Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth announced the opening of a new order of Discalced Carmelite nuns. The Vatican’s Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life granted permission for the new monastery. The new order is being established to fulfill a need for prayer, reparation of sin, adoration, and contemplation in the diocese. The nuns are relocating from the Carmel in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, following a request made by the bishop six months prior. Land for the new monastery, located in northern Cooke County, was generously donated by local faithful.
3 days ago
Bishop Michael Olson of the Fort Worth Diocese announced on December 2, 2025, the establishment of a new Discalced Carmelite nuns' monastery, approved by the Vatican's Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life.1
The bishop described it as "a moment of extraordinary grace," emphasizing its role in prayer, reparation, adoration, and contemplation.1
In 2023, a scandal erupted involving the former prioress of the Arlington Carmelites, Rev. Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach, accused of a sexual relationship with a priest; she denied it and claimed Bishop Olson sought their property.1
The Vatican suppressed the monastery on December 2, 2024; the nuns later affiliated with the Society of St. Pius X, in an irregular canonical status.1
Olson stated the former group "are neither nuns nor Carmelites" despite their claims.1
Nuns from the Carmel in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, via the Christ the King Association, will reside in a new rural monastery in northern Cooke County, about 80 miles north of Dallas.1
Land was donated by diocese faithful; completion is "in God’s time." The monastery will be autonomous, with no website or social media to avoid distractions.1
Olson requested the new order six months ago, receiving Vatican approval in November 2025.1
He encourages generosity toward the sisters, in full communion, to foster graces like vocations and faithful discipleship through their contemplative life.1
Carmelite monastic renewal post-scandal: ecclesial authority and reparation
In the wake of scandals that have afflicted monastic communities, including some Carmelite houses, the path to renewal lies in a robust exercise of ecclesial authority coupled with fervent acts of reparation. Drawing from Catholic tradition, this renewal echoes historical reforms like that of St. Teresa of Ávila, who founded new monasteries amid a "world on fire" to sustain the Church through prayer. Today, bishops and superiors wield authority to suppress failing houses, address abuses, and redirect communities toward contemplative witness, all oriented toward reparation for offenses against Christ and His Church. This process not only purifies but fortifies the Carmelite charism of prayerful intercession.
The Carmelite Order has long navigated crises through reform, a pattern that informs contemporary renewal. Early abuses—such as privileges allowing friars to serve outside convents, small houses lax in observance, and envy among members—eroded discipline. By 1413, convents like Le Selve near Florence initiated changes: limiting office terms to two years with mandatory breaks, abolishing private property, and ending external postings. These partial reforms prefigured St. Teresa's 16th-century response to "dangerous times," where she urged Carmelites to be "strong" for the weak, founding monasteries to model Christ's form through prayer amid efforts to "raze [the] Church." Popes have echoed this: John Paul II called lay Carmelites to sanctify daily life via Eucharist and Liturgy of the Hours, imitating Elijah and Mary, while Benedict XVI stressed Teresian reform's aim to bolster apostolic work with prayer. Post-scandal renewal mirrors this: scandals loosen observance, but authority-driven reform restores it.
Ecclesial authority, rooted in Christ's delegation, is essential for monastic oversight. Derived from auctoritas—to "increase or cause to grow"—it builds the Body of Christ, as in Ephesians 4:12–16. The Church holds a "native and proper right, independent of any human authority," to impose spiritual and temporal penalties. Canon law affirms this: superiors suppress houses after consulting bishops (can. 616 §1), while the Holy See handles the sole house of an institute or autonomous nunneries. Cor Orans mandates suppression of monasteries failing public witness, consulting bishops and federation presidents.
In scandals, especially sexual abuse, bishops exercise potestas regiminis: investigating reports, restricting ministry, and cooperating with civil authorities while protecting victims. Consultative bodies aid but cannot replace bishops' discernment. This authority extends to healing prayers or abuses, where diocesan bishops intervene against scandal. St. Robert Bellarmine underscored that resisting such authority resists God (Rom. 13:2), binding in conscience. Thus, post-scandal renewal demands obedience to this authority, purging abuses as Trent defined doctrine against error.
Scandals in contemplative life—abuse, laxity, or diminished witness—necessitate decisive action. Cor Orans directs suppression when monasteries cannot express "contemplative nature and finality," prioritizing Church utility. For abuse cases, the Vademecum requires transmitting reports to proper ordinaries, informing superiors, and limiting ministry to avoid scandal. Victims receive spiritual aid; accused clerics, due process, but public ministry is barred if risky. This mirrors Pius XI's elevation of the Sacred Heart feast to mandate annual reparation, washing faults with "tears" for Christ's violated rights. Historical Carmelite disorders yielded to council-level reform (Trent); today's Cor Orans and abuse norms provide similar levers.
Reparation crowns authority's work, compensating love neglected by offense. Pius XI instituted public acts on the Sacred Heart feast for offenses wounding Christ's Heart, uniting prayer across churches. In Carmel, this fuses with the charism: St. Teresa prized souls gained by prayer over other service; communities "protect with fervour" proclaimers of Christ. Post-scandal, Carmelites—friars, nuns, laity—offer reparation via Scapular devotion, imitating Mary's listening heart. Ecumenism too demands "conversion of hearts" and purification of memories. Renewal thus transforms scandal into atonement, growing the Church through penance.
Concrete steps emerge: bishops consult on suppressions, fostering federations for support; superiors enforce constitutions; communities embrace poverty, enclosure, and prayer. Laity sanctify work via Carmelite spirituality. Amid "forgetfulness of God," Teresian fire reignites: strong prayer sustains the weak Church.
In summary, Carmelite renewal post-scandal hinges on ecclesial authority's prudent exercise—suppressing the unfit, correcting abuses—and reparation's fire, echoing Pius XI, St. Teresa, and canon law. This purifies, witnesses Christ, and builds His Body.