Indicted Life Teen Founder "resigns" From Priesthood,

[Thy Geekdom Come]

I agree with Seven77. I'm not a fan of LifeTeen either, although I have seen it bear great fruit, but the fact that the founder is accused of certain sins and abuses 1) doesn't mean he's necessarily guilty of them, and 2) doesn't necessarily impact the fidelity or authenticity of the message passed on by him through LifeTeen. LifeTeen and Fr. Dale (whose name I didn't even know before this thread) must be the object of our prayers. For those who see the flaws I and others see in LifeTeen, pray that this will be a way for it to purify itself and become a better program. Remember that it is through purification that the Lord wills to perfect those things which have born some fruit, and LifeTeen is not fruitless, so we should not give in to the temptation to throw it away.

That said, half my reason for posting this has been to remind myself so that I won't do it.

Please pray for all involved.

God bless,

Micah

[PopeClementI(MorClemis)]

Anybody read this yet?

[url="http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2005_01_06/2005_02_23_Nelson_CrossTo.htm"]http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2...son_CrossTo.htm[/url]

It's not looking too pretty for the accused.. especially the sentence, "Fushek has admitted in depositions that he has hot-tubbed naked with other adult males at the rectory. But he admits to no inappropriate -- much less illegal -- activity." Hello.. since when is a priest hot-tubbing with anyone considered "appropriate"? much less naked? with dudes? in the rectory? DING*Ding*DING* someone's moral compass needs repair.. sounds like the someone's 'primacy of conscience' may have fell on it..

[dUSt]

Any good Fr Dale has done in the past has been voided by his actions. Starting a non-denominational church? Give me a break.

If Lifeteen was founded by this guy, it had a flawed beginning. I'm not saying it can't be embraced and used by the church for good, but it needs to disassociate itself from this guy as soon as possible.

Any organization founded on certain ideals will reflect the ideals of it's founder, and if we are now seeing the true Fr Dale's ideals, it is not good for Lifeteen. Sorry.

His founding of this non-denominational church is completely unacceptable and he needs to repent and embrace Christ's true church, or be excommunicated.

[Tony]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1424190' date='Nov 24 2007, 09:37 AM']It has nothing to do with Lifeteen (although I am not a great fan of them), and everything to do with putting one's personal agenda above the Church.[/quote]

I just hope none of the lifeteen members follow him to his new church.

Edited November 24, 2007 by Tony

[Ash Wednesday]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to express schadenfreude about the situation with my ... I was just making a dry comment about the forum and whenever anything related to Lifeteen because that topic is always a feather ruffler. My apologies.

This really is a tragedy. And I agree with dUSt. And that's all I have to say about that. Prayers.

Edited November 24, 2007 by Ash Wednesday

[Mercy me]

[quote name='curtins' post='1424257' date='Nov 24 2007, 02:44 PM']That's certainly not a legitimate charge as sexually related discussions surely come up in the confessional- its part of who we are and 2/10 commandments deal with sex. Thats a bogus charge.

As for the rest- idk sounds fishy but innocent until proven guilty right?[/quote]

It is exactly for this reason that he is unable to defend himself against the charges against him. He can divulge nothing.

From what I read on the website of the ministry, this is to "supplement the worship experience of Christians" not supplant it.

Let's be careful here guys.

[Justin86]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1424190' date='Nov 24 2007, 11:37 PM']It has nothing to do with Lifeteen (although I am not a great fan of them), and everything to do with putting one's personal agenda above the Church.[/quote]
It does have alot to do with Lifeteen. Look at where the Church is going liturgicaly. Do you really think we'll still have Lifeteen ten years from now? The reason why Rome is turning towards traditionalism is its fed up with preists who want to use the Mass to put on their own talk shows or concerts. Lifeteen couldn't be more an embodiment of that.

