Australia

In the Far North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, a Bahá’í of advanced years was hospitalized weeks before she passed away. With the approaching dates of the bicentenary, the patient and her family decided to commemorate the occasion in the hospital. They spoke with the staff, shared prayers and the meaning of the occasion with them and fellow patients, and, with their support, made arrangements for a dignified service in the hospital ward. The spirit of the occasion uplifted all present—staff, patients, family, and friends. The hospital ward was filled with flowers, and the small ceremony opened with a prayer of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Persian, melodiously chanted by the patient herself.