A group of nuns in Texas has been removed from their religious order following a prolonged dispute with their bishop concerning the administration of their monastery.
According to CNA, Mother Marie of the Incarnation, president of the Association of Christ the King, announced in a letter to the Diocese of Fort Worth that the nuns from the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington have been dismissed from the Order of Discalced Carmelites and have “reverted to the lay state” due to more than a year of ongoing defiance against their superiors.
This dismissal marks the peak of a contentious conflict involving the Carmelite nuns and church officials, involving Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson and the Vatican.
The turmoil began last year when Bishop Michael initiated an investigation into the monastery following allegations that Rev Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a priest.
In response to the investigation, the nuns filed a lawsuit against Olson in May 2023, alleging violations of privacy and detrimental effects on their well-being.
Ultimately, Bishop Michael removed Mother Teresa from her position.
In April, the Vatican announced that the Association of Christ the King in the U.S. would take charge of the monastery's governance and operations.
However, the nuns resisted this directive and formed ties with the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), a traditionalist group that is not fully aligned with the Catholic Church and operates in a canonical grey area.
In her letter, Mother Teresa cited the nuns’ persistent defiance, which included rejecting the authority of the Vatican's Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, as well as the authority of their bishop and Mother Marie of the Incarnation herself.
She accused the nuns of unlawfully associating with SSPX and taking actions that undermined the monastery’s governance.
Furthermore, she noted that the nuns had entrusted the monastery's property to laypeople, despite it being given to them by benefactors to support their religious mission.
The decision to dismiss the nuns, according to Mother Marie, stemmed from their own choices.
She expressed a desire for the dismissed members to repent so that the monastery could once again be recognised as a legitimate institution inhabited by Discalced Carmelite nuns in good standing with the Church.
In her letter, Mother Marie emphasised the vows that Carmelite nuns take to adhere to the rule and constitutions of their order.
Despite being offered a chance to reconcile with the Church, she noted that the nuns opted for a different path, leading to their current status.