Significant People Gabriel Of Urantia Has Met

Gabriel of Urantia recognizes that serendipity and destiny go hand in hand. Throughout his life he has crossed paths with many people of influence in various arenas – spiritual, cultural, political, and arts & music. Gabriel feels he has been led to meet very special souls that have made a difference to millions of people who have, in their own way, fought for human rights, justice, and spiritual ascension.

  • Spiritual Leaders

    • Agatha von Trapp

      Eldest daughter of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the play and film The Sound of Music
      Gabriel met Agatha and her mother and sisters at a Catholic Charismatic prayer meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1972. He was blessed to have lunch with her and considered going to New Guinea with her to be a missionary.
    • Desmond Tutu

      Recently Retired Archbishop Emeritus and Anti-Apartheid Activist
      Gabriel met him in 1971 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Episcopalian Cathedral. Gabriel was then a young minister age 25 and Desmond Tutu laid hands on Gabriel’s shoulders and prayed for his future ministry to the world.
    • Father Anthony Scannell

      President of the Franciscan Communications Center in Los Angeles until 1990. Pastoral Telecommunications Specialist for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles from 1996-2003 and Executive Publisher of the Archdiocesan newspapers from 2004-2007.
      Gabriel met him in 1984 and 1986 when they discussed recording musical and television productions. Father Scannell was also a founding member of Catholic In Media Associates.
    • Father Michael Scanlan

      Recently Retired Chancellor and President of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio
      Father Mike was chancellor for 11 years after 26 years as president. He just retired in June 2011. Gabriel met “Father Mike” when he was at St. Francis Seminary in Loretto, Pennsylvania, in the infancy of the charismatic renewal in the Catholic Church around 1970.
    • Hunbatz Men

      Mayan Elder
      Came out to personally talk with Gabriel and Niánn at a seminar he was giving in Sedona, Arizona in 1990. They discussed the Mayan prophecies and Gabriel shared The URANTIA Book with him. Unfortunately, Hunbatz was one of many indigenous elders who mistakenly thought that The URANTIA Book was a “white man's book” and missed the great Deo (godly) power the Fifth Epochal Revelation can give the Native American people.
    • Kathryn Kuhlman

      Evangelist and healer
      Gabriel’s spiritual advisor in the early seventies during his early days of spiritual growth and seeking.
    • Marianne Williamson

      Spiritual activist, author, lecturer and founder of The Peace Alliance, a grass roots campaign supporting legislation currently before Congress to establish a United States Department of Peace.
      Gabriel was asked to play a few of his spiritual songs before her talk at the Unity Church in Santa Monica, California in 1986, which opened up several conversations between them after that performance.
    • Mother Theresa
      While in Los Angeles in 1984 Gabriel went to hear Mother Teresa speak with hopes in his heart of getting the chance to meet, or even just touch, this precious soul. He got within twenty feet of her, but was not able to make it through the throngs of people. He witnessed her in her humility refusing a limousine that had been provided for her transport. At that point, Gabriel says an inner voice spoke to him clearly words her will never forget, "In India the poor and afflicted get to touch her every day." Although Mother Teresa graduated from this planet in 1997 and Gabriel was never able to meet her face to face, he feels tremendously blessed by this encounter with her and the beautiful teaching he received from her actions.
    • Rev. David Wilkerson

      Founder of Teen Challenge and Author of The Cross and The Switchblade
      Gabriel met him at his ranch chapel in Tyler, Texas on December 10, 1975. David handed Gabriel a special prophecy written for personally for him.
      "You have need of patience after you have done the will of the Father, that you might receive the promise.
      Be not denied. God is not mocked, whatsoever a man soweth, that he shall also reap. You have sown the seed you will reap in God's time.
      No weapon formed against you shall prosper. Greater is He that is within you than he that is within the world.
      If you do that which is right, who is he that can harm you?
      —David Wilkerson"
    • Rev. Nicky Cruz

      Former leader of a Puerto Rican street gang of thirty thousand in New York who turned his life around and helped start the first Teen Challenge in New York with David Wilkerson and later founded the Nicky Cruz Outreach programs.
      Gabriel worked as a counselor for Nicky Cruz's halfway houses in Huntington, West Virginia and Fayetteville, North Carolina for two years.
  • Activists & Political Leaders

    • Clyde Bellecourt / Nee-Gon-Nway-Wee-Dung

      Anishinaabe co-founder of National Director of the American Indian Movement (A.I.M.)
      February 21, 2001
      (see photo)
    • Dennis Banks

      Native American Anishinaabe leader, teacher, lecturer, activist author, and co-founder of the American Indian Movement (A.I.M.)
      Gabriel interviewed Dennis in 2004. The interview is now part of the DVD series, Gabriel of Urantia: Conversations with Activists to Inspire Global Change.
      (see photo)
    • Gary Farmer

      American Indian, actor, filmmaker, musician, and activist.
      Gabriel met and did an interview with him in 2011.
      (see photo)
    • Harry Charger / WaAnaton

      Elder and spiritual leader of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota
      (see photo)
    • Kleg Seth

      Co-founder and Director of Centrum of Hollywood halfway houses
      Gabriel was appointed by Kleg and Centrum’s Board of Directors to be the Director of their facility for Christian music and theater on Hollywood Blvd. Also on the board were Debbie Boone (Pat Boone's daughter) and Katherine B. DeMille Quinn (Cecil B. DeMille's daughter and Anthony Quinn's wife).
      (see photo)
    • Milton Shapp

