use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , nationality = American , citizenship = , education = , alma_mater = St. John's Seminary, California

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

, occupation = , known_for = Co-founder of

Life Teen Life Teen is a Catholic youth ministry organization and movement in the United States. According to Life Teen, "Eucharist-based ministry has the power to transform teens, parishes, and culture". Life Teen is best known for its parish-based pr ...

, criminal_charge =

Misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...

assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

, criminal_penalty = $250 fine , criminal_status = , module = Dale Fushek (born 1952) is the founder of

, the leader of the Praise and Worship Center in

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the ...

, and the former

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

of the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Diocese of Phoenix The Diocese of Phoenix ( la, Dioecesis Phoenicensis; es, Diócesis de Phoenix) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory or diocese in the state of Arizona in the United States. It was established on December 2, 1969, when it was split off ...

. In 2005 he was charged with ten criminal misdemeanor counts related to alleged sexual contact with teenage boys and young adult males. By February 2010, the charges were adjusted to four counts contributing to the delinquency of a minor and one count of

indecent exposure Indecent exposure is the deliberate public exposure by a person of a portion of their body in a manner contrary to local standards of appropriate behavior. Laws and social attitudes regarding indecent exposure vary significantly in different ...

. On April 15, 2010, Fushek agreed to a

plea bargain A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or '' nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendan ...

offered by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office in which he pled guilty to one of the charges. The four other charges were dropped and he was fined $250, in addition to being sentenced to 364 days of probation. On December 15, 2008, the Diocese of Phoenix announced that Fushek had been

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted for establishing the Praise and Worship Center, a community outside the Catholic Church, in defiance of the bishop's order for him to cease ministry.

Early religious education

Fushek was born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, in 1952. His family moved to

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

, in the 1960s. After graduating from Phoenix Central High School in 1970, he attended St. John's Seminary in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. In 1978 he was ordained a priestNelson, Robert. "Cross to Bare", ''Phoenix New Times'', February 23, 2005
/ref> in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. In 1984 he received his Master of Theology/Liturgy from the University of Notre Dame.

Ministry as Catholic priest

As a young priest, Fushek was assigned to St. Jerome's Parish in Phoenix. There he began to work toward bringing children and especially teens back into the ministry and founded Active Christian Teens (ACT). ACT sought to expand the ministry to teens and young adults. In 1983 Fushek was transferred to St. Timothy's Catholic Parish in

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the most populous city in the East Valley (Phoenix metropolitan area), East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by ...

. There, he was one of three founders of

,"LifeTeen founder Msgr. Dale Fushek excommunicated", Catholic News Agency, December 16, 2008
/ref> a program similar to ACT at St. Jerome's. The program Fushek developed for teens proved extremely popular and numerous other parishes and dioceses began to develop Life Teen programs of their own. Fushek is no longer involved in Life Teen as of his resignation in 2005. Fushek was instrumental in planning and organizing the 1987 visit of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

to Phoenix, and also the 1989 visit of

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was bo ...

. On April 19, 2000, Fushek was appointed one of two vicars general for the Diocese of Phoenix, by Bishop Thomas O'Brien.Griffiths, Lawn. "One-time priest Dale Fushek offers a less than tell-all book as he moves on in ministry", ''Spiritual Life'', East Valley Tribune, April 16, 2011
On February 15, 2002, Fushek was named a

monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

Allegations of sexual misconduct

In May 2002, Fushek disclosed to his congregation that in 1995 the Diocese of Phoenix had settled a

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...

suit that had been filed against him by a former Life Teen staff member. In April 2004, Bishop Thomas Olmsted, who had been installed the previous December, accepted Fushek's resignation as Vicar General. In late December 2004, additional complaints against Fushek emerged and the Diocese of Phoenix began to conduct an investigation. Fushek was placed on paid administrative leave shortly thereafter and his priestly faculties were suspended. On January 27, 2005, a lawsuit was filed in Maricopa County Superior Court alleging that Fushek witnessed a

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

committed by a priest and did nothing, and in April of that year Fushek resigned effective June 30 as a Priest of St. Timothy's Catholic Church. The suit, settled by the Diocese of Phoenix for $100,000 in December, does not imply any admission of guilt, and was dismissed with prejudice. Fushek was arrested on November 21, 2005, and charged with ten criminal misdemeanor counts related to alleged sexual contact with teens and young adults. The charges included three counts of misdemeanor assault, five of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and two of indecent exposure. The number of counts was reduced to seven when one of the victims died.Clancy, Michael. "Excommunicated priest's rise and fall", ''The Arizona Republic'', December 16, 2008
/ref> A lengthy appellate process ensued when Fushek's lawyers argued that he was entitled to a jury trial on the remaining counts as opposed to one or more bench trials. The Supreme Court of Arizona upheld the argument.

Laicization

In February 2010, the Diocese of Phoenix announced that based on an investigation by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

approved a "decree of dismissal" laicizing Fushek. According to church law, the congregation is responsible for addressing "sexual sins" perpetrated by priests and deacons against minors. Fushek chose not to participate or defend himself in the process.DeFrancesco, Robert. "Priest-founder of Life Teen youth ministry laicized", ''Catholic News Service'', February 17, 2010
/ref> On April 15, 2010, Fushek pled guilty to one count of misdemeanor assault. Fushek was sentenced to 364 days of probation and fined $250. Four other charges were dropped. The plea agreement eliminated the need for other alleged victims to testify at a trial.

Praise and Worship Center

In late 2007, Fushek and former priest Mark Dippre established a non-denominational Christian assembly called the Praise and Worship Center. Services started at Thanksgiving 2007 and have attracted between 500 and 700 people
/ref> to the Center in Chandler, Arizona. According to its website, the Center strives "to bring together people of all traditions who are willing to follow the person of Jesus Christ and form a non-judgmental community of faith."Praise and Worship Center
/ref> In addition, "there are no doctrinal guidelines or mandated acceptance of proscribed theology required for membership." On January 4, 2008, the ''Arizona Republic'' reported that the Diocese of Phoenix had urged Catholics not to attend Fushek's services.

Excommunication

On December 15, 2008, the Bishop of Phoenix, Thomas J. Olmsted, issued a decree of excommunication against Fushek and Dippre. A statement issued by the Diocese of Phoenix said that Fushek and Dippre incurred the censure of excommunication because they chose 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 consistently refused to comply with explicit directions by Bishop Olmsted to discontinue engaging in public ministry. The Diocese indicated that the excommunications were incurred after repeated offers of reconciliation were ignored. The decree of excommunication by Bishop Olmsted declares that Fushek and Dippre have brought the censure upon themselves. As excommunicated priests, Fushek and Dippre cannot participate in the celebration of the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist or in any other ceremonies of worship. They are also prohibited from celebrating or receiving any of the sacraments. In addition, they forfeit the benefits of dignity, office, or any function that they had previously acquired in the Catholic Church. Shortly after the announcement, Life Teen president Randy Raus stated, "We're praying for him, but we stand behind Bishop Olmsted and the diocese in this decision."

Autobiography

In March 2011, Fushek released his autobiography, ''The Unexpected Life: An Autobiography of a Very Human Priest''.

References

External links

The Praise and Worship CenterOfficial Life Teen Website

Mann, Benjamin. "Ex-priest's ego caused break with Church, says former supporter", Catholic News Agency, April 2, 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fushek, Dale American Roman Catholic priests Laicized Roman Catholic priests University of Notre Dame alumni People excommunicated by the Catholic Church Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in the United States 1952 births Living people