April 8. On this date in 1883, Elizabeth Hopper, later named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for pioneering to the Madeira Islands, was born in Hume, New York.

 

April 8. On this date in 1883, Elizabeth Hopper, later named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for pioneering to the Madeira Islands, was born in Hume, New York.

Elizabeth Hopper was born in Hume, Allegheny County, New York. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Cornell University, and entered the field of library science, serving for some time as senior librarian for an international agency for the United States.

Her interest in education and new ideas led her to the Bahá’í Faith. She was a member of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Washington, D.C. for more then twenty years, serving it as secretary and on local and national Bahá’í committees involved with teaching and publication.

Elizabeth Hopper retired in 1952, and in 1953 she offered to go as a pioneer settler to the virgin area of the Madeira Islands. Joining her in this pioneer venture was another younger Bahá’í, Miss Ada Schott, who also volunteered to go so that Madeira would have a pioneer team to teach the Faith and establish a new community.

On September 20, 1953, Elizabeth and Ada landed in Funchal, Madeira's chief port and city, and cabled the news of their arrival. Their names were added to the World Crusade map.

By 1956 after three years of ardent prayer, patiently cultivated contacts and innumerable firesides, they were at last able to report the declaration of three new Bahá’ís in Funchal. The joy of this hard-won achievement brought new problems. They were required to leave the island temporarily before their permanent residence visas could be obtained. Then personal circumstances made it necessary for Miss Schott to return to the United States. This meant that Elizabeth was alone. She was seventy-six years of age at that time, feeling the inevitable handicaps of age, subject to bouts of discouragement, and yet impelled to continue the work of deepening, strengthening and teaching new believers and contacts. She appealed for help from additional settlers and through visitors from the accessible Bahá’í communities. There was an encouraging trickle of visitors who came and stayed for a time and added much happiness and help through their presence: Mrs. Sara Kenny and her mother, Mrs. Ella Dunffield, Mrs. Peggy True, Miss Trudy Eisenberg, Miss Katherine Meyer, Miss Elise Austin, Mr. and Mrs. Valine from the Canaries, Mrs. Elizabeth Stamp, Mr. Missaghieh, and others. But to her great dismay no permanent settler could be found to come and stay.

During the period from 1956 to 1961 when Elizabeth was the only resident pioneer, her letters and reports to the Untied States Africa Committee unfold a moving account of the problems and situations which many pioneers must face. There was also the constant strain of communication in a language which she could not master. There were subtle barriers with which cultural differences can impair understanding and confidence. Elizabeth grieved deeply over the "spiritual drop-outs" she encountered when she had worked so hard to give a redeeming message. She also had to deal with the conflicts and confusion which can result from situations where actions and attitudes of the believers fail to uphold the moral standards and spiritual responsibilities of the Bahá’í Faith.

Only once, during this lonely period, did Elizabeth look back in anguish. In a letter to a dear friend she wrote of her loneliness and despair and wondered whether another place might have yielded better results. But in the same letter her strength of spirit was expressed for she corrected herself, writing, "...and then I have to remember that Madeira is in the Divine Plan and the Guardian wanted an Assembly there."

In this period of tests two of her most wonderful Bahá’í experiences occurred. She attended the Most Great Jubilee in London and also received permission to go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. How happy these two confirming experiences made her and how much she learned from seeing the devotion of the friends who serve at the World Centre.

In 1961 a new Bahá’í pioneer arrived to spend six months. Elizabeth warmly welcome and praised Mr. Joseph Kubik who came and helped with the Bahá’í community responsibilities. Then came a new Bahá’í family from the Canaries. There was great happiness and activity for several months, and then again Elizabeth was alone.

In 1963, at the age of eighty, Elizabeth, still alone and with her hearing growing steadily worse, she was urged by friends to return to the United States. She had the courage to reply, "No, dears, I do not want to come back regardless of how difficult things are becoming."

In 1964, Mrs. Isabel Horton, who stayed with her until her end, arrived in Madeira, giving her the assurance she needed that her lifelong accumulation of Bahá’í literature and archives materials would be safely preserved.

Elizabeth Hopper died on May 3, 1967.

The Universal House of Justice in recognition of her self-sacrifice cabled the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States on May 5, 1967:

PLEASE ASSURE FRIENDS PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS SOUL ELIZABETH HOPPER KNIGHT OF BAHAULLAH OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE DEVOTION STEADFASTNESS