      Governor of Pennsylvania from 1971 to 1979; was credited with the idea that eventually led to the Peace Corps; known as The Man Against the Machine
      At the age of 24 Gabriel met Milton when he went to Philadelphia as a union representative of Columbia Steel where Gabriel worked at that time.
      (see photo)
    • Nancy Red Star

      Native American Author, filmmaker, and UFO activist.
      In May 2004 Nancy spoke about the “star ancestors” at Future Studios in Sedona, Arizona, which was founded by Gabriel. At that time she was also interviewed by Gabriel. That interview became part of the six-part series, Gabriel of Urantia, Conversations With Activists to Inspire Global Change, which is now available on DVD.
      (see photo)
    • Russell Means

      Oglala/Lakota activist, author, and actor from the movie Last of the Mohicans.
      Gabriel interviewed Russell in 2007. The interview is now Series 1 & 2 of the DVD series, Gabriel of Urantia: Conversations with Activists to Inspire Global Change.
      Series 1 DVD
      Series 2 DVD
      (see photo)
    • Wallace Black Elk

      Lakota Sioux Elder and nephew of Black Elk of the book Black Elk Speaks
      Gabriel first met Wallace in 1994. In May of 2001 Wallace was part of a forum of Native American elders Gabriel hosted at Avalon Gardens and Future Studios in Sedona, Arizona. Wallace hosted an inipi purification lodge at Avalon Gardens which attracted more than 200 visitors. Wallace was one of the first native elders to embrace all that is good of New Age thought with the best of the traditional ways of his Lakota upbringing. Wallace recognized Gabriel as the “Prophet from the East” that Black Elk foretold of in one of his visions in the late 1800’s. (Note: Wallace Black Elk graduated from this planet on January 25, 2004.)
      (see photo)
  • Artists, Musicians, & Others in the Media Industry

    • Al Kasha

      Composer/lyricist; Two-time Academy Award winner for "Best Song of the Year".
      Mr. Kasha is also a Messianic Jew ordained minister. Gabriel met Al several times in Beverly Hills, California in the late 1970s. Gabriel premiered The Morning Song, which is now on his Holy City CD, in Al Kasha’s home to a group of over 50 people at a bible study.
    • Donna Summer

      Singer / Songwriter
      Gabriel met Donna in 1981 at Al Kasha's home in Beverly Hills at a bible study. They talked about the facility that young Gabriel was going to direct on Hollywood Boulevard for music and acting and outreach. Donna had many suggestions for possible contacts and was very helpful and friendly.
    • John Reid

      Journalist
      John interviewed Gabriel and Niánn about their work in establishing Global Community Communications Alliance. (Click here to purchase the DVD)
    • Leslie Martino

      Daughter of singer/actor, Al Martino who played Johnny Fontane in The Godfather.
      Al Martino was a URANTIA Book reader and Gabriel met his daughter, Leslie, in Boulder, Colorado at the location of the former URANTIA Book School.
    • Linda Gordon

      Artist, radio commentator, and wife of astronaut Richard Gordon.
      Gabriel met her in Santa Monica, California.
    • Melissa Gilbert

      Actress, writer, and producer best known for her childhood role as “Laura” on Little House on the Prairie.
      Gabriel met her on the set of Father Murphy where he was working as a professional extra (in addition to being an ordained minister).
    • Nick Nolte

      Actor/Producer
      Visited Gabriel’s home in December 2008 with his wife, Clytie, and daughter, Sophia. Gabriel re-introduced The URANTIA Book to Nick in depth. They discussed the state of the planet, the film industry, and spirituality. Gabriel encouraged Nick to do more spiritual films like Peaceful Warrior.
    • Paolo Soleri

      Visionary architect who designed and built the futuristic Arcosanti, in Mayer, Arizona.
      Soleri was also interviewed in the 2007 documentary, The 11th Hour. Gabriel spent time with Paolo at his birthday party at Arcosonti in 1988.
    • Paul Davids

      Producer/Filmmaker/UFO Writer & Speaker
      Roswell , Timothy Leary Is Dead, and Starry Night (about the life of Van Gogh). Paul Davids did a video interview with Gabriel of Urantia and Niánn Emerson Chase.
      (see photo)
    • Robert Shields

      Mime, Artist, Actor
      I met Robert Shields in Sedona and we talked many times, most recently in February of 2013. He gave me a beautiful print of one of his originals. I've always appreciated Robert's artistic flair—not just his mime, but his art and in life itself.
    • Susan Munao

      Manager for Donna Summers from approximately 1979 to 1983 and vice-president of Casablanca Records.
      Gabriel met her in Beverly Hills, California, and had several conversations with Susan about trying to produce his spiritual commercial music and the music business.
    • Ted DeGrazia

      Famous Southwest artist.
      Gabriel met Ted in 1977 in Tucson, Arizona, when he was a young Christian minister. Ted befriended Gabriel and invited him to his studio both in Tucson and Apache Junction, Arizona many times before Ted died in 1982.
      (see photo)
    • Victor French

      Star of the TV series Highway to Heaven and character actor in Father Murphy.
      Victor saw Gabriel on a set and made a complimentary comment about his good looks to an actress. Later that day Gabriel talked to him and asked for a line in a scene with Melissa Gilbert in order to get his Screen Actors Guild card, which Gabriel was already in as a professional extra. He smiled and said, "Wish I could give you the line, kid, but I'm not the producer." Victor passed on in 1989.