=================================     
01 Sep 19 UHJ Devotional Gatherings
Universal House of Justice
(c) 2006 Baha'i World Centre
=================================



M E M O R A N D U M  

  

To:  The Universal House of Justice  Date:   19 September 2001 
  

From:  Research Department 
  

Definition and Scope of “Devotional Meetings”  

The Research Department has studied the questions concerning the concept of the 
devotional meeting raised by Mr. … in his email of 4 August 2001 to the Universal House of 
Justice.  Mr. … mentions a recent meeting called by the Local Spiritual Assembly of … in 
which representatives of the Bahá’í institutions who are resident in … participated.  He reports 
that one important area of consultation was the devotional meeting.  In light of this gathering, 
Mr. … enquires whether the Universal House of Justice has specified in any detail “what a 
Devotional Meeting looks like”.  He is particularly interested in “the definition and scope of 
such a meeting”.  We provide the following response. 
As to the nature of the devotional meetings referred to in recent letters of the House of 
Justice, in response to a similar question raised by one of the believers, the House of Justice in a 
letter dated 13 March 2001 written on its behalf, provided the following general guidance: 
  
Regarding your email message dated 14 February 2001, which has … been 
received at the World Centre, questions concerning local devotional meetings 
should be referred to your Local or National Spiritual Assembly. 
  While the Research Department has, to date, been unable to locate any comprehensive 
definition of the nature and scope of devotional meetings, we have assembled, for Mr. …’s 
information and study, a short compilation entitled “Selected Guidance Concerning Devotional 
Gatherings”.  The compilation consists of extracts from letters written by and on behalf of the 
Universal House of Justice.  A number of themes emerge from perusal of the extracts contained 
therein.  For example: 
  

  Care should be taken to avoid developing rigid practices and rituals (extracts 1 and 6). 
  

  Bahá’ís are encouraged to use the revealed prayers of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb as well as 
those of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.  It is permissible to have prayers and readings from the Sacred 
Scriptures of other religions (extracts 2 and 7). 
  

  The form of programme would appear to depend in part on the setting, the occasion, and the 
purposes of the gathering (extracts 6 and 7). 
  

  The practice of collective worship is one important ingredient in the flourishing of 
community life.  It also reinforces individual spiritual development (extracts 3, 4, and 5). 
  
Given Mr. …’s interest in the subject of devotional meetings, it is suggested that he might 
find it helpful to refer to the general compilation entitled “Prayer, Meditation, and the 
Devotional Attitude”, which was compiled some time ago by the Research Department, and


Page No 2

Definition and Scope of “Devotional Meetings”  19 September 2001
Page 2

published by a number of Bahá’í publishing trusts.  The compilation is also included in 
“Compilation of Compilations” (Maryborough, Victoria: Bahá’í Publications Australia, 1991), 
volume II.
