LifeTeen founder defies suspension

  • Thread starter Thread starter Caveman
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
hamspam said:
Being a part of Life Teen, as an adult leader (along with my husband), I agree with you 100%!! Too many teens (though certainly not just teens at Life Teen parishes) do not dress appropriately for mass. This is something that has less to do with the youth ministry programs than with how seriously their parents monitor their wardrobes. I also think that it is worth noting that many of the teens that come to our Life Teen masses, bible studies, and program nights have parents who don’t attend mass themselves. God was able to touch many of the kids in our confirmation programs and they have been inspired to begin coming to mass on their own…I think the dress and attitude issues that many teens have end up going away over time.

Funny that Life Teen has this image though…rather than just teens in general…we have college student leaders who just had a talk with the teens about modesty. And more than one of our leaders has sweaters and sweatshirts available if any of the teens we know personally are dressed in less than modest fashion. Maybe my parish is the exception, but given what I have read from Life Teen materials, I wouldn’t think so.

I also think that the pendulum swings to extremes on either side, but the Spirit usually guides it back right where it belongs.
Click to expand...
I agree with this 100%

We have Life Teen in our parish. My Jewish son was introduced to Cathicism by a friend of his who participated in Life Teen. Two years ago my son became a Catholic.

Life Teen in our parish celebrates a beautiful liturgy every Sunday evening. Our church holds about 1000 people and it’s impressive to see almost every seat filled by teens.

JR 🙂
 
Ah well, Dale Fushek will have to answer to a final, larger authority as we all will.

Life Teen, I think is a good thing. I left the church when I was a teenager. I have felt that if there was something like Life Teen back then that I would never have left!

As our current Pastor at St. Tim’s, Fr. Jack Spaulding, has said it’s time to move forward and let God use us as he sees fit.

Discention causes separation. Don’t we have enough of that from the past? Those who do not look at the past and learn from it are doomed to repeat it…
 
the founder of Lifeteen, Dale Fushek has been excommunicated by Bishop Thomas Olmsted. He (Fushek) will also also have to forfeit the “benefits of dignity, office or any function they previously acquired in the Catholic Church.” That would include Fushek’s honorary title of “monsignor.”
The excommunication does not take away the title of priest.

a fall from grace, into the abyss

how many were led astray, by lifeteen, by this dishonesty
 
He really should not be defying his suspension like this. I wonder if he’ll be excommunicated for doing so? 🤷:confused:
 
Holly3278 said:
He really should not be defying his suspension like this. I wonder if he’ll be excommunicated for doing so? 🤷:confused:
Click to expand...
Dale Fushek has been excommunicated by Bishop Thomas Olmsted.

The Official Statement;

STATEMENT OF THE DIOCESE OF PHOENIX
Re: The excommunication of Dale Fushek and Mark Dippre

December 15, 2008-The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, has issued a Decree of Excommunication to Reverend Monsignor Dale Fushek and Reverend Mark Dippre.
Fushek and Dippre have incurred the censure of excommunication because they have chosen to be in schism with the Catholic Church by establishing and leading an opposing ecclesial community known to the public as the Praise and Worship Center. Both priests have consistently refused to comply with explicit directions by Bishop Olmsted to discontinue engaging in public ministry. The excommunications were incurred after repeated offers of reconciliation were ignored. The decree of excommunication by Bishop Olmsted declares the censure that Fushek and Dippre, as ordained priests, have brought upon themselves. The purpose of these sanctions is to reconcile both men with the Catholic Church and to preserve the integrity and unity of the Diocese.
 
cookiedog said:
Dale Fushek has been excommunicated by Bishop Thomas Olmsted.

The Official Statement;

STATEMENT OF THE DIOCESE OF PHOENIX
Re: The excommunication of Dale Fushek and Mark Dippre

December 15, 2008-The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, has issued a Decree of Excommunication to Reverend Monsignor Dale Fushek and Reverend Mark Dippre.
Fushek and Dippre have incurred the censure of excommunication because they have chosen to be in schism with the Catholic Church by establishing and leading an opposing ecclesial community known to the public as the Praise and Worship Center. Both priests have consistently refused to comply with explicit directions by Bishop Olmsted to discontinue engaging in public ministry. The excommunications were incurred after repeated offers of reconciliation were ignored. The decree of excommunication by Bishop Olmsted declares the censure that Fushek and Dippre, as ordained priests, have brought upon themselves. The purpose of these sanctions is to reconcile both men with the Catholic Church and to preserve the integrity and unity of the Diocese.
Click to expand...
Fushek’s excommunication is a result of his continuing ministry of the “Praise and Worship Center” and not because of his suspected sexual improprieties, If he is convicted on those charges, what is the future of the Praise and Worship Center?

Who even goes there? The Praise and Worship Center has been going on for little over a year now. Why would any Christian want to attend a church that is pastored by a suspected sex offender? Especially, why would any Catholic attend a church whose leaders were exommunicated?

BTW, St. Timothy’s Parish recently held a mass commemorating it’s 30th anniversary as a parish. Fushek was pastor of St. Tim’s for many of those years, but he has brought disgrace to himself. Needless to say, he was not invited to the mass.
 
