The Universal House of Justice
Bahá’í
World Centre
Department of the Secretariat
6 April 1995
Transmitted by fax: 33-1-45000579
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of France
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
A Memorial to Thomas Breakwell
The Universal House
of Justice is most pleased that the way now appears open for the acquisition of
the precise plot (2 metres by 1 metre) in Paris Central
Cemetery where Thomas Breakwell was buried in 1902 and
from which his remains were moved in 1907 because of the temporary nature of
the arrangements made at the time of the funeral.
The House of Justice understands that the cost of acquiring the site in perpetuity is Fr16,646 (French francs), or slightly in excess of US$3,300, and that your Assembly or a believer acting on your behalf will be permitted to erect over the gravesite a memorial that is acceptable to the cemetery authorities. The House of Justice asks that your Assembly proceed immediately to acquire the site. Because of the nature of situation, your Assembly is free to call on the International Fund for assistance if the necessary funds are not available to you.
With regard to the contest for a monument design which was organized by a special committee appointed by your National Assembly, and the various designs which were submitted, the House of Justice prefers to proceed with a more traditional and simple design than those which have been proposed. It will take the form of a suitably inscribed slab of a kind with which some of your other prominent believers, both here at the Bahá’í World Centre and elsewhere. An appropriate excerpt from the Master’s tablet in honour of Mr. Breakwell should be included in the inscription. You are asked to kindly make arrangements for a suitable design and present your proposal to the House of Justice for approval, together with a cost estimate. Once the design is approved, you should present it to the cemetery authorities for their endorsement. Should the subject of the monument arise during your consultations with the Director of the cemetery about the purchase of the plot, you should feel free to make reference to the modest nature of the memorial being considered, as this will no doubt reassure the board.
The House of Justice understands that the cost of acquiring the site in perpetuity is Fr16,646 (French francs), or slightly in excess of US$3,300, and that your Assembly or a believer acting on your behalf will be permitted to erect over the gravesite a memorial that is acceptable to the cemetery authorities. The House of Justice asks that your Assembly proceed immediately to acquire the site. Because of the nature of situation, your Assembly is free to call on the International Fund for assistance if the necessary funds are not available to you.
With regard to the contest for a monument design which was organized by a special committee appointed by your National Assembly, and the various designs which were submitted, the House of Justice prefers to proceed with a more traditional and simple design than those which have been proposed. It will take the form of a suitably inscribed slab of a kind with which some of your other prominent believers, both here at the Bahá’í World Centre and elsewhere. An appropriate excerpt from the Master’s tablet in honour of Mr. Breakwell should be included in the inscription. You are asked to kindly make arrangements for a suitable design and present your proposal to the House of Justice for approval, together with a cost estimate. Once the design is approved, you should present it to the cemetery authorities for their endorsement. Should the subject of the monument arise during your consultations with the Director of the cemetery about the purchase of the plot, you should feel free to make reference to the modest nature of the memorial being considered, as this will no doubt reassure the board.
It is very important for your Assembly to be vigilant in
keeping track of any plans that the cemetery authorities may adopt for opening
up the mass ossuaries and the transfer of the skeletal remains elsewhere. It is
possible that the remains of Mr. Breakwell were placed in a separate canvas sack
and labelled before being deposited in
one of the ossuaries, since this was still the practice at the time his remains
were removed from the original grave. If this is the case, then there is still
hope for the eventual recovery of his remains and their reinterment in the plot where they
were originally buried. The eight designs which you kindly submitted to the
House of Justice will be returned to you separately.
With loving Bahá’í
greetings,
David Bulman
For Department of the Secretariat
