Wife of James T. Fantom
"Mrs. Mary Fantom is the first one of Hawaiian blood to accept the Bahá'í Faith. Her great heart of love and pure spirit have enabled her to keep the friends together when Kathrine Baldwin was away. Her home in Spreckelsville has been the centre where the meetings were held in love and unity." Thus wrote the Hand of the Cause Agnes Alexander in Personal Recollections of a Baha'i Life in the Hawaiian lslands. Mrs. Fantom served faithfully for many years as the recording secretary of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Maui which was established in 1928 and contributed generously of her efforts and resources. She was among the first to hold children's classes on Maui. Each year, in June, Baha'is and their friends gathered in her spacious gardens for a special Unity Feast. Long confined to a wheelchair, but undeterred by this physical handicap, she was a devoted servant of the Faith to the end of her life. Born in Lahaina on July 7, 1879, Mrs. Fantom lived in Spreckelsville until March, 1968, when she gave up her home and moved to Honolulu to spend her remaining years at a retirement centre. She ascended on October 24, 1972. A letter she wrote to Miss Alexander in 1941, describing the observance of the birthday of Baha'u'llah, held at her home, captures something of the spirit of this radiant friend: "It was a wonderful gathering. I greeted everyone with Allah-u-Abha. Oh, everyone seemed so happy! Even before the meeting someone said, 'I am so happy that I came.' I said, 'Yes, this is a special happy day for all of us because it is Baha'u'llah's birthday. Let us sing Tell the Wondrous Story, and as we sing, think that we are singing to the whole world!' " To each friend who attended she gave the gift of a plant, a symbol of the Faith, as one guest remarked, "for they bear seeds and will keep growing." To all who knew her, she was "Aunty May". Although she and her husband, James, had no children of their own, she may truly be regarded as an "international mother", for her love and generosity extended to many now scattered across the face of the globe. ~LILLIAN CHOU, Bahá'í World, Vol XV
submited 10 October 2014 by Mary Firdawsi (#48409851)
"Mrs. Mary Fantom is the first one of Hawaiian blood to accept the Bahá'í Faith. Her great heart of love and pure spirit have enabled her to keep the friends together when Kathrine Baldwin was away. Her home in Spreckelsville has been the centre where the meetings were held in love and unity." Thus wrote the Hand of the Cause Agnes Alexander in Personal Recollections of a Baha'i Life in the Hawaiian lslands. Mrs. Fantom served faithfully for many years as the recording secretary of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Maui which was established in 1928 and contributed generously of her efforts and resources. She was among the first to hold children's classes on Maui. Each year, in June, Baha'is and their friends gathered in her spacious gardens for a special Unity Feast. Long confined to a wheelchair, but undeterred by this physical handicap, she was a devoted servant of the Faith to the end of her life. Born in Lahaina on July 7, 1879, Mrs. Fantom lived in Spreckelsville until March, 1968, when she gave up her home and moved to Honolulu to spend her remaining years at a retirement centre. She ascended on October 24, 1972. A letter she wrote to Miss Alexander in 1941, describing the observance of the birthday of Baha'u'llah, held at her home, captures something of the spirit of this radiant friend: "It was a wonderful gathering. I greeted everyone with Allah-u-Abha. Oh, everyone seemed so happy! Even before the meeting someone said, 'I am so happy that I came.' I said, 'Yes, this is a special happy day for all of us because it is Baha'u'llah's birthday. Let us sing Tell the Wondrous Story, and as we sing, think that we are singing to the whole world!' " To each friend who attended she gave the gift of a plant, a symbol of the Faith, as one guest remarked, "for they bear seeds and will keep growing." To all who knew her, she was "Aunty May". Although she and her husband, James, had no children of their own, she may truly be regarded as an "international mother", for her love and generosity extended to many now scattered across the face of the globe. ~LILLIAN CHOU, Bahá'í World, Vol XV
submited 10 October 2014 by Mary Firdawsi (#48409851)
