A bitter fight between a group of secluded Arlington nuns and a bishop is again escalating, one year after the conflict first stunned the public with salacious headlines and sharp accusations. The saga unfolded in April 2023 when Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson accused the group’s reverend mother of violating her vow of chastity with a priest.

The legal battle over who has authority over a small group of cloistered Carmelite nuns and their property is once again escalating after the sisters filed for a restraining order Monday against Bishop Michael Olson, the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth and the National Association of Christ the King.

A cloistered order of Carmelite nuns in Arlington spend most of their time secluded from the public, even during mass. They don't grant media interviews, and they devote their lives to prayer. But they are now at the center of a publicized dispute with the Fort Worth bishop they claim is abusing his power.

Arlington nuns dropped a request for a temporary restraining order against the bishop and church leaders, but the legal battles are not over.

A group of sisters from the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in south Arlington filed for a temporary restraining order on April 22 against Bishop Michael Olson and the Association of Christ the King.

Nuns at an Arlington-based monastery have accused Bishop Michael Olson of "an ugly attempt to seize control of our governance, finances and life."

The Arlington Carmelite nuns are aiming to stop a "hostile takeover" of their monastery after the Reverend Mother was accused of breaking her vow of chastity.