[quote name='Totus Tuus' post='1424245' date='Nov 25 2007, 03:50 AM']To me this is a little weird, because I always thought it would be great to have the Lifeteen-style praise and worship outside of Mass, like in "sessions" during the week, or on Sunday nights. Teens like praise and worship, I think it's awesome. But it doesn't belong within the solemnity of the Mass. Why not have both? Have Mass, and then have a praise and worship session too. But I see that this situation is not what I ideally had in mind. It's sad that he's estranged from the Church in this way.[/quote]
The problem with this is churches are sacred, consecrated places dedicated to the worship of God. They are not concert halls where teenagers can "rock out". I'm not againist P&W at all, but using a church for it is just ridiclous.

[quote name='Mercy me' post='1424474' date='Nov 25 2007, 03:42 PM']It is exactly for this reason that he is unable to defend himself against the charges against him. He can divulge nothing.[/quote]
I agree wholeheartedly with this statement actually. Judging from Dale's actions he appears fairly confident the charges won't stick as well. Kudos to "innocent until proven guilty" in this country.

[quote]From what I read on the website of the ministry, this is to "supplement the worship experience of Christians" not supplant it.

Let's be careful here guys.[/quote]
I [i]might[/i] be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe him of he hadn't resigned from the priesthood. I know we had a debate on this topic before and it didn't go over very well so I'm not going to rehash it, but what I will do is remind everyone that some of us still insist that once a priest always a priest and once ordained even a priest himself can never, in the true sense of the word, resign or be defrocked. The Sacrament of Holy Orders is, and always will be, a Sacrament. Nothing will ever be able to erase the effects from his soul.

[st-annes]

My heart goes out to the kids.

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='st-annes' post='1424499' date='Nov 25 2007, 03:49 AM']My heart goes out to the kids. [/quote]
You are right and we have all missed this most important point, we need to pray most for the kids.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='dUSt' post='1424308' date='Nov 24 2007, 04:34 PM']Any good Fr Dale has done in the past has been voided by his actions. Starting a non-denominational church? Give me a break.

If Lifeteen was founded by this guy, it had a flawed beginning. I'm not saying it can't be embraced and used by the church for good, but it needs to disassociate itself from this guy as soon as possible.

Any organization founded on certain ideals will reflect the ideals of it's founder, and if we are now seeing the true Fr Dale's ideals, it is not good for Lifeteen. Sorry.

His founding of this non-denominational church is completely unacceptable and he needs to repent and embrace Christ's true church, or be excommunicated.[/quote]
My understanding was that he started a non-denominational praise and worship outreach and specifically said it wasn't meant to cause competition. I don't see anything wrong with that.

As for the criminal charges, he's accused, and we really have no right to say any more than that.

As for leaving the priesthood, assuming it's true, it's a tragedy and we should pray for him.

As for LifeTeen itself, none of it is conducive to sexual abuse or misconduct. A person using it would have to go out of his or her way to make it so. However, if he is found guilty of these charges, LifeTeen will need to do some damage control, definitely.

God bless,

Micah

[Seven77]

[quote name='Raphael' post='1424566' date='Nov 25 2007, 12:14 PM']My understanding was that he started a non-denominational praise and worship outreach and specifically said it wasn't meant to cause competition. I don't see anything wrong with that.

As for the criminal charges, he's accused, and we really have no right to say any more than that.

As for leaving the priesthood, assuming it's true, it's a tragedy and we should pray for him.

As for LifeTeen itself, none of it is conducive to sexual abuse or misconduct. A person using it would have to go out of his or her way to make it so. However, if he is found guilty of these charges, LifeTeen will need to do some damage control, definitely.

God bless,

Micah[/quote]

Great points.

[cappie]

[quote name='dUSt' post='1424308' date='Nov 25 2007, 07:34 AM']Any organization founded on certain ideals will reflect the ideals of it's founder, and if we are now seeing the true Fr Dale's ideals, it is not good for Lifeteen. Sorry.[/quote]

Fr. Marcial Maciel, the 85-year-old founder of the Legionaries of Christ, has been in trouble does your opinion stand for the Legionaries as well

[Starets]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1424518' date='Nov 25 2007, 09:28 AM']You are right and we have all missed this most important point, we need to pray most for the kids.[/quote]

[jmjtina]

Praise and Worship?

Am I the only one who is peeved with this saying?

