MORGANTON — Deacon Paul (Pe) Lee passed away Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. At the time of his passing, Deacon Paul was a resident of Morganton.
A Hmong vigil and visitation will be held from noon to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17; and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18, at Kirksey Funeral Home, located at 406 Lenoir Road in Morganton. Visitation will also be held from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Monday, Nov. 19, at St. Charles Borromeo Church, located at 728 West Union St. in Morganton.
A funeral Mass will be offered at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 19, at St. Charles Borromeo Church.
A native of Laos, Deacon Paul and his wife Shoua migrated to the United States as part of the Hmong refugee program in 1991.
Deacon Paul was born into a Catholic family in 1964. However, because of conflict in Laos, his village was destroyed and his family had to relocate many times. They had no access to a priest or lay catechist and it was not until he was 6 that Deacon Paul was finally baptized.
In May 1975 his family was forced to leave Laos and they became refugees in Thailand. In 1979, he received the sacraments of first Holy Communion and confirmation at the same time. He was taught by a local Hmong catechist, and at the age of 15 he began to realize the importance of Jesus Christ in the lives of people. It was then that Deacon Paul believed that the Holy Spirit was calling him. He had the desire to know God better and he wanted to serve God through his own Hmong people.
He never forgot the catechist who taught him about his faith. In his own words, he said, “I want to be that man. I like this job like the catechist.” He told the catechist he wanted to be a catechist and entered the catechist training class.
He studied for four years and then served as a catechist for six years in the refugee camp in Thailand. He taught new members of the faith the sacraments, served the sick, visited the imprisoned, helped those needing food and shelter and led worship services on Sundays when the priest was not available. It was during this time in 1986 after a year of courtship that Deacon Paul and his wife Shoua were married at St. Michael Church in the refugee camp and started their family of five children – two girls and three boys.
After immigrating to the United States in 1991, he continued his efforts for the Hmong community in California for eight years. During this time, he learned English, earned his high school diploma and supported his family. In 1999, Deacon Paul moved his family to Morganton.
He was hired by the Diocese of Charlotte to serve the Hmong Catholic community, and he served as a Hmong catechist under the direction of Father Bill Tanguay in Morganton, Hickory, Conover, Newton, Charlotte and Albemarle.
In July 2002, he was accepted into and began his formation studies for the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Charlotte. Upon completing formation, Deacon Paul was one of 16 men ordained for the Diocese of Charlotte in 2006.
His assignment as a deacon was to support the Hmong community within parishes throughout the diocese. He traveled among the different parishes, serving at Mass and supporting the family needs of the Hmong community.
Deacon Paul and his wife Shoua shared so much of their faith together within the Hmong community and with everyone in the diocese. While he served as a deacon, his wife led the singing and responses at Mass. They were an example of what it meant to share God’s work together as a couple and with their family. In many ways, they ministered together. They were a blessing to the diocese in bringing the Catholic faithful together in sharing the traditional Hmong New Year and at other parish cultural events during the year.
In his many years of service as a catechist and in his 12 years of diaconate ministry, Deacon Paul was relentless in his call to serve the Lord. Through his efforts the Hmong community received the Gospel of Christ not only in words, but in the actions of a holy man dedicated to the service of God, to his community and to all of us.
Kirksey Funeral Home of Morganton was in charge of the arrangements.
— Deacon John Martino, Special to the Catholic News Herald