Else Jorgensen
Else Jorgensen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 28, 1907 Trondheim, Norway |
| Died | January 27, 1977 Trondheim, Norway |
| NSA member | A.B.C.P.U. 1957 - 1959 Uruguay 1961 - 1962 |
| ABM | Americas 1957 - 1962 |
Else Jorgensen Cazcarra (December 28, 1907 - January 27, 1977) was a Norwegian Bahá’í who moved to South America where she served as a National Spiritual Assembly and Auxiliary Board member.
Background[edit]
Jorgensen was born in Trondheim, Norway, in 1907. She moved to South America in the 1940's settling in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and became a hairdresser. In 1945 she was introduced to the Bahá’í Faith by Virginia Orbison and she declared that year being elected to the inaugural Local Spiritual Assembly of Guayaquil a few days afterwards.[1]
Jorgensen returned to Norway in the late 1940's and she helped establish the Local Spiritual Assembly of Oslo being elected to the body in 1948. She began studying to become a secretary in order to secure a profession which would allow her to pioneer to Spain as she was fluent in Spanish and she pioneered to Madrid in November 1949 helping to consolidate the cities Assembly. In April 1950 she pioneered within Spain to Barcelona.[1]
In July 1953 Jorgensen returned to Norway where she married Roberto Cazcarra. Later the same month they attended the Intercontinental Teaching Conference in Stockholm and they volunteered to pioneer to the goal post of Spitzbergen but were unable to secure residency and they instead remained in Oslo. In November 1954 Jorgensen pioneered to Portugal while her husband pioneered to Uruguay and assisted with developing the community however she was unable to secure permanent residency and experienced harassment due to her beliefs as some disaffected Bahá’ís had prejudiced local authorities against the Faith.[2]
In October 1956 Jorgensen pioneered to Montevideo, Uruguay, to join her husband and in 1957 she was elected to the Local Spiritual Assembly of Montevideo and the National Spiritual Assembly of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, and appointed to the National Teaching Committee for the same region. She undertook a six month teaching tour across the region and upon arriving home after the tour she was informed she had been appointed as an Auxiliary Board member for Protection.[2]
Jorgensen served the Faith intensively while in South America and as of 1962 she was exhausted and in ill health and in June that year she returned to Europe settling in Barcelona and in 1963 she returned to Norway. In later life she was diagnosed with an incurable illness and she was unable to actively participate in the community for some time before her passing in 1977.[2]
The Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message after her passing:
GRIEVED NEWS PASSING ELSE JORGENSEN DEVOTED MAIDSERVANT BAHAULLAH STOP SUPPLICATING SACRED THRESHOLD PROGRESS HER SOUL ALL WORLDS GOD.[1]
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) 428. View as PDF.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1981). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 17 (1976-1979), Pg(s) 429. View as PDF.
