Ex-nun sues Texas Catholic church after being fired for breaking vow of chastity

A Texas-based Catholic Monastery Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth released a video on YouTube in June addressing an incident in which a nun was removed from the monastery after she confessed to breaking her vow of chastity.

The incident, which occurred in April, occurred when a nun confessed to breaking her vow of chastity to a priest. The priest was named to be 38-year-old Father Phillip Johnson by the New York Post.

Bishop Michael Olson, who appears in the video, claims that the nun had confirmed the interaction had been consensual. 

“She voluntarily made these admissions on four different dates, with clarity and consistency but without naming the priest,” Olson said in the video.

Olson’s claims do not match those of the 43-year-old now-fired Rev. Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach, who the New York Post has claimed started civil litigation against the church.

Gerlach admitted to having sexual communications over email and video call but claimed that her vow of chastity had not been broken, according to the New York Post. The media outlet also reported that Gerlach is suing the monastery for $1 million for defamation and illegally confiscating her phone.

On April 24, 2023, Olson claims he spoke to the nun in the presence of other officials, the nun admitted again that she broke her vow of chastity. He added that on this occasion, the nun freely offered the name of a priest that she had been involved in. 

Olson then went on to address concerns that he had taken advantage of the nun’s weakened state to gain a confession, as she had recently had surgery, by stating that the questioning didn’t occur until a day after her surgery when the anesthetic had worn off. However, Gerlach’s lawyers claimed that she was under the influence of fentanyl and other heavy medications when the interview took place, according to the New York Post.

Olson claimed that during the time of questioning, the nun “was clear and lucid and had normal use of her physical and mental faculties at that time. Claims to the contrary are false, baseless, and untrue.”

It was then explained that the phone the nun used belonged to the monastery, as all personal items are given up when a nun makes her vow of poverty. Olson also added that the phone the nun had used was given over freely for the internal investigation.

The Canonical Council agreed on a framework that created a copy of any messages that were sent or received for remote monitoring, and the phone was returned to the nun.

What happened to the priest?

“Father Philip Johnson is not currently exercising public ministry … [His] priestly faculties were restricted by Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama as a precautionary measure until more clarity regarding his status can be ascertained,” the Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina told the New York Post.

Olson also refutes any accusations that the priest avoided punishment. He insisted that he spoke to the priest’s superior about the accusation and investigation. The priest was asked to speak with the Safe Environment Officer. 

However, the priest elected to not participate in the investigation. Olson claimed that the priest made his decision based on advice from a separate Canonical Council.

The priest, who has neither confirmed nor denied participation in the events that led to the investigation, is not currently assigned and has had his faculties limited, according to Olson. Olson also claimed that, to his knowledge, no further investigation was made into the priest.

After the information about this case was brought to light by the media and civil litigation processes, Olson claimed that individuals from within the monastery came forward to address illegal drug activity within the church. Olson said that this information was passed along to the local police.