Mother Thekla

Mother Thekla (born Marina Sharf; 18 July 1918, Kislovodsk, Russia - died 7 August 2011) was a Russian-born English theologian, religious thinker, and librettist. Her family moved to England shortly after the Russian Revolution in 1918. She took the name Thekla after St. Thekla, a disciple and companion of the Apostle Paul in 1st century. She strongly influenced the British composer, John Tavener, who converted to Orthodoxy from Presbyterianism.