Design unveiled for Canada’s national Bahá’í temple

MARKHAM, Canada — The design unveiled yesterday for Canada’s national Bahá’í House of Worship has been shaped by visits to peaceful woodlands long cherished as a place of prayer, Indigenous perspectives on the land, and young people who imagine a temple as welcoming as a friend. The design brings these experiences together in a place where people of every background will be welcome to gather in prayer and draw inspiration for service to their society.

The unveiling brought together Mayor of Markham Frank Scarpitti, Member of Provincial Parliament Jonathan Tsao, representatives of Bahá’í communities from across Canada, neighbors of the site, and children and youth from surrounding communities.

Speaking on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada, Karen McKye described the House of Worship as a place belonging to people of every faith and background, “a space for quiet reflection, to connect to the Creator and to our noblest selves.”

“This is a place to draw inspiration and strength to serve our community, our families, our professions,” continued Mrs. McKye, “and thus brings together two essential, inseparable aspects of human life and purpose: worship and service, faith and deeds.”

She traced a journey that began shortly after the formation of Canada’s Bahá’í National Spiritual Assembly in 1948. In 1953, the Canadian Bahá’í community took up the goal of acquiring land for a future House of Worship. The present woodland site in Markham was acquired on 15 October 1968, almost exactly 58 years before the unveiling. In 2023, the Universal House of Justice announced that a national House of Worship would be raised in Canada, in the vicinity of the long-established Bahá’í National Center.

Margaret Sault, Chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, reflected on what the temple would represent. Chief Sault said in a statement read on her behalf by Hoda Farahmandpour, another member of the National Spiritual Assembly: “The vision for this House of Worship is grounded in the oneness of humanity and open to people of all faiths and backgrounds. It will provide an opportunity to bring people together through worship and service.”

“The belief in the oneness of humanity is very meaningful in a world where division and misunderstanding continue to affect our communities,” Chief Sault added.

A temple among the trees

For James Jing Yi Jiang, the architect who designed the temple, understanding the relationship between the land and those who gather on it became an essential part of the design process.

Earlier this year, Mr. Jiang was part of a small group of architects who visited the site with Jordan Bighorn, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Bob Watts, both of Indigenous heritage. They gathered around a fire, offered prayers, and reflected on the land and its history from Indigenous perspectives, deepening their understanding of the site’s cultural significance.

“As I recall my first time listening to Jordan’s prayer, even without knowing the language, I could feel the forest and the wind moving through the music,” said Mr. Jiang. “It convinced me that the temple should not simply sit on this landscape but must feel as though it has always been a part of it.”

That impression of wind is reflected in the gently twisting, rising panels of the temple. Seen from a distance, the form appears serene and tranquil; as visitors approach and move around it, its curves reveal a subtle sense of motion.

The design is inspired by the Bahá’í principle of unity in diversity. “This principle is embodied by nine identical panels arranged in an asymmetrical order, creating a composition that is varied yet cohesive, expressing the idea that differences do not need to disappear for a greater whole to emerge,” Mr. Jiang explained.

Another idea permeating the design is relationship with the land, inspired by Indigenous understandings of the land as a living presence. Through its openness and natural wood tones, the temple is meant to blend into the forest.

The wind is yet another concept that has shaped the design. The panels twist gently as they rise, so that the building reveals a subtle motion in the close approach. “The temple does not try to represent the wind, but to capture its lingering resonance: a quiet, continuous presence felt rather than seen,” the architect said.

Mr. Jiang reflected on what he found when he first came to the site. “I learned that people had been coming here and praying every day, as if the temple already existed on this land.

“I did not want the new temple to disturb it, but to be an extension of what people already felt.”

These hopes arise from a connection with the site that is already part of community life. Ayafor Ayafor, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in the Americas, described how young people participating in Bahá’í moral and spiritual educational programs nearby often walk to the temple land to pray, renewing strength for their efforts in their neighborhoods.

Mr. Ayafor connected these experiences with a wider pattern across Canada, where people from diverse backgrounds are coming together for prayer and serving alongside one another for the well-being of their communities. “Prayer draws hearts together and gives people the fortitude to sustain their efforts, even when their contributions seem modest,” he said.

MPP Tsao described the House of Worship as “a place where prayer calls us to serve our community.”

Reflecting on the conflict, division, and suffering in society, Mr. Tsao said: “I just can’t help but to think how greatly needed this House of Worship is today, and how excited I am that this place will now be a reality in our community.”

Addressing the Bahá’ís he added: “You do not walk alone in your goal of a more equal and harmonious society.” Expressing his own commitment to the oneness of humanity, he stated: “And as an elected official in this country, I am wholly committed to this belief and to this work.”

The sense of welcome has reached neighbors as well. Jamaal Merrick, who lives nearby and regularly walks the surrounding trails, said that the care with which the land has been looked after for nearly 60 years has helped him see how the temple could become part of the neighborhood’s life.

Looking ahead to the completion of the temple, Mr. Merrick added: “You can come and say a prayer from your own faith or in your own language and enjoy and appreciate it in your own way.”

Mayor Scarpitti said that the design plans had shown respect for both the site and the community. He expressed his appreciation for the National Spiritual Assembly’s care in “the way that it listened, and the way that it made a commitment to the community.”

Mrs. McKye described the moment as “a first glimpse of what we hope will be a beacon of unity, a haven of peace, for the peoples of Canada.”