Mother Temple of South America - Setbacks and Progress

I just ran across this letter from the National Spiritual Assembly of Chile, which has been available for some time, but thought it might be nice to spread the word on what's happening with the first South American Bahá'í House of Worship. As always, errors in translation are entirely my own.

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To the National Spiritual Assemblies of the South American continent:

Dear friends,

Two years have passed sine the last time that we informed you about our mother Temple, when we shared with you and your communities a bulletin regarding the progress of this majestic project, with some materials provided for your internal publications. Since then, the project has passed through a continuous advance on diverse fronts, however its course and coordination have made it difficult to keep our South American brothers and sisters properly informed on its progress. With this in mind, the National Spiritual Assembly would like to share some of the most recent occurrences with regard to this work.

1. The project of the Bahá'í Temple for South America received an award mention from "Progressive Architecture," considered one of the most prominent distinctions in the world of architecture. Beyond being a cause for happiness among the professional involved and for the Bahá'í world in general, the recognition raised the prestige of the project.

2. The technical challenge presented in resolving the complex project and the intricate calculations involved has already been completed. In parallel, materials tests necessary to study their resistance and to assure that they will satisfactorily serve the needs of safety and durability have been completed. Along with this, all parts and pieces necessary to raise the structure have been defined and their fabrication has begun in Canada. We have had to work closely with the factories to assure that, given the enormous complexity of the entire structure, the fabrication costs will be kept low and the desired result be achieved.

3. In other details, evolution and adjustments have been made to the original project. For example, the main entrance of the House of Worship, which allows one to enter the building turned toward the Qiblih, will be larger and molded in a structure of antique bronze. Wide doors and windows will be added both to the base of the Temple as well as the mezzanine level, which can be opened to permit a greater connection with the surrounding landscape.

With regard to the location of the future Temple, this subject represented on of the most challenging and unpredictable aspects of the project. Approximately two years ago, after having been invited by authorities to consider a space within the Metropolitan Park in our capital in which to construct the Temple, such a possibility brought great attention to the project and to our community, but for various reasons this option could not be realized. The subsequent purchase of a property to the north of the city - in April of 2005 - brought forth the announcement of a ceremony to lay the foundation stone, an event which was suspended for technical reason related to construction at that location. This was followed by extensive work to obtain permission and the necessary rights for a work of this magnitude, a process which has still not been finalized. While continuing our efforts to prepare this location for construction, changes have occurred in the scale of costs for construction on this property, which have brought us to consider other alternatives. Currently, a new options is being made available that may be of great interest for the objectives of this project. This option is located with the city limits of Santiago and offers a magnificent view of the city, giving to the project and to our community an elevated status.

We trust in the divine wisdom that has traced the path followed by this projected, blessed by the continuous guidance of our beloved Universal House of Justice, and we prepare ourselves for the opportunities that are continually being offered. Your fervent prayers and those of your communities will be greatly appreciated, not only for architect Siamak Hariri and his group of collaborators, but also that we might be inspired and strengthened by the abundant grace of Our Beloved, that we might express, in the name of our continental community, the capacity and consecration that this sacred enterprise requires of us.

With warm greetings,

National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Chile

Farbod Youssefi
Secretary