HAIFA, Israel — Mas'ud Khamsi, former Counsellor member of the International Teaching Centre, passed away on 5 March in Lima, Peru.

The Universal House of Justice sent the following message to all National Spiritual Assemblies on 8 March.

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Our hearts were grieved to learn of the passing of dearly loved, stalwart promoter of the Faith of Baha'u'llah, Mas'ud Khamsi, whose long record of distinguished service we recall with such admiration. In 1957, in response to the goals of the Guardian's Ten Year Crusade, he left Iran as a pioneer to South America, participating in some of the earliest efforts to reach its highly receptive indigenous populations. Following his return to Iran, he was appointed to the first contingent of Continental Counsellors in 1968 as a member of the Board for Western Asia. He departed once again for South America within months and, for the next fourteen years, served as a Counsellor in that continent. In 1983 he was appointed as a member of the International Teaching Centre, in which capacity he laboured for a decade. His endeavours thereafter continued unabated, even at an advanced age. In every service he rendered – in the treks he undertook on foot from village to village across vast mountain ranges; in his efforts to encourage young people; in the travels he pursued, bringing his zeal for teaching to some of the remotest parts of the globe – he displayed a generosity of spirit, a warmth of heart, and a determination and courage that were borne of utter consecration and complete loyalty to the Cause of Baha'u'llah.

We extend our deepest sympathy to his dear wife, Jane, his children, and other members of his family and assure them of our fervent supplications at the Sacred Threshold for the progress of his devoted soul in the realms of God. We advise the holding of befitting memorial gatherings in his honour in all Houses of Worship and in Baha'i communities throughout the world.

The Universal House of Justice