LifeTeen founder defies suspension

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From Catholic World News:

LifeTeen founder defies suspension

Phoenix, Jan. 4, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Church leaders in Phoenix, Arizona, are discouraging Catholics from attending non-denominational services conducted by a suspended priest, the Arizona Republic reports.

Msgr. Dale Fushek, who has been suspended from public ministry by the Phoenix diocese, continues to lead services at the Mesa Convention Center, drawing several hundred participants, the newspaper reports. The flamboyant priest, who gained national prominence as the founder of the LifeTeen program, risks further disciplinary action by defying the terms of his suspension to preach at “Praise and Worship” services.

Fushek, who was once the vicar general of the Phoenix diocese, was suspended after he was accused of molesting a boy in his Arizona parish. Although the diocese settled the lawsuit based on that charge, Fushek still faces several other criminal charges involving sexual relations with teenage boys
 
The sad part about it is that there are some Catholics who are attending the PAWC, despite the Bishop Olmstead’s urging Catholics not to attend. Not only is Dale Fushek disobedient to his superiors, but he has a following who are equally disobedient to church authorities.

I have heard Fushek preach before he was suspended in 2004. It is not surprising that he is now at a church with a name that sounds quasi-Baptist. Fushek seemed to have a Protestant fundamentalist streak even while he was still the pastor of St. Tim’s.
 
Since Bishop Olmstead’s call for a boycott of Fushek’s PAWC did not go down well (because of all the Cafeteria Catholics who attended the PAWC), what do you all think of my idea of organizing a group of faithful Catholics to picket them during the service?
 
Jimsdun said:
Since Bishop Olmstead’s call for a boycott of Fushek’s PAWC did not go down well (because of all the Cafeteria Catholics who attended the PAWC), what do you all think of my idea of organizing a group of faithful Catholics to picket them during the service?
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The purpose of picketing is to try to cause some kind of change, either by persuading those being picketed to change voluntarily or to persuade the government to legislate a change. As to the latter, these worshipers and their “pastor” have a Constitutionally protected right to free association and freedom of religion. As to the former, these people already know they are in conflict with their bishop and seem not to care. Additionally, if picketers become disruptive at a worship service they may be charged with disorderly conduct. In this case I am not certain picketing would produce the desired effect.
 
meh, from my reading of the article it seems that he is guilty of turning his back on the rules and on God when he molested a child.

Its not surprising he would turn his back again, its only surprising to me that ppl are still willing to listen to him!
 
Title of the thread appears to be a bit misleading. It infers the suspension was over LifeTeen in relation to the Church, not the molestation charges. Two totally different things.
 
“A fish rots from the head.”
old Russian proverb

Dressed casually in a blue shirt and gray sleeveless sweater, former Monsignor Dale Fushek led a non-denominational prayer service at the Mesa Convention Center on Sunday morning attended by a standing-room-only crowd of about 700 people.

For the second time, Fushek acted in apparent defiance of an administrative suspension from the Diocese of Phoenix that bars him from functioning as a priest or any other form of public ministry.
Dale Fushek’s lifeteen program has to go. The Vatican has to speak up. This fish, as they say, rots from the head.
 
cookiedog said:
Dale Fushek’s lifeteen program has to go. The Vatican has to speak up. This fish, as they say, rots from the head.
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I disagree. There is no central leadership of LifeTeen. Many solidly orthodox parishes run it.
 
Better with all the controversy just to drop the LifeTeen name all together. Nothing prevents a parish from having an orthodox ministry, even youth Mass, to minister to its kids and outreach to the community.
 
Now that I have cooled my heels, I wouldn’t do anything that dramatic. It was just food for thought. Life Teen will survive without its founder. It already has for 2 years. The parishes will survive without Life Teen programs, just as they have for 1,985 years.

For too long, St. Timothy’s parish was almost exclusively Life-Teen oriented. But it is necessary for the parish to belong to the community as a whole.
 
LifeTeen emphasizes the base emotions. It’s happy-clappy, feel-good message is totally devoid of the realities of sin, confession, penance, or reparations for sin.

