Legal and ecclesiastical tensions escalated between the Discalced Carmelite Nuns in Arlington and the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth after a group of sisters filed for a temporary restraining order on Monday against Bishop Michael Olson and the Association of Christ the King.
Rev. Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach, Sister Francis Therese and Sister Joseph Marie are seeking the order to prevent Olson and the association from entering and having authority over the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in south Arlington.
The move comes days after the Vatican issued a decree placing the governance of the nuns under the authority of the Association of Christ the King, with its president serving the monastery as the monastery’s superior. The nuns issued a statement in opposition of the new leadership, equating the change of leadership as a “hostile takeover.”
“If Rome wishes to ‘save face’ and to sweep the issue of the abuse of the Bishop under the carpet and move on regardless, this is unacceptable,” the nuns wrote.
A hearing for the restraining order moved courts. The hearing, originally scheduled to take place Thursday at Tarrant County’s 141st District Court, has moved to the 67th District Court. The new hearing date is April 30 at 4 p.m., according to Matthew Bobo, an attorney representing the nuns in civil matters.
The temporary restraining order accuses the diocese of “trying to utilize a religious back door” in order to gain control of the monastery, according to court documents.
Michael Anderson, an attorney representing Olson and the diocese in civil matters, described the restraining order as a “rehash of the lawsuit filed last year.” That lawsuit was dismissed after a district judge ruled the dispute was a religious matter and not a civil one. The diocese argues the dispute is an “internal church matter” and “has no standing” in civil court, according to its April 20 statement.
A ‘remarkable event’
Matthew Wilson, professor at Southern Methodist University who specializes in politics and religion, described the latest disputes between the nuns and the bishop as a “remarkable event.”
Religious orders, such as nuns, are not part of a diocese per se, Wilson said, but are meant to have a “cooperative and respectful relationship” with the local bishop. Most religious orders are governed by a global superstructure.
“The Catholic Church, by its nature, by its structure, is hierarchical and deferential and, ultimately, authority in the church proceeds from Rome,” Wilson said. “If you submit an appeal to Rome, and Rome comes up with a solution, you can’t just defy that.”
A yearlong battle resurfacing
The Vatican decree comes eight months after the monastery released a statement saying the sisters no longer recognize Olson’s authority as bishop and forbid him from entering the property. Olson said the decision could cause Gerlach, the nun he accuses of violating a chastity vow with a priest, to face excommunication from the church.
The Vatican named Mother Marie of the Incarnation, President of the Association of Christ the King, as the “lawful superior,” who would “exercise full governance” over the monastery and nuns, according to the decree. An election of new internal leadership for the monastery would be overseen by Olson, according to an April 18 statement.
The temporary restraining order follows a yearlong legal and ecclesiastical battle between the nuns and the bishop. In April 2023, OIson opened an investigation over allegations of Gerlach violating the chastity vow. In response, Gerlach filed a lawsuit against Olson and the diocese, alleging Olson invaded the nun’s privacy.
An audio recording of Gerlach describing her relationship with a priest played in a Fort Worth courtroom during a June 2023 hearing. Olson testified that Sister Francis Therese told him that the relationship between Gerlach and the priest involved “sexting.” Gerlach, who has a full-time caretaker at the monastery, also said in the recording she had a history of experiencing seizures and that she was “not in her right mind.”
A Tarrant County judge dismissed the nuns’ lawsuit last June, siding with the bishop in determining that the issue is a church matter and cannot be decided by the court. The nuns attempted to appeal the judge’s decision in July, but later decided against doing so after the Vatican told the Monastery that they would not act on the canonical investigation until civil litigation was concluded.
Now, nearly a year later, lawyers for both sides will convene where the legal saga began: inside the 67th District Court.
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org or @marissaygreene. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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