A community of Carmelite nuns in Arlington, Texas have permitted two priests to celebrate Mass in their convent despite the priests being suspended on suspicion of abuse. Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas revealed that the priests have been serving as chaplains to the nuns without authorisation. The priests, the bishop Read more
The Holy See has reinstated a Carmelite mother superior nearly a year after the bishop of Fort Worth, Texas, dismissed her after alleged inappropriate conduct with a priest. Bishop Michael Olson issued a decree on June 1, 2023, dismissing Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach from religious life following a nearly six-week-long investigation into the affair. Read more
The Vatican has overturned a Texas bishop’s dismissal of a Carmelite nun from her order after she was accused of breaking her vow of chastity with a priest, weighing in on a power struggle and scandal that drew national attention. The Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life found in favour Read more
The Carmelite nuns of Arlington have withdrawn their application for a temporary restraining order against their bishop and their superior, who was appointed by the Vatican. In an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper (Tuesday), their lawyer, Matthew Bobo, said that there was no need for the hearing originally scheduled for Tuesday in the Read more
The Carmelite nuns who sued the Bishop of Fort Worth last year have fiercely rejected a new decree from Vatican City that they be governed by an association of monasteries, calling the decision a hostile takeover. “We are not things to be traded or given away in backroom deals,” the nuns wrote in a four-page Read more
A group of Carmelite nuns involved in a lawsuit against a Texas bishop has decided not to pursue initial plans to appeal the dismissal of their case and instead are putting their faith in a Vatican canonical investigation. The nuns’ legal representative, Matthew Bobo, confirmed this development in a statement released on Monday. The decision Read more
A judge in Texas has ruled that a district court does not have jurisdiction to hear a lawsuit brought by a monastery of Carmelite nuns against Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth. The decision, handed down on Friday, June 30, ruled that the nuns’ suit is “dismissed for want of subject-matter jurisdiction.” Read more
On Sunday evening, Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth released a video message addressing his interventions at the Carmelite monastery in Arlington, Texas. Saying he would not be drawn into public discussion of the matter, the bishop attempted to refute accounts that the convent’s superior had been heavily medicated when allegedly admitting to sexual sins Read more
A bitter dispute between the Diocese of Fort Worth and a Carmelite monastery in Texas has reached new heights as charges and counter-charges of illegal activity, including drug use, have been made. The latest salvo in this protracted legal and public relations battle came from the diocese itself on Wednesday. The diocese released photographs purporting Read more
A nun has expanded her lawsuit against Texas Bishop Michael F Olson (pictured) with a defamation claim following her dismissal from the Order of Discalced Carmelites. The move comes just a day after the bishop utilised his newly granted authority from the Holy See to decree her dismissal from the order. Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes Read more