George Townshend Renounces His Orders

*A retelling drawn from **Bahá'í Chronicles**. Words in quotation marks are from Shoghi Effendi's cable on George Townshend's passing (**Messages to the Bahá'í World, 1950–1957**) or are titles of his writings.*

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George Townshend was born in Dublin. He was ordained in the Anglican Church, served as incumbent of Ahascragh and Archdeacon of Clonfert, and later became a Canon of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.

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He became a Bahá'í in 1921, but for many years he remained a clergyman. From 1926 he acted as literary adviser to Shoghi Effendi, reading through and editing the Guardian's major publications. At Shoghi Effendi's request he wrote the introductions to *The Dawn-Breakers* and *God Passes By*.

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At the age of seventy Townshend renounced his orders in the Anglican Church. He explained his step in a pamphlet addressed to all Christians, *The Old Churches and the New World-Faith*.

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In 1951 Shoghi Effendi named him a Hand of the Cause of God. His books include *The Promise of All Ages*, *The Heart of the Gospel*, *The Mission of Bahá'u'lláh* and *Christ and Bahá'u'lláh*.

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He died on 25 March 1957, just after *Christ and Bahá'u'lláh* was published. Shoghi Effendi cabled that his death "on morrow of publication of his crowning achievement robs the British followers of Bahá'u'lláh of their most distinguished collaborator and Faith itself of one of its stoutest defenders." He ranked him with Thomas Breakwell and Dr. Esslemont as "one of three luminaries shedding brilliant luster on annals of Irish, English and Scottish Bahá'í communities," and added: "His fearless championship of the Cause he loved so dearly, served so valiantly, constitutes significant landmark in British Bahá'í history."

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*This is a retelling. For the fuller account, see **Bahá'í Chronicles**.*

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