Corwin Springs, Mont.---- Elizabeth Clara Prophet has announced she
will retire as spiritual leader of the Church Universal and Triumphant, a New Age sect
headquartered on a sprawling ranch next to Yellowstone National Park.
Prophet, diagnosed with Alzheimers disease in November, said she
will retire sometime this summer to deal with health concerns and to spend more time with
her family, including a 4-year old son.
The woman known as "Mother" to her followers said she will be
60 in April. She stepped down as church president in 1996.
In the early 1980's, the church founded by her first husband bought the
28,000 acre Royal Teton Ranch and based its operations there.
Prophet had been president of the church for 23 years when she left the
position in 1996. Her action came within weeks of the announcement that she and second
husband Ed Francis, then the executive vice president of the church, were divorcing after
16 years of marriage."
Our prayers go out to Elizabeth Clara Prophet in the healing of her
health and to gain physical strength to continue on her spiritual path. She has been an
inspiration to many.