Fort Worth diocese alleges drugs in monastery where nun is accused of sex with priest

Arlington police said Wednesday they have begun investigating a dispute between the Fort Worth Catholic Diocese and a reverend mother who says she was wrongly accused of “sexual misconduct” with a priest.

The diocese, meanwhile, told the Star-Telegram it has alerted police of “serious concerns” of marijuana and edibles inside the Arlington monastery of Carmelite nuns. It provided photos that show hordes of pill bottles and cannabis products, which the diocese says were taken by an informant and suggest broader problems within the 65-year-old cloistered order.

The latest revelations Wednesday add to the increasingly contentious and highly unusual dispute playing out publicly between the Reverend Mother Teresa Gerlach and Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson. Both sides have apparently asked Arlington police to investigate the other.

Gerlach’s lawyer contacted police last week about her complaints, which include allegations that Olson and the diocese illegally seized data from her electronic devices before she was dismissed last week. Police interviewed the nun Wednesday, said her lawyer, Matthew Bobo.

The diocese has said the bishop dismissed Gerlach after its internal investigation found she violated her chastity vow with an unnamed priest. Gerlach, who is 43 and uses a wheelchair and feeding tube, denies the allegations and is appealing her dismissal.

The Arlington police investigation is in its “early stages,” a spokesman said. “The department has launched an investigation to determine whether any criminal offenses have occurred, which is standard anytime a criminal complaint is made.”

A representative of the diocese told the Star-Telegram “neither the Bishop nor anyone at the Diocese have been involved in any criminal activity” regarding the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity.

“The mere fact that Attorney Bobo initiated and made a report to the Arlington Police Department was not unexpected given the aggressive manner he has litigated this ecclesiastical dispute in the press,” the diocese spokesman said.

The diocese then went one step further, saying it has evidence of illegal substance use among nuns.

“The Diocese initiated and is in communication with the Arlington Police Department regarding serious concerns it has regarding the use of marijuana and edibles at the monastery, along with other issues that the Diocese will address at another time and in a proper forum.”

The diocese shared photos it says were taken by a confidential informant in the monastery. They show cluttered tables covered with scores of pill bottles, baggies, vape cartridges and what appears to be a bong. A crucifix is seen on one table littered with bottles.

The diocese said the photos show why Olson is “tirelessly working” with law enforcement and in private to address problems in the monastery “in accordance with canonical norms and within his authority as bishop.”

On Thursday, Bobo responded to the photos.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” he told the Star-Telegram.

He added that Olson did not release the photos showing the drug paraphernalia until the information came out that the Arlington police were conducting a criminal investigation.

“Where did the photos come from? He talks about a confidential source. Like the unnamed priest, it’s the same sort of thing. There is a picture of marijuana at the monastery. Where is the proof?”

Bobo said he is going to invite police to bring their drug sniffing dogs to “scour the monastery.”

Nun’s complaints against Olson

Gerlach’s legal fight in secular court and canonical battle with Olson and the diocese is extraordinary for an order that typically remains out of the public spotlight. The dispute stems from an April investigation into a report that the Gerlach broke her chastity vows with an priest from outside of the diocese.

Last week, the Vatican weighed in with a decree giving Olson governing authority over the monastery.

The nuns have lived on 72 wooded acres near South Bowen Road and West Sublett Road since 1958. The Sisters of Carmel are withdrawn from the world and spend much of their day in silent prayer. The order has existed since 1562. Gerlach has been a member of the monastery for 25 years.

According to court documents, Olson and other diocesan officials went to the monastery on April 24 with a “forensic” technology expert.

Olson “demanded” that the reverend mother turn over her laptop, iPad and cell phone, and told Gerlach and Sister Francis Therese that they could not handle the administrative duties of the monastery.

The lawsuit alleges that Olson violated the reverend mother’s civil and canonical rights by telling her where she could sit and eat, and she was not allowed in her private bedroom despite needing constant medical care. She uses her iPad to communicate.

On April 25, the reverend mother underwent surgery, and when she returned to the monastery, she and other sisters were subjected to more questions and interrogation. Olson raised his voice, according to the lawsuit.

“The Bishop threw a temper tantrum, and in an agitated and raised voice yelled that the Monastery was shut down, no Mass would be celebrated, he then slammed the door and left the Monastery, traumatizing the Sisters,” Gerlach said in her affidavit.

Attorneys for the diocese said in a motion to dismiss the suit that Gerlach admitted to violating her chastity vows and that secular courts did not have jurisdiction over ecclesiastical matters and investigations.

“The focal point of this entire dispute is an ecclesiastical investigation into sexual misconduct in violation of the Sixth Commandment — considered ‘grave misconduct’ within the Catholic Church,” wrote the attorneys with Kelly Hart & Hallman in Fort Worth.

Bobo argued that Gerlach confessed under duress because she was recovering from surgery and was on pain medication, including fentanyl.

Bobo also wrote an open letter to Bishop Olson asking him to answer questions about who reported the alleged chastity vow violation and who was the priest.

“Your Excellency: You have repeatedly and publicly accused the Reverend Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach of violating her vow of chastity with a priest. What is the specific allegation you have found the Reverend Mother guilty of? Because you have defamed Mother Superior publicly now on multiple occasions, please do provide the specifics,” Bobo wrote.

The diocese on Monday told the Star-Telegram that it has already provided Gerlach with the specific findings of the bishop’s investigation.