Sara Louisa Blomfield, born in Knockanevin, Borrisoleigh, was a pioneering figure in the Bahá'í faith and a committed humanitarian. After a turbulent childhood shaped by religious tensions between her Catholic father and Protestant mother, she married Sir Arthur William Blomfield in 1887 and entered elite British society.
Following her husband’s death in 1899, she gradually became involved in spiritual and humanitarian circles. In 1907, she encountered theBahá'í faith in Paris and became a devoted follower. She hosted ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,the faith’s leader, during his visits to London in 1911 and again in 1912–1913, and helped publish his teachings in Paris Talks (1912).
Blomfield played a key role in protecting ‘Abdu’l-Baháduring World War I, when he was isolated in Haifa, Palestine and at risk from the Ottoman regime. In spring 1918, she and other British Bahá'ís successfully lobbied the British government to ensure his safety during the British capture of Haifa in September 1918.
She returned to Palestine in 1921 following ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’sdeath on 28 November, accompanying his grandson Shoghi Effendi to help him assume leadership of the Bahá'í faith. She remained in Haifa for six months. She visited Palestine again in 1930, meeting members of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s family and deepening her connection to the faith’s spiritual roots.
Her memoir, The Chosen Highway, completed in 1940 and published posthumously in 1941, recounts her experiences with the Bahá'í faithand includes reflections on her time in Palestine and her encounters with the faith’s central figures.
She died on 31 December 1939 in Hampstead, London, and was buried after a Church of England service followed by Bahá'í prayers.
Sources:
https://www.dib.ie/biography/blomfield-sara-louisa-a9614