Wife of James T. Fantom
"Mrs. Mary Fantom is the first one of Hawaiian blood to accept the Bahá'í Faith. Her great heart of love and pure spirit have enabled her to keep the friends together when Kathrine Baldwin was away. Her home in Spreckelsville has been the centre where the meetings were held in love and unity." Thus wrote the Hand of the Cause Agnes Alexander in Personal Recollections of a Baha'i Life in the Hawaiian lslands. Mrs. Fantom served faithfully for many years as the recording secretary of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Maui which was established in 1928 and contributed generously of her efforts and resources. She was among the first to hold children's classes on Maui. Each year, in June, Baha'is and their friends gathered in her spacious gardens for a special Unity Feast. Long confined to a wheelchair, but undeterred by this physical handicap, she was a devoted servant of the Faith to the end of her life. Born in Lahaina on July 7, 1879, Mrs. Fantom lived in Spreckelsville until March, 1968, when she gave up her home and moved to Honolulu to spend her remaining years at a retirement centre. She ascended on October 24, 1972. A letter she wrote to Miss Alexander in 1941, describing the observance of the birthday of Baha'u'llah, held at her home, captures something of the spirit of this radiant friend: "It was a wonderful gathering. I greeted everyone with Allah-u-Abha. Oh, everyone seemed so happy! Even before the meeting someone said, 'I am so happy that I came.' I said, 'Yes, this is a special happy day for all of us because it is Baha'u'llah's birthday. Let us sing Tell the Wondrous Story, and as we sing, think that we are singing to the whole world!' " To each friend who attended she gave the gift of a plant, a symbol of the Faith, as one guest remarked, "for they bear seeds and will keep growing." To all who knew her, she was "Aunty May". Although she and her husband, James, had no children of their own, she may truly be regarded as an "international mother", for her love and generosity extended to many now scattered across the face of the globe. ~LILLIAN CHOU, Bahá'í World, Vol XV
submited 10 October 2014 by Mary Firdawsi (#48409851)
"Mrs. Mary Fantom is the first one of Hawaiian blood to accept the Bahá'í Faith. Her great heart of love and pure spirit have enabled her to keep the friends together when Kathrine Baldwin was away. Her home in Spreckelsville has been the centre where the meetings were held in love and unity." Thus wrote the Hand of the Cause Agnes Alexander in Personal Recollections of a Baha'i Life in the Hawaiian lslands. Mrs. Fantom served faithfully for many years as the recording secretary of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Maui which was established in 1928 and contributed generously of her efforts and resources. She was among the first to hold children's classes on Maui. Each year, in June, Baha'is and their friends gathered in her spacious gardens for a special Unity Feast. Long confined to a wheelchair, but undeterred by this physical handicap, she was a devoted servant of the Faith to the end of her life. Born in Lahaina on July 7, 1879, Mrs. Fantom lived in Spreckelsville until March, 1968, when she gave up her home and moved to Honolulu to spend her remaining years at a retirement centre. She ascended on October 24, 1972. A letter she wrote to Miss Alexander in 1941, describing the observance of the birthday of Baha'u'llah, held at her home, captures something of the spirit of this radiant friend: "It was a wonderful gathering. I greeted everyone with Allah-u-Abha. Oh, everyone seemed so happy! Even before the meeting someone said, 'I am so happy that I came.' I said, 'Yes, this is a special happy day for all of us because it is Baha'u'llah's birthday. Let us sing Tell the Wondrous Story, and as we sing, think that we are singing to the whole world!' " To each friend who attended she gave the gift of a plant, a symbol of the Faith, as one guest remarked, "for they bear seeds and will keep growing." To all who knew her, she was "Aunty May". Although she and her husband, James, had no children of their own, she may truly be regarded as an "international mother", for her love and generosity extended to many now scattered across the face of the globe. ~LILLIAN CHOU, Bahá'í World, Vol XV
submited 10 October 2014 by Mary Firdawsi (#48409851)
