Arlington nuns say claims they have departed from Catholic faith are ‘ridiculous’
A small group of Carmelite nuns in Arlington called their recent dismissal from religious life a “moot point’ and said a post concerning their dismissal on the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth’s website needs urgent clarification.
The nuns, who live at the secluded 72-acre Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity, wrote in a statement that the dismissal by the Vatican-appointed Mother Marie of the Incarnation is not valid because they are under the auspices of the Saint Pius X Society, a traditionalist movement founded in 1970 that opposes the changes of the Second Vatican Council.
“The Vows we have professed to God cannot be dismissed or taken away,” their statement reads. “By virtue of them we belong to Him and are His.”
The statement said accusations that a nun broke her chastity vow with a priest were false.
The nuns have been embroiled in a dispute with the diocese and the Vatican for over a year. It began when Bishop Michael Olson investigated a report that the nuns’ leader, the Rev. Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach, broke her chastity vows with a priest from outside the diocese. The nuns sued Olson over allegations of invasion of privacy and theft of personal property related to his investigation, but a Tarrant County judge threw out the lawsuit, ruling it was a church matter.
“What began in April 2023 with a false accusation against our Mother Prioress and that has been pursued relentlessly since then by Bishop Olson for his own ends has been compounded over time so that we have now reached the point where it is asserted that we are dismissed from religious life and that we have somehow ‘defected notoriously from the Faith.’ These assertions are egregiously false,” according to the statement.
A spokesperson from the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth referred question to Michael Anderson, the Fort Worth attorney representing the Rev. Mother Marie of the Incarnation.
Earlier this month, the nuns who live at the wooded monastery in Arlington transferred ownership of their property to a foundation of benefactors and supporters.
The nuns haven’t commented on why they turned the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity over to the foundation, but they previously said they did not want Olson and the diocese to sell the property. Olson has stated on several occasions and in court testimony that he has never intended to do that. The Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity is under the ownership of the Friends of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Arlington Inc. The change went against orders from the Vatican in April that placed the nuns under the authority of the Association of Christ the King to manage most day to day matters of the monastery.
Meanwhile, the nuns say they are praying for Bishop Olson and the Pope Francis.
“Given that we pray every day for the Holy Father, Pope Francis and our Ordinary, Michael Olson, any claim that we have departed from the Catholic faith is ridiculous. We firmly believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God. Disputes about one man’s wishes and man-made rules do not exclude us from the Church.”
The nuns also wrote that people are welcome to the chapel for private prayer and to celebrate the traditional Latin Mass.