Welcome to the Bahá’í Community of Brockville, Ontario, Canada.
Unity
"Every heart should radiate unity, so that the Light of the one Divine Source of all may shine forth bright and luminous. We must not consider the separate waves alone, but the entire sea. We should rise from the individual to the whole. The spirit is as one great ocean and the waves thereof are the souls of men. . ."
"Our greatest efforts must be directed towards detachment from the things of the world; we must strive to become more spiritual, more luminous, to follow the counsel of the Divine Teaching, to serve the cause of unity and true equality, to be merciful, to reflect the love of the Highest on all men, so that the light of the Spirit shall be apparent in all our deeds, to the end that all humanity shall be united, the stormy sea thereof calmed, and all rough waves disappear from off the surface of life’s ocean henceforth unruffled and peaceful. . ."
"We are united in the one aim and hope that all shall be as one and every heart illumined by the Love of our Divine Father, God!" Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks
From the Bahá'í perspective, it is religion that gives humanity its capacity to remove prejudice and discrimination. Without religion, according to `Abdu'l-Bahá, we "may be able to realize some degrees of fraternity through other motives but these are limited associations and subject to change. When human brotherhood is founded upon the Holy Spirit, it is eternal, changeless, unlimited.” (Foundations of World Unity)
Devotional Gatherings
Bahá’ís across Canada join with friends in devotional meetings for collective worship. Because there is no ritual or clergy in the Bahá’í Faith, devotional gatherings are often held in people’s homes or in public places, and they are diverse in form. Prayer and reflection upon sacred scriptures are at the heart of such programs, and music and poetry may be incorporated as well
These gatherings are held in every Bahá’í community to nourish a pattern of life characterized by its devotional character. The spiritual atmosphere created within a devotional meeting imparts a sense of joy, fellowship and love that enriches the relationships among participants.
Bahá’í devotional gatherings are intended to capture the attitude of prayer and the practice of devotion that is universal to all religions, and they are open to people of all beliefs and backgrounds.
For many, the gatherings provide an opportunity for peace, reflection and revitalization.
Devotional meetings such as these serve to awaken spiritual susceptibilities within the participants, and in concert with the acts of service they perform, lead to a pattern of community life that is infused with the spirit of devotion and focused on the attainment of spiritual and material prosperity.
Service and worship are at the heart of the pattern of community life that Bahá’ís around the world are trying to bring into being. They are two distinct, yet inseparable elements that propel the life of the community forward. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá writes that, “Success and prosperity depend upon service to and worship of God”.
Everyone is welcome to attend these meetings—one may simply sit, meditate and enjoy the spiritual atmosphere, or take a more active role.
Come and join us
