Elizabeth Clare Prophet

Elizabeth Clare Prophet ( Wulf, a.k.a. Guru Ma; April 8, 1939 – October 15, 2009) was an American spiritual leader, author, and founder of the Church Universal and Triumphant, a New Age religious organization. At its peak, the church had an estimated 30 to 50 thousand followers. Her teachings blended elements of mysticism, Christianity, and Eastern religions, and she authored numerous books on spirituality, gaining prominence in New Age circles.

In the late 1980s, Prophet predicted an imminent apocalypse brought on by nuclear war. As they prepared for the predicted world's end, she and her followers were investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms for stockpiling firearms and supplies in a fallout shelter being constructed at the church's compound near Gardiner, Montana.

When her prediction turned out to be wrong, the church lost members. Prophet stepped down from operational leadership in 1996, retaining her role as spiritual leader until retiring in 1999 due to health issues. Her recorded sermons remain influential in the church’s activities. She also appeared in NBC’s Ancient Prophecies in 1994.

Early years

Elizabeth Clare Prophet was born Elizabeth Clare Wulf at Monmouth Memorial Hospital in Long Branch, New Jersey on April 8, 1939, the only child of a German immigrant, Hans Wulf, and his Swiss wife, Fridy. She grew up with her family in Red Bank, New Jersey. In 1986, Prophet relocated her headquarters to that property.

Legacy

For many years, around 15,000 hours of recordings of Prophet's sermons have been kept in a concrete bunker in Montana for safe keeping. Video footage played on monitors of her sermons are part of the church's religious service and are said to have "composed the bulk of her ministry".

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