Franz Pöllinger
Franz Pöllinger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1895 Klagenfurt, Austria |
| Died | 1979 |
| NSA member | Austria 1959 - ???? |
Franz Pöllinger (1895 - 1979) was an Austrian Bahá’í who served on the National Spiritual Assembly of Austria.
Biography[edit]
Pöllinger was born in Klagenfurt, Austria, in 1895.[1] In his childhood his father passed away and his mother had to work so he was sent to live with his grandparents in the Turrach mountains. He was only able to attend school for seven years and found it difficult to study as he had poor eyesight.[2]
When Pöllinger began working he had several jobs but was unable to keep them due to his extremely poor eyesight. In 1914 he visited Munich, Germany, having failed to find effective treatment for his eyesight in Austria but he was still unable to cure his eyesight and instead made himself a monocle using a flashlight lens which allowed him to read. He ultimately found a position working in the household of a Bavarian envoy in Stuttgart and became friends with the household masseus, Mr. Bauer. He was introduced to the Bahá’í Faith by Bauer, who was a Bahá’í, and declared on May 23, 1916.[2]
After completing his term of service in Stuttgart Pöllinger moved to Vienna where he began studying the Bahá’í writings and attending deepening classes and firesides regularly, learning in particular from Alma Knobloch. He wrote a letter to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and received a Tablet from Him.[2] He found work in Vienna, but devoted most of his efforts to teaching the Faith which contributed to the establishment of a Local Spiritual Assembly in 1926. He received a letter from Shoghi Effendi encouraging him to continue serving the Faith the same year.[3]
In 1935 Pöllinger married Anna Mödlagl who was also a Bahá’í. Throughout the late 1930's the Bahá’í community of Austria began to face persecution from the government authorities and in 1937 all Bahá’í meetings were banned in the country and by the end of World War II in 1945 there were only a small number of Bahá’ís in the country.[3] The end of the War resulted in restrictions on the Bahá’í Faith being lifted and Pöllinger immediately began working to re-establish the community aiming to secure recognition of the Faith from the new government.[4]
The National Spiritual Assembly of Austria was established in 1959 and Pöllinger was elected as an inaugural member of the body and in 1963 he attended the First International Convention as a member of the body visiting the Holy Land and casting a vote in the establishment of the Universal House of Justice. The Bahá’í community of Austria continued to develop throughout the 1960's and 1970's and Pöllinger participated in and assisted with summer schools, firesides, seminars on the Faith, youth camps, and other teaching activities.[4]
Pöllinger passed away in 1979 and the Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message after his passing:
DEEPLY GRIEVED PASSING DEARLY LOVED FRANZ POLLINGER LONG RECORD HIS OUTSTANDING SERVICES HIS EXAMPLE STEADFASTNESS PATH FAITH WILL SHINE FOREVER IN ANNALS AUSTRIAN BAHAI COMMUNITY PRAYING HOLY SHIRNES PROGRESS HIS RADIANT SOUL ABHA KINGDOM CONVEY FAMILY HEARTFELT SYMPATHY.[1]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 700. View as PDF.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 701. View as PDF.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 702. View as PDF.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 702. View as PDF.
