Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth appeared in civil court on June 27 to defend himself against a lawsuit filed by Discalced Carmelites nuns in his diocese. The prelate, granted extraordinary powers by the Vatican over the local Carmelites, dismissed the superior, Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach, from religious life on June 1.
Bishop Michael Olson’s attorneys played a 30-minute tape in which Mother Gerlach admitted to violations of chastity over the telephone with a priest. The Diocese of Raleigh identified the priest as Father Philip Johnson and stated that he “is not currently exercising public ministry.”
Bishop Olsen also testified that three employees of the monastery approached him with concerns about the superior’s use of drugs.