Michael Fors Olson
Michael Fors Olson | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Fort Worth | |
 Bishop Olson preaches at Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church in Arlington, Texas. | |
| Archdiocese | San Antonio |
| Diocese | Fort Worth |
| Appointed | November 19, 2013 |
| Installed | January 29, 2014 |
| Predecessor | Kevin Vann |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | June 3, 1994 by Joseph Patrick Delaney |
| Consecration | January 29, 2014 by Gustavo García-Siller, Joseph Fiorenza, and Kevin Vann |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 29, 1966 |
| Motto | Veritatis splendor (Splendor of truth) |
| Styles of Michael Fors Olson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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.
Biography
[edit]Early life and education
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Bishop Michael F. Olson's Biography". fwdioc.org. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ a b c "Pope names seminary rector bishop of Fort Worth, Texas". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
- ^ a b c "Bishop Michael Fors Olson [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ "Why the Catholic Church is Speaking Out Against Payday Lending". Texas Standard. 2016-06-13. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ Henry, John (2023-06-02). "Cristo Rey Fort Worth's Class of 2023 Is Taking Flight". Fort Worth Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Bishop Olson Recognized and Acknowledged as Pope's Representative in Carmelite Matter" (PDF). Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth. 31 May 2023.
- ^ "Vatican Entrustment Decree" (PDF). Catholic Dioceses of Fort Worth. Vatican City: Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. 2024-04-18. Prot. n. 2566/2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-06-28. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
- ^ "HomePage". www.carmelnuns.com. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ "Texas Carmelites reject oversight of Vatican-appointed federation". 2024-04-22. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
External links
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Episcopal succession
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