On RTE Radio 1 Coverage: The connection between Ireland and the Baha’i Faith

From a reader: “Here is another one for you. This is part of a series on different religions that shows that this priest is an open, loving and caring Christian. Wonderful to see!” Indeed. The post appeared July 17th on the blog of its author and on the 18th was used as part of an ongoing Irish public radio series on religion to which the author contributed. An excerpt… -gw

The first connection between Ireland and the Bahá’i Faith was formed in 1848, when an Irish doctor treated the Báb – the predecessor of Bahá’u’lláh – in his prison cell.

In the first years of the 20th century, several people became Bahá’is in Ireland, and the American consul in Cork and his family were well-known Bahais at the time.

The Bahai community in Ireland was formally constituted sixty years ago at a meeting in Dundrum in Dublin on April 20 1948. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Bahá’i community in Ireland expanded with a steady and increasing flow of new Irish Bahá’i, joined by a number of new arrivals from overseas.

What can we learn from this  small, peaceful, monotheistic faith community?

The most important principle for a Bahá’i is the oneness of humanity. Bahá’is believe that the creation of harmony and unity between all peoples is the fundamental purpose of all religion.

This contribution to A Living Word was first broadcast on 18 July 2008 on RTÉ Radio 1. … The archives are available at:http://www.rte.ie/radio1/alivingword/1179969.html. … Canon Patrick Comerford is Director of Spiritual Formation, the Church of Ireland Theological College

http://revpatrickcomerford.blogspot.com/2008_07_18_archive.html

RTÉ is a Public Service Broadcaster, a non-profit making organisation owned by the Irish people. RTÉ is Ireland’s cross-media leader, providing comprehensive and cost-effective free-to-air television, radio and online services, which are of the highest quality and are impartial, in accordance with RTÉ’s statutory obligations

http://www.rte.ie/about/index2.html

Thumbnail photo: Baha’i summer school, Ireland, uploaded on August 8, 2005 by nur_light on flickr