Nicaragua

Nicaragua
First National Teaching Conference of Nicaragua, 1969.
Location of Nicaragua
National Assembly		Nicaragua
Statistics:
Total Population
-	UN 2021	6,850,540
Bahá'í pop.
-	Bahá'í source
-	Non-Bahá'í source	12,465
History: Firsts
-	Local Bahá'í	1941, Blanca Mejia
-	Pioneers	1939, Mathew Kaszab
-	Local Assembly	1946, Managua
-	National Assembly	1961
Official Website		https://www.bahai.org/national-communities/nicaragua
Related media
Categories: Nicaragua • People

The Republic of Nicaragua is a country located in Central America. The official language of the country is Spanish but there are also several recognized regional languages.

It has been inhabited since ancient times by many indigenous cultures and was colonized by Spain in the 16th century, being part of the Spanish Empire until 1821 when it achieved independence.

History

Early Pioneers

Nicaragua was mentioned by name as a place where the Baháʼí Faith should be established in the Tablets of the Divine Plan revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1916 and 1917. In 1938 Shoghi Effendi specifically named opening Nicaragua, and other Central American nations, to the Faith as a goal which the Inter-America Committee should consider in Advent of Divine Justice.

In 1939 Mathew Kaszab pioneered to Nicaragua, and he taught on the Pacific Coast of the country between Managua and Granada before settling in Bluefields on the Atlantic side of the country staying with a lady named Anna Crowdell. By December 1940 he had moved back to Managua where he stayed at the American Consul. In January 1941 he discussed establishing a weekly radio show on the Faith to be broadcast in Panama, Nicaragua and Costa Rica with Baháʼís in Costa Rica but reported that his plans were uncertain. In March Kaszab gave a successful talk at the Masonic Temple of Managua which resulted in several people beginning to read books on the Faith with a few showing interest in the religion and he hoped to have Frances Stewart visit so she could speak at the International Club. In May 1941 Frances Stewart did visit Kaszab in Managua and gave several talks which received a positive response and significant press coverage, and as of June there was a small group studying the Baháʼí Faith in Managua. Blanca Mejia became the first Baháʼí of Nicaragua in 1941, declaring as a result of hearing Stewart speak, and shortly afterwards Henry Wheelock became the second Baháʼí of Nicaragua.

In August 1942 Kaszab requested and received permission to return to the United States from Nicaragua to recuperate as his time in the country had been strenuous and his future plans were uncertain at the time, however as of November he was still in Nicaragua and had experienced rapid progress in teaching the Faith and he was asked if he could remain in Nicaragua. Kaszab passed away in Texas in January 1943 and in March a Baháʼí from Costa Rica volunteered to pioneer to Nicaragua to assist in the development of Baháʼí Administration in the country as no Spiritual Assembly had been formed during Kaszab's time there. In November 1943 Louise Caswell briefly visited Nicaragua and visited the Baháʼís of Managua during a tour of Central America. In 1944 Blanca Mejia attended the National Convention of the United States in Canada representing Nicaragua and reported there were thirty-two Baháʼís in the country, and that year Shoghi Effendi noted he wished for a Spiritual Assembly to be established in Nicaragua by 1945.

Malcolm King pioneered to Managua in December 1944 and formed a study group in late December with his interpreter, Robert Hooker, declaring during his visit. As of June 1945 Nicaragua was the only Central American nation which did not have any Local Spiritual Assemblies but King had managed to have the Faith officially registered with the government as a religious body through correspondence and meetings with officials. Eight people in Managua declared through King's efforts and he held a weekly study class at the home of a newspaper publisher and also assisted with a weekly radio broadcast, however in August 1945 he had to depart Nicaragua due to circumstances out of his control. In October 1945 Gayle Woolson spent ten days in Managua, Elisabeth Cheney pioneered to the city from Paraguay, and it was felt that there would be a Spiritual Assembly formed in 1946 with there being eleven Bahá’ís in the city in January that year, and nineteen Bahá’ís by March due to the efforts of Cheney.

Establishment of the Administration

The first Local Spiritual Assembly of Nicaragua was successfully established in Managua at Ridvan 1946. In early 1947 the first official Bahá’í Conference for northern Latin American countries was held in Panama City and Nicaragua was represented, and later in the year Nicaraguan Jose Antonio Bonilla, a well-known author, was appointed as the Chairman of the Central American Teaching Committee. Marcia Steward de Matamores moved to Nicaragua for a time in 1947 to assist the community with a correspondence campaign to teach the Faith. Nicaragua was unable to send a representative to the 1949 Central and South American Congress. In late 1949 Sheila Rice-Wray visited Nicaragua during a teaching tour.

As of May 1950 Sheila Rice-Wray had pioneered to Nicaragua, and that year Nicaragua was able to send Humberto Solorzano, a talented painter, as a delegate to the fifth and final Central American Bahá’í Congress. By late 1950 Katherine Cole and Larry Kramer were living in Managua and Kramer had success in securing publicity for the Faith in Nicaragua using newspapers, noting that exhibitions of paintings by Sheila Rice-Wray had resulted in "unusual publicity of a very favorable nature".

In early 1951 a successful World Religion Day event was held in Managua. In April 1951 the National Spiritual Assembly of Central America was formed at a Convention in Panama which assumed jurisdiction over the Bahá’ís of Nicaragua with delegates from Nicaragua participating in the Convention and election. In August the Fourth Regional Conference for Non-Governmental Organizations of the United Nations was held in Managua and a Bahá’í delegation participated.

In 1953 Shoghi Effendi inaugurated the Ten Year Crusade to coordinate efforts to expand the Bahá’í community internationally and as of August that year a Bahá’í had pioneered to Managua, however by July 1954 the community was in need of pioneers to consolidate the community as the Managua Assembly was in danger of lapsing, and the Western Hemisphere Teaching Committee listed Nicaragua as one of the five Central American nations most in need of pioneers. Donald Witzel and his wife answered the call for pioneers settling in Managua on November 12, 1954.

Expansion & Consolidation

In December 1955 the National Spiritual Assembly of Central America set itself a goal to establish a certain number of Assemblies and Groups by Ridvan 1956 and designated Nicaragua as being responsible for forming one group although a specific city was not selected. As of April 1956 a National Endowment for Nicaragua had been successfully purchased, and on July 12 a National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds was inaugurated with Jenny Taylor and Donald Witzel representing the Central American National Assembly at the event. In August 1956 Auxiliary Board member Esteban Canales visited Managua speaking on teaching and he went on to visit the village Nandaime which was a goal city for Nicaragua. From September 14 to 15, 1956, the Bahá’ís of Managua held a Teaching Congress focused on deepening themselves on the Faith and practicing teaching.

In early 1957 pioneer Ruth Yancey spent two months teaching in the town Bluefields and experienced success. In September 1957 the first Summer School of Nicaragua was held in the village of Nandaime with a three day programme with Margo Miessler and Allen Pringle of Honduras facilitating sessions alongside Donald Witzel and Pablo Perez of Nicaragua. In July 1958 a Teaching Congress was held in Managua consisting of a two day session. Hooper Dunbar, who had recently pioneered to Nicaragua from California, spoke at the Congress. In September 1958 the Summer School of Nicaragua was held again in Nandaime and Hands of the Cause Hermann Grossmann and Ugo Giachery both attended and facilitated sessions. As of November 1958 the Witzel's had pioneered to the city of Masaya and were able to meet with Indigenous Nicaraguans at Monimbe, the first time Bahá’ís had done so in the country.

See also

• All articles about Nicaragua
• National Spiritual Assembly of Nicaragua

External links

• Official site