Baháʼí Faith in Paraguay

Shoghi Effendi, head of the religion after the death of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, wrote a cable on May 1, 1936 to the Baháʼí Annual Convention of the United States and Canada, and asked for the systematic implementation of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's vision to begin.[3] In his cable he wrote:

Appeal to assembled delegates ponder historic appeal voiced by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá in Tablets of the Divine Plan. Urge earnest deliberation with incoming National Assembly to insure its complete fulfillment. First century of Baháʼí Era drawing to a close. Humanity entering outer fringes most perilous stage its existence. Opportunities of present hour unimaginably precious. Would to God every State within American Republic and every Republic in American continent might ere termination of this glorious century embrace the light of the Faith of Baháʼu'lláh and establish structural basis of His World Order.[11]

Following the May 1 cable, another cable from Shoghi Effendi came on May 19 calling for permanent pioneers to be established in all the countries of Latin America.[3] The Baháʼí National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada appointed the Inter-America Committee to take charge of the preparations. During the 1937 Baháʼí North American Convention, Shoghi Effendi cabled advising the convention to prolong their deliberations to permit the delegates and the National Assembly to consult on a plan that would enable Baháʼís to go to Latin America as well as to include the completion of the outer structure of the Baháʼí House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. In 1937 the First Seven Year Plan (1937–44), which was an international plan designed by Shoghi Effendi, gave the American Baháʼís the goal of establishing the Baháʼí Faith in every country in Latin America. With the spread of American Baháʼís in Latin American, Baháʼí communities and Local Spiritual Assemblies began to form in 1938 across the rest of Latin America.

Paraguayan Maria Casati met some of these Baháʼís in Buenos Aires, Argentina and converted to the religion in 1939.[2] The first pioneer to arrive in Paraguay was Elizabeth Cheney in December[2] 1940. Cheney describes that many of the people she thought to be introduced to were in jail when she arrived.[12] However through word-of-mouth from a few she was able to gather a group of 30 of social prominence and interested in universal peace which mentioned the religion and avoid negative connotations (for example by use of the word universal vs international when describing the kind of peace Baháʼís were interested in.) The group first met by January 1941[13] and a youth group was meeting by June[14] despite social upset from the period before World War II and President Morínigo. Indeed, Cheney had rented her apartment from Sra. Leonar de Morínigo with whom she had shared Baháʼí principles to know what kind of meetings would take place - who in turn defended the religion from accusations by September from a local catholic priest.[12] Cheney did not seek out publicity because of the social conflict going on and her experience of events in Argentina. She also emphasized sincerity, patience, and a universal quality of showing love for all people to encourage the same among the group and beware of showing any sense of superiority whether from nationalism or a self-consciousness in the role of bringing the religion to people. Come September 15 adults expressed interest in taking part in a further class on the religion. Cheney also began English language classes modeled after Lidia Zamenhof's advice as well use using stories about the religion as the medium for learning the language in addition to the meetings directly for those wanting to learn more about the religion.[15] One member of the group attended an International Conference of Progressive Education by October in the States and through contact with the Cheney was invited to Louhelen Baháʼí School.[16] But come November Cheney was taken ill and left Paraguay.[17] On returning to the States she took up work in Race Amity meetings with Louis G. Gregory and Dorothy Beecher Baker[18] and publishing.[19]

Shoghi Effendi called for further strengthening of the community in 1943[20] The first to come back to Paraguay was Gertrude Eisenberg in spring 1943.[21][22] The next pioneer to come was Virginia Orbison in September 1943 after helping to found an Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assembly in Chile.[23][24] When Orbison arrived in addition to Eisenberg there was another Baháʼí of the group who had already acknowledged himself as a Baháʼí in the interim and two more of the original group converted at the first meeting Orbison attended in September.[25] The first Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assembly of Paraguay was elected in Asunción[4] in 1944.[3] An All-American Convention was held in 1944, and actor Don Roque Centurión Miranda, counted as the first Baháʼí of Paraguay,[26] was a delegate,[3] (and Cheney was able to visit the convention.)[27] Cheney returned to Paraguay in 1945 to find a community of 26 Baháʼís and so she moved to Nicaragua in October[28] Eisenberg moved in November.[22] A regional committee overseeing pioneers was appointed in 1946 - one for Chili, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay together.[29] The first South American Baháʼí Congress was celebrated in Buenos Aires in November, 1946 with representatives R. Centurion Miranda and Josephine Pla from Paraguay.

Retrospectively, a stated purpose for the regional committee was to facilitate a shift in the balance of roles from North American guidance and Latin cooperation to Latin guidance and North American cooperation.[30] The process was well underway by 1950 and was to be enforced about 1953. By 1950 there was still an assembly in Asunción.[5] However, by November 1950 Sheila Rice-Wray transferred her pioneering effort to Paraguay in 1950 where an emergency election was held for vacancies to assure representation to the first South American Baháʼí Convention.[31][32] Rice-Way was able to "reactivate" members of the Asunción community.[33] She was also joined by Esteban Canales in November.[34] Both Rice-Way and Canales were delegates to the South American convention to elect the regional assembly.[35] When the regional National Assembly of South America was elected in 1951 the members included Paraguayan Esteban Canales.[36] In 1953 translations of Baháʼí literature were made into Guarani.[37] In August 1954 Ellen Sims arrived as another pioneer in Paraguay.[38] In November 1955 the Baháʼís of Paraguay dedicated their permanent Baháʼí Headquarters with an hour-long program with talks in Guarani, Spanish and English, slides and pictures of Baháʼí building and Shrines around the world, and book displays.[39]

Though various agencies report the size of the community numbers in the thousands, the state census does not count it.[8] The community was noticed on US. Department of State records.[68] The 2001 Association of Religion Data Archives review showed some 10,600 Baháʼís.[69] Operation World estimated some 5,500 and also suggest a rate of growth second only to Islam, and having numbers about twice those of Islam.[6]