The emphasis is “I’m-OK-You’re-OK”.

His actions speak volumes; one can only conclude that Father Fushek’s sees no consequence for his actions, has no conscience, or makes no commitments to the ways ordained by the church.

I hope that the lifeteen community will understand my disdain and forgive me for my harsh words of this poor man.
 
cookiedog said:
LifeTeen emphasizes the base emotions. It’s happy-clappy, feel-good message is totally devoid of the realities of sin, confession, penance, or reparations for sin.

The emphasis is “I’m-OK-You’re-OK”.

His actions speak volumes; one can only conclude that Father Fushek’s sees no consequence for his actions, has no conscience, or makes no commitments to the ways ordained by the church.

I hope that the lifeteen community will understand my disdain and forgive me for my harsh words of this poor man.
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While I don’t necessarily agree or like the concept of Teen Masses, to paint the whole ministry in the way you do I have to disagree with. (To put this post in perspective, I am 18, and I’m a convert to Catholicism.)

The fact of the matter is that with a Catholic School system that is an absolute joke in regards to teaching the faith and bringing up students into active Catholic adults, and with very little time and effort put forth in your average parish towards creating a youth community and fellowship to compensate for that, Lifeteen is really one of the only ministries I have found that has tried to fill that void.

If you look at their website and a lot of their resources their isn’t an emphasis on “I’m OK, your OK”, or a lack of focus around sin, but there is an emphasis on needing to cleansed of that sin, and that comes from Christ. And that needs to be emphasized considering when you talk to most non-Catholic teens, virtually most of them have no knowledge of or have met a Catholic teenager who understands that and shows a solid understanding of their faith and has it as the center of their life.

And with the fact that around 70% of teens fall away from Christianity after High School, I find it a little ridiculous for adult laity and clergy to not be making more effort to minister and disciple these kids.
 
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.
 
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.
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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.
 
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.
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And considering most Catholic parents aren’t doing this, Lifeteen is trying to fill a void that most Catholic parents are too lazy to fill themselves.

A mockery of the divinity? That is an unfounded argument in my estimation. The whole point of having a Catholic school system and other ministries is to provide extensions to the Catholic home. Lifeteen is doing and attempting the things that have led to the success, growth, and spiritual development of millions of non-Catholic Christians and Churches today, while being unashamedly Catholic in doctrine and teaching. Now while the ministry has made mistakes, (as if any Catholic ministry hasn’t.) its good fruit has more than manifested itself, and it is going to take the innovation and risk (not in liturgy, but in outreach and ministry) of ministries like Lifeteen to help bring the Catholic Church in this country to where it should be.
 
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.
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I think Ignatius of Antioch would heartily disagree with you:
See that you all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the presbytery as you would the apostles; and reverence the deacons, as being the institution of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything that is done may be secure and valid. **
**
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newadvent.org/fathers/0109.htm

-ACEGC
 
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.
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So are parishes not supposed to have any sort of religious education program?

Where do you draw the line?

In my parish, there is no mandatory requirement to send your kids to PRE or LifeTeen (for high school aged youth). Sometimes the parents go to great lengths to get them there.
 
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.
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Also, when Parishes have religious education programs, it is not in defiance to what you say. It is intended to be a supplementation to DAILY home instruction and prayer.

The problem is, many parents don’t daily practice their faith, and therefore don’t pass it on to their kids in any meaningful way. Parish religious education will NOT solve that problem, but it can soften the blow.

In some instances, the fact that the kids are learning away from home, is in some way used by God to bring the parents to a desire to get a little bit more serious about their faith.
 
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.
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So you are saying two wrongs make a right. The Lord Jesus Christ instructed His Church to offer the seven sacraments to His followers. Is quitting now allowed when you take the sacrament of HOLY ORDERS? My father told me that a priest can not quit. I believe that he (my dad) is right. Therefore, my faith tells me that Father Fushek’s standing up to his superiors and bishop and church is morally wrong in thought and deed.
O, Lord have mercy on us `all
 
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