Rev. James Edward Lee
Deceased: 2024-12-22
Diocese: SEATTLE
ICTE Fall: 2001
Father Jim Lee, longtime pastor of St. Michael Parish, died peacefully Dec. 22, 2024, at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, surrounded by his sister, niece and friends. He was 76.
After being diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) seven years ago, Father Lee’s “dedication to serve as a priest never waned,” said Father Gary Zender, the archdiocese’s Vicar for Clergy and one of Father Lee’s closest friends.
As the neurodegenerative disorder progressed, eventually severely affecting his physical abilities, Father Jim (as he was known) continued actively serving at St. Michael, where was pastor for more than 27 years.
“The last thing he did before he had to be admitted to the emergency room on Saturday, Dec. 14, was to hear someone’s confession,” Father Zender wrote in an email to the archdiocese’s priests and Chancery staff.
In Father Lee’s final days, “he was surrounded by the love of prayer vigils and Masses of hundreds of parishioners, the visits of many priests and support of his parish ALS team,” Father Zender wrote. “His sister, Rita and niece, Tara, were with him when he took his last breath.”
Originally a Maryknoll missionary
James Edward Lee was born Jan. 1, 1948, in Chicago to John E. and Ruth E. Lee. The youngest of five children, he was baptized at St. Blase Church in Argo, Illinois, and attended Catholic schools in grades 1-8. The call to the priesthood he felt since the third grade strengthened as a seventh grader, when a Maryknoll missionary priest spoke at his school.
He entered Maryknoll Junior Seminary in Chesterfield, Missouri, in September 1960, then studied at Maryknoll College in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Between 1969 and 1975, he continued his seminary formation, which included completing chaplaincy training at Boston City Hospital, taking his first vows with Maryknoll and serving in Tanzania. He was ordained May 17, 1975, for the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (The Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America) in Maryknoll, New York.
From 1975 to 1986, Father Lee served in Tanzania twice, studied theology at Loyola College in Baltimore and worked in Maryknoll seminarian formation. In Tanzania, Father Lee wrote the RCIA program in Swahili for that country; the program is still used today, Father Zender said. Father Lee also earned a master’s degree in pastoral counseling from Loyola College in Baltimore.
In 1986, Father Lee came to the Seattle area on sabbatical at the invitation of the late Maryknoll Father Phil Wallace, who served with Father Lee in Tanzania and was ministering at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Burien. His 18-month sabbatical turned into three years, Father Zender said. Father Lee served as parochial vicar at the Burien parish, then in July 1990 was appointed pastor of Church of the Assumption in Bellingham.
During this time, “I felt like God was saying, ‘I want you to be a missionary in a different way,’” Father Lee told Northwest Catholic in a 2018 interview.
Father Lee was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Seattle in 1995, becoming a diocesan priest. After seven years as pastor of Church of the Assumption, Father Lee was appointed pastor of St. Michael Parish in Olympia in July 1997. As pastor of St. Michael, Father Lee nurtured stewardship as a way of life, worked to integrate St. Michael School as an important parish ministry and mentored 19 new priests and parochial vicars.
He spent many years living at Saint Martin’s Abbey in nearby Lacey, becoming friends with the brothers and priests living there and becoming a Benedictine oblate. In 2022, Father Lee received an honorary doctorate degree from Saint Martin’s University for his “positive impact on the greater community” through his leadership and focus on Catholic education.
In July 2024, Father Lee became pastor of Parish Family 41, which consists of St. Michael in Olympia and St. Edward Parish in Shelton.
He guided ‘with grace, wisdom, and a deep love for all’
Father Lee was diagnosed with ALS in November 2017. He shared the news with his parishioners in January 2018, telling them that then-Archbishop J. Peter Sartain was supportive of his requests to remain their pastor as long as possible and to live out his days at the parish, “to die here among you — whenever that might be.”
He was overwhelmed by the “care and love and prayers” parishioners poured out in cards to him after sharing the news.
In the years since his diagnosis, Father Lee’s core team of 11 close parish friends and Father Zender helped him as his ALS progressed.
When asked how he was doing, he would always respond “I am blessed,” serving as an example of how to live with hardship and suffering with gratitude and grace.
In a 2022 update for Northwest Catholic, Father Lee discussed his diminished physical abilities but said “more than anything, I’m grateful and feel very blessed. Being a priest offers me so many opportunities to be with folks who are grieving, coming back to the Church, finding Christ for the first time, struggling with their own illnesses,” he said.
The news of Father Lee’s death was shared Dec. 22 on the St. Michael Parish Facebook page.
“Father Jim was more than our pastor — he was the cornerstone of our parish and school, a shepherd who guided us with grace, wisdom, and a deep love for all,” the post reads. “His impact on our community is immeasurable, and his legacy will continue to inspire us for generations.”
“While we grieve this tremendous loss, let us also celebrate the remarkable life he lived and the joy he brought to our lives.”
Hundreds of parishioners reacted to the post, sharing memories, appreciation for their beloved pastor and sadness at his loss but also joy.
Father Lee was “a humble man who was deeply devoted to God and his parishioners,” one parishioner wrote. “He touched the heart of every parishioner as we journeyed with him watching him handle a terrible illness with dignity.”
“Rest peacefully in the arms of the Lord Fr Jim,” another parishioner wrote, adding: “… we are all blessed to have known him.”
In a Dec. 28 letter to the St. Michael and St. Edward communities, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne said he and the archdiocese shared in their mourning. Father Lee “not only dedicated his life to the Lord and to pastoring you, but he also mentored younger priests, served as an inspiration to those he met and was a great friend to many,” the archbishop wrote. “I will personally remember Father Jim as a wise leader and great collaborator.”
Father Jim will be remembered for his love of Jesus, but also his love of cars, bike riding, skiing, driving, traveling and leading many groups on pilgrimages. Trips with his best friends, Father Zender and Yakima Bishop Joseph Tyson (known as “the three amigos”), were highlights of his life. Father Lee also enjoyed sharing dinners, shows, school activities and family events with his parishioners.
Father Jim was preceded in death by his parents, sister Pat and two brothers and their wives, George (Joyce) and Bob (Beverly).
He is survived by his sister Rita, nephews Robert “Robbie” Lee and Michael Lee, nieces Cindy Lee and Tara Zeeb, and seven grandnieces and grandnephews.
Funeral services announced
A rosary and vigil for Father Lee are scheduled Jan. 8 at St. Michael Church, 1055 Boundary St. S.E. The rosary begins at 6:15 p.m. and the vigil at 7 p.m. The church will remain open all night for prayer and vigil until 7 a.m.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at the church Jan. 9 at noon. (Doors will open at 11 a.m.) A reception will follow in the St. Michael School gymnasium.
Interment will be 11 a.m. Jan. 10 at Calvary Cemetery in Seattle.
Memorial donations may be made to the ALS Association, Evergreen Chapter, 19717 62nd Ave S., Suite D101, Kent, WA 98032 (infoevergreen@als.org).
