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	Doubts Aired about Life Teen Program Church Launches Ministry Despite Abuse Allegations By Gwen Florio floriog@RockyMountainNews.com Rocky Mountain News September 19, 2005 A Roman Catholic church in Littleton launched a youth program Sunday over objections from a parishioner concerned about accusations against the program's founder. [Photo caption: Dennis Schroeder, Rocky Mountain News. Samantha Skubal, 12, lower left, Lily Courtney, 16, and Nick Froehle, 14, participate in a Teen Life Mass Sunday evening at Light of the World Catholic Church in Littleton. About 200 teens have signed up for the program, founded by an Arizona priest who is the subject of a probe into alleged sexual misconduct.] Monsignor Dale Fushek, the Arizona priest who founded the Life Teen Inc. program, is the subject of a probe into sexual misconduct. Fushek has denied the allegation. Last week, Jo Wessels sent letters and e-mails to about 60 fellow parishioners at Light of the World Catholic Church, noting that the Catholic Church in the United States has paid an estimated $1 billion to settle sexual abuse cases. "Why is Light of the World giving even one penny to a private corporation that is supporting a program and a priest currently being investigated on a multitude of fronts?" she wrote. Life Teen is a private organization that runs Catholic youth programs. Its Web site says more than 120,000 teens attend weekly Life Teen Masses in 19 countries. Eleven parishes within 50 miles of Denver use the program, according to the Life Teen Web site. The Archdiocese of Denver included an excerpt of Life Teen's literature in its Office of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministry newsletter last month, and Colorado Springs Bishop Michael Sheridan is listed on its board of directors. "In terms of the application of the Life Teen program in the archdiocese, we have a long track record. It's been very successful and trustworthy," said Francis Maier, chancellor for the Denver Archdiocese, who added that his daughter was a Life Teen participant. Allegations concerning Life Teen's corporate level are "obviously a source of some concern," Maier said. "We're going to look into that." In December, the Diocese of Phoenix announced it had placed Fushek on administrative leave after being notified that he'd been accused of sexual improprieties that allegedly occurred in 1985. Fushek is the subject of a civil lawsuit filed in January in Maricopa County, Ariz., Superior Court. The suit also names his church, St. Timothy's; the Diocese of Phoenix and its bishop, Thomas J. Olmsted; and Life Teen and its co-founder, Phil Baniewicz. "We believe the allegations against Msgr. Fushek are totally inconsistent with his character and honorable service to the church and teens for the past 26 years," acting Life Teen Chairman Vince Roig said in a December posting on the organization's Web site. Roig's statement called Fushek "the visionary" of Life Teen. But the allegations trouble Wessels, who said she believes the church shouldn't support the program unless its founder has been cleared. "Why can't Light of the World truly be a beacon of light in this very sad time of church sexual abuse revelation . . . and make a public statement postponing buy-in to this program until the investigations are over?" she asked in her e-mails and letters. Wessels said her correspondence was a follow-up to conversations begun in July, when Light of the World's pastor, the Rev. Michael Pavlakovich, first announced the church would launch the Life Teen program this fall. "After many years of searching for the best program for teens, I have found and I believe that Life Teen is in fact the very BEST program for our Catholic teens today," Pavlakovich wrote in a parish letter. In researching Life Teen, Wessels - a 25-year member of Light of the World - discovered the allegations against the program's founder. She said when she contacted Pavlakovich about them, he shrugged off her concerns by saying Fushek lived in Arizona and would have no contact with Colorado teens. She said she received a similar reaction from the archdiocese. "My goal is not to point fingers at any one person or at the archdiocese itself," Wessels said. "During this period of realization by the church, there will be an enormous amount of growth as we realize that handling these situations involves many fronts." On Sunday, Pavlakovich referred all queries concerning Life Teen to Maier. Sunday's Light of the World church bulletin included a letter from Pavlakovich saying that "misinformation" could hurt teens involved in the program. The letter stressed that Fushek and Baniewicz were innocent until proven otherwise but did not detail the allegations against them. Noting that Life Teen is an independent organization not regulated by the church, Pavlakovich's letter likened it to Catholic groups such as Knights of Columbus and Marriage Encounter. Life Teen listed $8.4 million in assets in 2003, the most recent year for which records were available. Some 200 teens have signed up for Life Teen at Light of the World, Pavlakovich noted, urging parishioners to attend the 5 p.m. Life Teen Mass on Sunday. "Light of the World has not seen this many teens involved in a program in its history, so let's give them a chance!" he wrote. Teens and their parents packed the church Sunday evening. Megan O'Brien, 17, said she knew about the allegations against Fushek, but felt they had no bearing on the Life Teen program at Light of the World. "I understand where they're coming from," she said of those objecting to the program, " . . . but I don't see how it will change our faith." Wessels, however, said Pavlakovich's letter lacked "full disclosure" because it was not specific about the allegations against Fushek. "They still aren't getting the point," Wessels said. "Think how proper it would be for the archdiocese to say, 'We feel so strongly about abuse that we're going to take a step back here' " until the allegations resolving Fushek are resolved. floriog@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2361
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