Texas Church Expelled by Vatican for One Nun Breaking Chastity Vows with Online Romances

Mar. 15, 2025

Stock image of empty church.Photo:Getty

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One Texas monastery has been deemed extinct in the eyes of the Vatican, according to a Tuesday, Dec. 2,statementfrom the Bishop of Fort Worth.

As a result, Gerlach, Olson and the Arlington order were involved in legal and religious controversies. Then, in May 2023, Gerlach and the Diocese of Fort Worth’s six acting nuns and two in training sued the church and its bishop for $1 million, per Chron. They alleged violations of privacy and harm to the nuns' physical and emotional well-being.

The next month, Olson dismissed Gerlach from religious life, and Gerlach confessed to chastity violation, which she said occurred twice and on the phone. In July, the nuns’ attorney, Matthew Bobo, said that Gerlach, who is a wheelchair user, was “under heavy medication from a procedure” and didn’t recall giving her statement to investigators, per Chron.

Additionally, the nuns’ supporters have accused Olson of seeking to gain control of the monastery.

Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth.Amanda McCoy/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty

Amanda McCoy/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty

In June, the Vatican appointed Mother Marie of the Incarnation as president of the Association of Christ the King, meaning she is the “lawful superior” and has the right to “exercise full governance," per Chron.

Three months later, Gerlach was reelected as their leader against the diocese’s wishes and the nuns joined the Society of St. Pius, a Roman Catholic priestly group that previously separated from the Vatican, per Chron.

The next month, Olson and Marie then said the elections were invalid. But the nuns said Marie’s dismissal is “egregiously false” and a “moot point” since they are now associated with the Society of Saint Pius X, perKera News. The nuns issued a statement confirming it is “ridiculous” to claim that they have “departed from the Catholic faith.”

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Shortly after, on Nov. 28, the Vatican issued a statement declaring the nuns were dismissed from their Catholic order and religious life. On Nov. 29, the Vatican issued a letter declaring the church was “extinct.”

On Dec. 2, Olson responded and issued his own letter, stating that the nuns “are no longer nuns because they have been ipso facto dismissed from the Order of Discalced Carmelites for reasons of their notorious defection from the Catholic faith.”

source: people.com