One hundred years ago this Saturday, on April 14, 1912, the son of the founder of the world-wide Baha’i faith, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, spoke publicly for the first time in the United States. At the invitation of the Rector of the Church of the Ascension, The Rev. Dr. Percy Stickney Grant, this historic talk marked the spread of this new teaching in America. On the Centenary Anniversary of this event, the Church of the Ascension will once again extend spiritual hospitality to members of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New York City at a gathering beginning at 11:30 am in the church. Interested members of the parish are cordially invited to participate in welcoming our neighbors to this joyful anniversary occasion.
Newsletter
Parish News: May 24
In this week’s newsletter, the rector notes Pentecost’s reversal of Babel—not by restoring a single language, but by enabling understanding across difference as each speaks and hears in their own tongue. She treasures hearing parishioners read “God’s deeds of power” in many languages during worship, and invites us to consider what it means to speak of God in our own heart language—whether shaped by mother tongue, place, trust, or profound shared experience. In a time of contempt for difference, Pentecost reveals the blessing of many tongues and the Holy Spirit’s gift of mutual understanding across culture, faith, and ethnic background.
