Edmund Miessler
Edmund Miessler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 13, 1902 Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Died | February 7, 1977 (aged 74) |
| NSA member | South America 1951 - 1957 B.P.C.E.V. 1957 - 1961 Brazil 1961 - 1964 |
| ABM | Americas 1957 - 1977 |
Edmund J. Miessler (13 March 1902 - 7 February 1977) was an American Bahá’í who pioneered to Brazil where he served on National Spiritual Assemblies and as an Auxiliary Board member.
Biography[edit]
Miessler was born in Chicago in 1902 into a staunch Lutheran family. His father was a Lutheran pastor and his mothers parents were Lutheran missionaries. He married fellow Lutheran Elma and they had three children, Bob, Margot, and Carol.[1]
The family had moved to Lima, Ohio, as of the early 1930's where they were introduced to the Bahá’í Faith by Dorothy Baker in approximately 1932 however their parents visited them in Lima and described the Faith as a cult and demanded they burn their Bahá’í books. Baker kept her distance from them at their parents request however in 1933 the Miessler's informed their pastor that they felt they were Bahá’ís and they were excommunicated from the Lutheran church. In 1934 they were elected to the Local Spiritual Assembly of Lima when it was established.[2] Elma passed away in the late 1930's leaving Miessler a single father to their three young children.[1]
Three years after Elma's passing Miessler remarried to Muriel Auble and she became a Bahá’í after their marriage and the family pioneered to Columbus Grove, Ohio. They were both appointed to the Louhelen Summer School Committee and the Regional Teaching Committee for Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.[1] In 1945 Miessler's daughter Carol passed away and Miessler and his family decided to pioneer abroad consulting with Dorothy Baker and the National Spiritual Assembly before deciding to pioneer to São Paulo, Brazil, and they arrived at their post in 1946 and received a cable of encouragement from Shoghi Effendi. In 1947 the Local Spiritual Assembly of São Paulo was established through the efforts of the Miessler's and others.[3]
In 1951 Miessler was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of South America when the body was established,[4] and he served on the body until 1957 when it was split into two bodies and he was elected to the succeeding National Spiritual Assembly for the northern countries of South America.[5] He was also appointed as an Auxiliary Board member for Protection for the Americas by the Hands of the Cause in 1957,[6] and his area of jurisdiction as Board member consisted of several countries of South America.[3] In 1961 he was elected to the first independent National Spiritual Assembly of Brazil,[7] and in 1963 he attended the First International Convention in the Holy Land as a member of the Brazilian Assembly to cast a vote for the first Universal House of Justice.[3]
In 1964 the Universal House of Justice ruled that Bahá’ís could not serve as both an Assembly member and an Auxiliary Board member and Miessler opted to continue serving as Board member.[8] He continued serving until his passing in 1977 with his area of jurisdiction consisting of several states of Brazil and the Falkland Islands as of his passing.[3]
After his passing the Universal House of Justice sent the following cable:
DEEPLY GRIEVED PASSING BELOVED DEVOTED SERVANT BAHAULLAH EDMUND MIESSLER WHOSE DISTINGUISHED DEDICATED SERVICES SOUTH AMERICA SPANNING PERIOD THIRTY YEARS SET NOBLE EXAMPLE FOLLOWERS BLESSED BEAUTY STOP CONVEY FAMILY OUR LOVING CONDOLENCES AND ASSURE FERVENT PRAYERS DIVINE THRESHOLD PROGRESS HIS SOUL.[3]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1981). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 17 (1976-1979), Pg(s) 430. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1983). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 622, Pg(s) 11. View as PDF.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1981). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 17 (1976-1979), Pg(s) 431. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1951). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 245, Pg(s) 12. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (July 1957). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 317, Pg(s) 8. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1958). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 324, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1961). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 365, Pg(s) 3. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1974). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 14 (1963-1968), Pg(s) 84-85. View as PDF.
