Global InformationDale Fushek information
Dale Fushek | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1952 (age 71–72) Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Alma mater | St. John's Seminary, California University of Notre Dame |
| Known for | Co-founder of Life Teen |
| Criminal charge | Misdemeanor assault |
| Criminal penalty | $250 fine |
| Ecclesiastical career | |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Ordained | 1978 |
| Laicized | 2010 |
Congregations served | St. Jerome's Parish, Phoenix St. Timothy's Catholic Parish, Mesa |
Offices held | Vicar general for the Diocese of Phoenix (2000–2004) |
Dale Fushek (born 1952) is the founder of Life Teen, the leader of the Praise and Worship Center in Chandler, Arizona, and the former Vicar General of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. 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. On April 15, 2010, Fushek agreed to a plea bargain 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 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.[citation needed]