Michael Fors Olson

Last updated
His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Michael Fors Olson
Bishop of Fort Worth
Bishop Michael Olson preaches his homily.jpg
Bishop Olson preaches at Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church in Arlington, Texas.
Archdiocese San Antonio
Diocese Fort Worth
AppointedNovember 19, 2013
InstalledJanuary 29, 2014
Predecessor Kevin Vann
Orders
OrdinationJune 3, 1994
by  Joseph Patrick Delaney
ConsecrationJanuary 29, 2014
by  Gustavo García-Siller, Joseph Fiorenza, and Kevin Vann
Personal details
Born (1966-06-29) June 29, 1966 (age 58)
Park Ridge, Illinois
MottoVeritatis splendor
(Splendor of truth)
Styles of
Michael Fors Olson
Coat of arms of Michael Fors Olson.svg
Reference style
Spoken style Your Excellency
Religious style Bishop

Michael Fors Olson (born June 29, 1966) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth in Texas since 2014.

Contents

Biography

Early life and education

Michael Olson was born on June 29, 1966, in Park Ridge, Illinois, to Ronald G. and Janice (Fetzer) Olson. He was raised in Des Plaines, Illinois, where he attended St. Mary's School. Deciding to become a priest, Olson entered Quigley Preparatory Seminary North in Chicago. When the Olson family moved to Fort Worth, Texas, Michael Olson resumed his seminary studies there. [1]

After finishing his early studies, Olson traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the Catholic University of America. He was a awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy there in 1988 and a Master of Arts degree in philosophy in 1989.

Olson returned to Texas in 1989 to attend the University of St. Thomas in Houston. He later received Master of Theology and Master of Divinity degrees from St. Thomas in 1994. [2] [1]

Priesthood

Olson was ordained a priest at St. Patrick Cathedral in Fort Worth by Bishop Joseph Delaney for the Diocese of Fort Worth on June 3, 1994. [3] After his ordination, the diocese assigned Olson as parochial vicar at St. Michael's Parish in Bedford, Texas. [1]

In 1997, Olson traveled to St. Louis, Missouri, for doctoral studies at the Center for Health Care Ethics in the Catholic Tradition at Saint Louis University. He then went to Rome to attend the Alphonsian Academy at the Pontifical Lateran University. Olson was awarded a Doctor of Moral Theology degree from the academy in 2001. [1] [2]

After returning to Texas in 2001, Olson was appointed as formation director at St. Mary's Seminary in Houston. He left St. Mary's in 2006 after Bishop Kevin William Vann appointed Olson as vicar general of the diocese. In 2008, he was transferred to Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, Texas to serve as its rector. Pope Benedict XVI named Olson as a chaplain of his holiness in 2010. [2] [1]

Bishop of Fort Worth

Pope Francis named Olson as bishop of Fort Worth on November 19, 2013. He was consecrated on January 29, 2014, by Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller. Archbishop Emeritus Fiorenza and Bishop Kevin Vann acted as the co-consecrators. [3] The liturgy was celebrated in the Fort Worth Convention Center. [3]

In 2016, Olson issued a call to action to the city of Fort Worth to regulate predatory payday loan companies to protect the poor and most vulnerable from unregulated loans which can plunge unsuspecting clients into crippling debt. [4]

At the invitation of Bishop Olson, the Cristo Rey network of Catholic college preparatory high schools opened a campus in Fort Worth in 2018. Students at Cristo Rey earn more than half of their tuition by working one day each week at corporate partners, thus providing a private school education to economically disadvantaged students. [5]

On September 20-23, 2018, Bishop Olson and the Diocese of Fort Worth hosted the fifth National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry for 3,000 national clergy and lay leaders in Hispanic Ministry. [6]

Olson is a panel member of American Religious Town Hall and a frequent radio guest on Guadalupe Radio Network and The Catholic Current.

Arlington Carmel controversy

In April 2023, Olson visited the Most Holy Trinity Monastery in Arlington, Texas, to investigate allegations that Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach had violated her vow of chastity with a priest from another diocese. During the investigation, Gerlach admitted to inappropriate communications with the priest. After the investigation, Gerlach filed civil litigation against Olson, [7] but a judge dismissed the case in June 2023. The Holy See, through the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, issued a Decree appointing Olson as Pontifical Commissary of the Monastery, essentially naming him as the Pope’s representative in the matter. [8] In April 2024, the Dicastery granted the Association of Christ the King in the United States of America, the association of Carmelite monasteries to which the Arlington Carmel belongs, with direct oversight and direct responsibility for governance of the Arlington Carmel. [9]

The Arlington Carmel rejected this decree, and on September 14, 2024, it announced that the monastery had entered association with the Society of St. Pius X. Bishop Olson instructed Catholics to not attend mass at or provide support to Arlington Carmel, citing the monastery's "scandalous disobedience and disunity". [10] [11]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bishop Michael F. Olson's Biography". fwdioc.org. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  2. 1 2 3 "Pope names seminary rector bishop of Fort Worth, Texas". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops . Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  3. 1 2 3 "Bishop Michael Fors Olson [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  4. ↑ "Why the Catholic Church is Speaking Out Against Payday Lending". Texas Standard. 2016-06-13. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  5. ↑ Henry, John (2023-06-02). "Cristo Rey Fort Worth's Class of 2023 Is Taking Flight". Fort Worth Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  6. ↑ "V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry; Taking Place Sept. 20-23 in Grapevine, Texas; Gathering of Catholic Bishops and Delegates from Across U.S. | USCCB". www.usccb.org. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  7. ↑ Allen, Jason (2023-08-18). "Carmelite nuns forbid Fort Worth bishop from Arlington monastery in newly released statement - CBS Texas". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  8. ↑ https://fwdioc.org/statement-fort-worth-diocese-5-31-23.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  9. ↑ https://fwdioc.org/vatican-entrustment-decree.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  10. ↑ "HomePage". www.carmelnuns.com. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  11. ↑ "Texas Carmelites reject oversight of Vatican-appointed federation". 2024-04-22. Retrieved 2024-06-12.

Episcopal succession

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Fort Worth
2014–present		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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