trips, indicating an increased awareness of the Baha’i Faith, at least among educators. Katherine Greig, a local Baha’i, said her community appreciates the recognition and interaction. 

“We’ve had quite a lot of inquiries, increasingly in recent years, from religious groups and communities in the area,” she said. “We have had people walk in off the street on open house days or on other days, just because they’re curious. We would love to have more of that.” 

The Baha’i Faith was founded in the 1860s by Baha’u’llah (buh-ha-oo-law), whose name translates to “Glory of God” in Arabic. Among Baha’u’llah’s teachings and decrees to his followers are the annihilation of all forms of prejudice, the elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth, the equality of men and women and the cooperation of science and religion. 

When Baha’u’llah passed away in 1892, he named his son Abdul-Baha (ab-dull-buh-ha) the head of the young religion. By then, there were more than a thousand Baha’is in the U.S., and Abdul-Baha traveled to the states to encourage their efforts at growth in the early 1900s. His journey brought him to Massachusetts, and he gave several historic talks around Boston. Those sites have special significance to local Baha’is today.

In August of 1912, Abdul-Baha spoke at the original Franklin Square House, where Reverend George Perin ran a shelter for impoverished women. Nearly 100 years later, the Baha’i Center sits just a few blocks away. While the proximity wasn’t lost on the assembly selecting the building, the Baha’is chose the South End for the culture, diversity, and opportunity to be of service. 

Baha’is hope to change the world through education and service, and part of that happens through children’s classes. The South End Baha’i Center has held regular children’s classes on Sunday mornings since the group moved there, but the Baha’is also reach out into the neighborhoods.  Many of the prayer meetings take place within homes, as do various children’s classes. 

“The Boston assembly is always interested in building closer relationships with the neighborhoods,” said Greig.

Last summer, one set of classes were held in the Cathedral housing complex, bringing children and their parents together to discuss spirituality and the role of the individual in service to the community. 

Boston is home to more than 100 registered Baha’is, but maintaining a consistent base has been difficult given the large transient student community. Greig is hopeful that may be changing. 

“We’ve seen more have more Baha’is come and settle in Boston,” she said, "More local people are joining the community.”