True Worship is only done in the Mass.

While Worship does include Praise, Praise does not always include Worship.

We need not only pray for the teens but for Msgr. Dale. Prayers for the whole Lifeteen family.

[dUSt]

[quote name='Raphael' post='1424566' date='Nov 25 2007, 11:14 AM']My understanding was that he started a non-denominational praise and worship outreach and specifically said it wasn't meant to cause competition. I don't see anything wrong with that.[/quote]
I'm stunned. You see nothing wrong with a priest starting up a non-denominational church?

Wow. Just.... wow.

[Lil Red]

from their website:

[quote]Mission
Through lively worship of God, [b]breaking open the word[/b], total acceptance of each person and learning to love more deeply, the community will assist each other in our spiritual journey. By forming a community that supplements the faith experience of its members, we will equally welcome sinners and saints as we support one another.[/quote]

kinda sounds like a church service with no communion. pretty scandalous if you ask me of a priest (even if he "resigned") to start this up.

edited to add:

from their FAQ section:
[quote]3. Will there be a mass?
This is not a Catholic organization. There will be no mass. The service will consist primarily of the Word, preaching, praise and worship music, and spirit-filled prayer.

5. What is a Praise and Worship Center?
It is not a "new religion," but is a gathering of people of diverse religious backgrounds and experience as a community for the purpose of praising God in prayer and in service. [b]There will be Sunday services, and eventually services and ministries during the week.[/b] The center is Christian in its orientation, but is neither Catholic nor Protestant. It is truly ecumenical and multi-denominational.

6. Will non-Catholics come to this and feel at home or will there be strong Catholic influence?
Because the Praise and Worship Center is not affiliated with any specific denomination, there are no doctrinal guidelines or mandated acceptance of proscribed theology required for membership. There will be a spirit of listening to each others' opinions and an atmosphere of learning and growing from sharing experiences and insights. Unconditional love, acceptance of each person in a non-judgmental way, the centrality of Christ's message of love and forgiveness, and the teachings of the gospel will be the sources of the message of the Center. [b]Moral and family decisions will be left up to the spiritual discernment of each individual member.[/b][/quote]

[Lil Red]

so even though he says:

[quote]"This is not a church. It is not intended to draw people away from their denominations," he said.[/quote]

it sure sounds like one to me

also from the website:
[quote]The Praise and Worship Center is ecumenical. People of all faiths are welcome. The leadership of our center will include [b]former priests Mark Dippre and Dale Fushek.[/b] The Praise and Worship Center, which is intended to supplement the church experience of Christians, will begin regular prayer meetings on Sunday, December 23, 2007 at the Mesa Convention Center.[/quote]

the whole thing is scandalous and i think should be avoided by all Catholics in that area. what do you think people will start doing? they will start going to this Praise and Worship Center's Sunday services because people (in general) are lazy and will only want to go to ONE service on Sundays, not a Mass and then a Praise & Worship service.

[inDEED]

As a registered parishioner of St. Timothy's and a 100% Catholic, I completely agree with my Pastor's (Fr. Jack of St. Timothy's) position on this situation.

While I am thankful for everything that Monsignor Dale has done (including the Confirmation of my wife), I can not and do not support or agree with Monsignor on this.

However, unlike so many of you tend to do - I won't be calling for his head any time soon. The decision of whether or not to excommunicate him is not in our hands. All we can do is pray for him and pray that his "followers" recognize that his church/center is not the ONE, TRUE Church of Christ - the Catholic Church.

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='jmjtina' post='1424722' date='Nov 25 2007, 06:38 PM']True Worship is only done in the Mass.[/quote]

So we're not supposed to worship outside of Mass?

[PopeClementI(MorClemis)]

Who said that? You can worship in your house, but that is not a replacement for the Divine Liturgy, aka Mass.
This center's worship is basically equivalent to praying in your house or when you say grace before a meal, nothing wrong with either of those two, unless someone thinks that their home prayer is enough and Mass is therefore unnecessary.

[quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1425250' date='Nov 26 2007, 04:58 PM']So we're not supposed to worship outside of Mass?[/quote]