Bahai Scriptures
Selections From The Utterances of Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha
Edited by Horace Holley
1928
An outstanding bright collectible copy with a touch of wear, signed by Knight of Baha'u'llah, Sara Kenny on the front free endpaper. A handful of pages have Kenny's notations.
Sara M. Kenny (March 20, 1900 - September, 1968) was an American Baha'i who pioneered to Europe to assist with the development of Baha'i communities. She was named a Knight of Baha’u’llah for pioneering to Madeira.
In 1933 Kenny began investigating different religions and discovered the Baha'i Faith. She joined the religion after a short period of study as did her mother Ella Duffield. She served the Baha'i community of the United States in several capacities including serving on the National Teaching Committee, the Area Teaching Committee for the Western States, and the Local Spiritual Assemblies of San Francisco and Los Angeles. She was often elected as one of California's delegates to the National Baha'i Convention.
When the Ten Year Crusade was launched in 1953, Kenny and her mother pioneered to the Madeira Islands and were named Knights of Baha’u’llah for opening the area to the Faith. They experienced little success in their teaching work and were asked to move to France after nine months where they settled in Nice. In 1957, Kenny went on pilgrimage and met with Shoghi Effendi.
In 1958 Kenny was elected to the inaugural National Spiritual Assembly of France when the body was formed. She notably remained faithful to the Administration of the Faith when the majority of the National Assembly's members recognized Mason Remey's fraudulent claim to be the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith in 1960 and was re-elected to the Assembly after it was dissolved then re-established.
In 1963 Kenny returned to the United States from France. She passed away in London while undertaking a trip across Europe with her husband in 1968. The Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message after her passing:
GRIEVED LEARN PASSING KNIGHT BAHAULLAH SARA KENNY DEDICATED SERVANT CAUSE NATIVE LAND STALWART PIONEER MADEIRA WHOSE DEVOTED LABOURS FRANCE MEMBERSHIP FIRST NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND STAUNCH DEFENCE COVENANT CONTRIBUTED FIRM ESTABLISHMENT FOUNDATION THAT NATIONAL COMMUNITY STOP ASSURE FAMILY PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HER SOUL ABHA KINGDOM STOP REQUESTING NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRANCE HOLD BEFITTING MEMORIAL SERVICE.