Michael Fors Olson

Last updated

Michael Fors Olson
Bishop of Fort Worth
Bishop Olsen of Forth Worth (40679302584) (cropped).jpg
Bishop Olson in 2018
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 57)
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 2013.

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, Olsen entere 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 early 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. Cloistered since she was a teenager, Gerlach was confined to a wheelchair on an intravenous infusion for severe gastroparesis. [4] Gerlach admitted to inappropriate communications with the priest, but denied that there was any physical contact. The sisters later put restrictions on Olson's access to Gerlach after what they believed were his heavy-handed interrogations. In response, Olson in April 2023 dismissed Gerlach from the order. The sisters sued Olson, but a judge dismissed the case in June 2023. The sisters banned Olson from the property, prompting him in August 2023 to close the monastery to the public. The sisters defied his order. [5] As of September 2023, the Vatican was investigating the dispute. [6]

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

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Iowa, USA

The Diocese of Des Moines is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southwestern Iowa in the United States. It is a suffragan see in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque. The see city for the diocese is Des Moines. The cathedral parish for the diocese is St. Ambrose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis</span> Archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, United States

The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. It is led by an archbishop who administers the archdiocese from the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The archbishop has both a cathedral and co-cathedral: the mother church – the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Saint Paul, and the co-cathedral, the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Texas, USA

The Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction—an archdiocese—of the Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese covers a portion of Southeast Texas, and is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province covering east-Texas. The archdiocese was erected in 2004, having been a diocese since 1959 and the "Diocese of Galveston" since 1847. It is the second metropolitan see in Texas after the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth</span> Archdiocese in Texas

The Diocese of Fort Worth is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in North Texas in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana</span> Latin Catholic jurisdiction in the U.S.

The Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana, is a Latin Catholic ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans. The diocese was erected by the Vatican in 1918, and its current bishop is J. Douglas Deshotel. Covering St. Landry, Evangeline, Lafayette, St. Martin, Iberia, St. Mary, Acadia, and Vermilion parishes with exception to Morgan City of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux), the diocese is divided into four deaneries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Missouri, USA

The Diocese of Jefferson City is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the state of Missouri in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of St. Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Missouri, USA

The Diocese of Springfield–Cape Girardeau is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southern Missouri in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls</span> Diocese of the Catholic Church

The Diocese of Sioux Falls is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church diocese in South Dakota in the United States. It is a suffragan see of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Texas, USA

The Diocese of Amarillo is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic church in the Texas Panhandle region in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas</span> Latin Catholic jurisdiction in Texas, United States

The Diocese of Dallas is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in North Texas in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Lubbock</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Texas, USA

The Diocese of Lubbock is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in West Texas in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of San Angelo</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Texas, USA

The Diocese of San Angelo is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in Central and West Texas in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of San Antonio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmond Carmody</span> Irish-born American prelate

Edmond Carmody is an Irish-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi in Texas, bishop of the Diocese of Tyler in Texas and as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio in Texas. While still a priest, Carmody spent five years working as a missionary in Ecuador.

Joseph Mary Marling, C.PP.S. was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Jefferson City in Missouri from 1956 to 1969. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City in Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Vann</span> American Catholic prelate

Kevin William Vann is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Orange in Southern California since 2012. Vann previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth in Texas from 2005 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Jay Berg</span>

Stephen Jay Berg is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Pueblo in Colorado since 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendan J. Cahill</span> American prelate

Brendan John Cahill is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Victoria in Texas since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Edward Freyer</span>

Timothy Edward Freyer is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Orange in California since 2017.

Taylor Reed Marshall is an American Catholic writer and YouTube commentator. A former Episcopal Church priest, Marshall converted to Catholicism and became an advocate of traditionalist Catholicism. He is the author of multiple books, including Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within and his bestselling historical fiction series Sword and Serpent. Marshall currently teaches at the New Saint Thomas Institute, an online Catholic education institute that he founded in 2013 with students from over 70 nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Celino</span> Filipino-American Catholic bishop (born 1972)

Anthony Cerdan Celino is a Filipino-born priest of the Catholic Church who has been serving as auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of El Paso in Texas since 2023.

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. Pezzulo, Mary; Magnificat, Steel (2023-12-19). "A Follow-Up On The Carmelites Who Sued Bishop Olson". Steel Magnificat. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  5. "Texas Carmelites defy bishop's order to close their doors to the faithful". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  6. "Who has authority over Arlington monastery? Religion, politics expert weighs in". KERA News. 2023-09-07. Retrieved 2024-04-05.

Episcopal succession

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