Thriving Korean community bids pastor farewell

COQUITLAM—Father Joseph Tae-Woo Lee pastored local Korean Catholics for a quarter of a century, building churches, boosting evangelism efforts, and seeing more baptisms in his parish than any other community in the archdiocese.

Now the well loved pastor is bidding Vancouver farewell and leaving behind an extraordinary legacy.

“As I leave today, I want to say to you all the inspiring words by St. Padre Pio: ‘Lord, I place all my tomorrows in your loving hands. I trust in you to provide for me,’” said Father Joseph Lee at a farewell Mass Jan. 14.

The next day, Father Lee, who had served the Korean Catholic community for 25 years, would be on a plane to Korea where he will serve his home diocese of Wonju and care for his 90-year-old mother. 

Those he served filled All Saints Church in Coquitlam to overflowing, with more well-wishers straining to hear from doorways or outside.

“In one word, he’s a very good priest,” said parish secretary Agnes Rhim, who worked alongside Father Lee for 17 years. “We’re going to miss him very much.” 

Father Lee arrived in the Archdiocese of Vancouver at the invitation of Archbishop Adam Exner in 1993 to serve as pastor of 104 Korean Martyrs Church, a mission in New Westminster.

“He carried out his mission with great love for his people,” said Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, during the farewell Mass.

He said Father Lee’s efforts were instrumental in plans to build a new church for the Korean faithful in Surrey, and that hard work was rewarded when St. Andrew Kim Parish (previously 104 Korean Martyrs) was established in Surrey in 2001.

“Father Lee was the key figure in bringing this dream of the Korean community to completion. As pastor, he not only built up the parishioners in the spiritual values of faith, hope, and love, but inspired their active participation and collaboration.”

In recent years, St. Andrew Kim has averaged 100 new baptisms every year, more than any other Catholic parish in the Lower Mainland.

In 2017, Father Lee was appointed the founding pastor of St. Agnes Kim Quasi-Parish, a new community founded for the growing population of Korean Catholics in the Tri-Cities area. He  celebrated the sacraments with the faithful at All Saints Church.

That new parish is “living testimony to the spiritual dynamism of the Korean Catholic community,” said Archbishop Miller. (The Korean Catholic community also includes St. Paul Chong Mission in Vancouver and St. Peter Yu Mission in North Vancouver.)

“The Korean Catholic Church here in Vancouver is one of the fastest growing communities,” said Deacon Simon Moon, who met Father Lee in 2008.

Deacon Moon credits the community’s longest-serving pastor with its many successes in evangelizing, baptizing, and expanding. “Without him, how could we develop or achieve this kind of prosperous community?”

Parishioner Augustine Lee (not related to Father Lee) was on the parish council at St. Andrew Kim for several years. With Father Lee and the team, they raised funds for hospitals, schools, and other efforts.

He called Father Lee a unifying force for the growing community. “When a parish is big, there is always a divide. His effort was to unite them.”

Rhim said another of Father Lee’s successful projects was a community centre at St. Andrew Kim parish. With his support, she launched the program five years ago, offering seven classes on exercise and arts and crafts.

“The next semester, it increased to 17 classes, and the next semester was 25,” she said. Currently, the centre runs about 30 classes and the number of students who are parishioners has decreased from 75 per cent to 50 per cent, meaning more non-Catholic neighbours are attending.

The new pastor of St. Agnes Kim has not been announced. While parishioners wait for Father Lee’s successor, Father Don Larson will serve as administrator and Father Lucio Choi will offer Mass in Korean.

“The greatest thanks that the community can offer him is to persevere in unity and charity in the years to come,” Archbishop Miller told the hundreds gathered in Coquitlam to say goodbye.

“The strength of your love of the Lord, your missionary spirit, and your willingness to build up your community in love will be the signs that Father Lee has indeed left behind a great legacy.”