History of the Bahá’í  Faith in Jamaica

 

 

 

In 1942 Dr. Malcolm King, a dentist of Jamaican

background who had been living in the United

States for some time, and who had embraced

the Bahá’í Faith there came to Jamaica with

the express purpose of teaching the Cause of

 Bahá’u’lláh to his fellow Jamaicans.

 

Dr. King held meetings at 190 Orange Street in

Kingston. By 1943, five people had embraced

the Faith after having been taught by him. After

he left the island, the nucleus of Bahá’ís taught

the Faith and by April 1943 were able to form

a Local Spiritual Assembly in Kingston. The

Jamaican community was by 1961 sufficiently

strong to elect its National Spiritual Assembly.

 

In 1965 partly through the efforts of a Jamaican Bahá’í teacher who moved to there, ten persons in the Cayman Islands became Bahá’ís and later a Local Spiritual Assembly was formed.

In 1971 the Bahá’í Caribbean Conference was

held in Kingston Jamaica. Twelve hundred

Bahá’í from across the Caribbean, the United

States and Central America attended this

A conference that was officially opened by

Governor General Sir Clifford Campbell.

 

Over the years the Faith has grown and there

are communities in every parish in the island.

Emphasis has been placed not only on spiritualization but also

on the social aspects of

life. True to the injunction of Bahá’u’lláh to “Be

anxiously concerned with the needs of the age

ye live in, and center your deliberations on its

exigencies and requirements”, Bahá’ís have

been involved in community activities in a number of areas around the island. These have been focused largely on education.

 

Bahá’ís in Jamaica have made considerable efforts to promote religious unity in keeping with the guidance of Bahá’u’lláh to “Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship”. In 1950 the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States of America introduced the celebration of World Religion Day. The first World Religion Day Observance in Jamaica was held on January 20th,1974 at the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Library where the Hindu, Christian, Jewish and Bahá’í Faiths were represented. This event is now hosted annually by the Bahá’í community in Jamaica.

 

In 2003 the Bahá’í community celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the first Bahá’í Local Spiritual Assembly in Jamaica with a number of activities. To mark the occasion the then Governor General of Jamaica Sir Howard Cooke proclaimed 25 July 2003 as "Bahá’í Day" and made this announcement on 23 July 2003 at a ceremony at King's House.

 

 

 

 

 

National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Jamaica

208 Mountain View Ave, Kingston 6
(876) 927-7051
nsajam@gmail.com