French Bahá'í Summer School, Angers

On 19-26 August 2017, I participated in the French Bahá'í Summer School at La Pommeraye south of Angers, in the west of France. The 300 participants of all ages included many children and youth. I was able to catch up with many old friends. We were 14 to study Ruhi Book 9 on the Ancient Covenant, which explored the foundations of spiritual belief and the role of religions and the Manifestations of God in teaching us the divine attributes that we should try to reflect in our lives. Our tutor, Bernard Benghozi, also taught us some calligraphy as an art form often used to express spirituality.

group photo . mealtime in the garden . mealtime in the garden
The group photo; mealtime on the terrace
the gardens . the gardens and ponds . junior youth at devotions
The spacious gardens allowed for informal conversations; the junior youth at devotions

study group . study group
Our study of Book 9 was very intensive

play about the early history of the Faith . play about the early history of the Faith . play about the early history of the Faith
One evening there was a play about the early history of the Faith, featuring a dialogue between 'Abdu'l-Bahá's sister and daughter

The final evening, many groups presented the results of their work in some form of artistic expression
children . children . audience
The children; part of the audience

junior youth temple project . junior youth temple project . junior youth temple project
The junior youth called for a Baha'i house of worship to be build in France, and surprised everyone by marching in with a model of the future temple

junior youth . youth . one of the adult groups
The junior youth, youth, and some adults composed and sang songs

calligraphy . calligraphy . calligraphy
Our group showed its illuminated calligraphy and poems on the theme of the book we studied; my calligraphy

music and dancing
Music and dancing continued after the show

Everyone learned a lot, build new friendships, and returned with enthusiasm to their local communities.


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Last updated 30 August 2017

Photographs copyright © Arthur Lyon Dahl 2017