Jimsdun said:
**Who even goes there? ** The Praise and Worship Center has been going on for little over a year now. Why would any Christian want to attend a church that is pastored by a suspected sex offender? Especially, why would any Catholic attend a church whose leaders were exommunicated?
Click to expand...
I’m wondering that too. You live pretty nearby, would you maybe check it out in person and let us know what’s going on? I can’t figure it out from the news reports?
 
rien said:
No LifeTeen ia an answer to the almost total lack of ministry to teens in the Catholic church. Just another reason to question Catholcisim. it is not feeding souls - why the flood of folks leaving the church. I say bravo to the founder for standing up to his superiors and bishop and church. it is what the early fathers would have done IMO.
Click to expand...
Your name really says it all.:rolleyes:
 
Jimsdun said:
Fushek’s excommunication is a result of his continuing ministry of the “Praise and Worship Center” and not because of his suspected sexual improprieties, If he is convicted on those charges, what is the future of the Praise and Worship Center?

Who even goes there? The Praise and Worship Center has been going on for little over a year now. Why would any Christian want to attend a church that is pastored by a suspected sex offender? Especially, why would any Catholic attend a church whose leaders were exommunicated?

BTW, St. Timothy’s Parish recently held a mass commemorating it’s 30th anniversary as a parish. Fushek was pastor of St. Tim’s for many of those years, but he has brought disgrace to himself. Needless to say, he was not invited to the mass.
Click to expand...
you should start a new thread in catholic news section of CAF with this topic of the excommunication of these two men. i know how to start a thread, but i don’t know how to put in the link. maybe someone else could do it. i think it would be worthy of discussion.
 
I’m wondering, what was it specifically about this Praise and Worship Center that the bishop objected to? Was it something about the center and it’s services itself or mostly just the fact that a suspended priest (or priests) were in charge? Just curious. 🙂
 
Neil_Anthony said:
I’m wondering that too. You live pretty nearby, would you maybe check it out in person and let us know what’s going on? I can’t figure it out from the news reports?
Click to expand...
It is very close to where I live. But I can’t waste my time there. And I couldn’t attend even if I wanted to. I think there service is at 10:00, and I attend mass at 11:00 at a parish that is 11 miles away, so I wouldn’t have time to get there.
 
Hopefully his excommunication will take away the credibility of the LifeTeen program and other similar programs.

Sure, some people say they teach orthodox Catholic teachings in their meetings or whatever, but the main component of LifeTeen is the style and music which is evident when Fushek started his own Praise and Worship Center.
 
ac_claire said:
I’m wondering, what was it specifically about this Praise and Worship Center that the bishop objected to? Was it something about the center and it’s services itself or mostly just the fact that a suspended priest (or priests) were in charge? Just curious. 🙂
Click to expand...
i believe as part of their suspension, they were not supposed to be doing any type of public ministry and parishoners were asked not to attend their services and the suspended priests were warned that they should not be conducting services.

so they pretty much thumbed their nose at the bishop and went ahead and did what they wanted to do.
 
cookiedog said:
It is the duty of the parents to teach his or her child in the ways of the church, likewise it is the child’s path to honor there mother and father. The Ten Commandments are not suggestions, rather the rule book of life.
Lifeteen is a mockery of divinity because it assumes the place reserved for the father, head of the family and is a false premise altogether.
Click to expand...
Yes, it is the parents’ duty to raise the child in the ways of their faith - but that does not give the Church a free pass on providing ministries to meet the needs/interests of the young adult crowd. I have been in numerous parishes in at least 8 dioceses/archdioceses over the past 12 years and the one thing nearly all of them have in common is no focus on the 18-40s crowd, especially if they are single. It’s like the Church feels that once they are too old for CCD or PSR I think they’re calling it now (good grief!) and then youth group, they should be married and having children and therefore too busy to have time for Church-supported ministries and events. Too often, the parishes are focused on sacramental preparation, and that’s it. Beyond that - there just seems to be this huge void that could and should easily be filled with Church-oriented activities. Perhaps part of the problem is that this sort of thing is just expected to fall on the priests and any religious sisters in the community - and if the community has no religious sisters - then it all falls on Father and there is only so much one man could do. But the non-existence of anything consistent that is this wide spread tells me that, at least on the surface, the problem goes deeper than that.
 
it’s true, i can’t explain
all i know is that LT was involved and had strong influence
no one in my family has heard a word from her for years now
 
rien said:
No LifeTeen ia an answer to the almost total lack of ministry to teens in the Catholic church. Just another reason to question Catholcisim. it is not feeding souls - why the flood of folks leaving the church. I say bravo to the founder for standing up to his superiors and bishop and church. it is what the early fathers would have done IMO.
Click to expand...
Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will have your faith shaken, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be dispersed. But after I have been raised up, I shall go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to him,
“Even though all should have their faith shaken, mine will not be.” Then Jesus said to him, "Amen, I say to you,
this very night before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times."
 
There seems to be this false impression that special services geared toward teenagers are an integral and indespensible part of the Faith. The reality is that this kind of segregation is a relatively new phenomenon and it hasn’t been proven to have any kind of lasting benefit to kids or adults.

In my opinion things like Lifeteen aren’t intrincically evil…I believe people who insist they’ve seen good fruits produced by these services. But overall I think it’s problematic to create artificial divisions among the faithful and assume that teenagers aren’t able to benefit from a normal Mass.

I think we should give kids more credit than that. For centuries there wasn’t any special “kids Mass” yet somehow the Church survived and produced a great many saints.
In fact, segregating them can be counter-productive because history and common sense tell us that teenagers have always learned best by being around good adult role models.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top