About Paul

Paul Abbe grew up in Carroll, Iowa, where his family was active in the life of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. After high school, and a few years in college, he entered the United States Air Force. During his time in the Air Force, he became actively involved with The Navigators, a para-church ministry focused on one-to-one mentoring and training of believers for evangelism and discipleship. In 1980, after six years of active duty, he was honorably discharged from the U.S.A.F., and began pursuing education for ministry. He graduated in 1985 with a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Miami Christian College, having taken a year out to serve on staff with Campus Life/Youth for Christ in the Miami area.

During his time in Lutheran seminary, Mr. Abbe served as “parochial vicar” in two separate parishes. In one, his duties included teaching two sections of 7th grade religion in the K-8 parish school. Before graduating from seminary, he also spent a year teaching religion at a Lutheran high school.

Paul graduated from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in June of 1991 with a M.Div. in Systematic Theology.  He and Marie were married the following week, and then relocated to North Carolina, as Marie had been transferred by IBM to Research Triangle Park, near Raleigh. He spent the next year working with a sub-contractor at RTP while awaiting a “Call” that would keep them close to the Raleigh area for the sake of Marie’s position with IBM.

In August of 1992, he received his first Call, to serve as associate pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA), Raleigh. He was ordained on August 28th, (the Commemoration of St. Augustine), at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Durham, NC, where he and Marie were then members.

After serving for almost 3½ years at Holy Trinity, Rev. Abbe received a Call to serve as pastor of Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church, Kings Mountain, NC. His first worship service as pastor of Resurrection took place on Ash Wednesday, 1996. Two young men who were in the youth ministry begun by him in Kings Mountain have since gone to seminary.

In September of 1998, Rev. Abbe received a Call to serve as Associate Pastor for Youth and Families, at Grace Lutheran Church, Raleigh. His installation took place on November 1st, 1998, (Feast of All Saints).  After serving faithfully in that Call for seven years, he resigned his position effective December 31st, 2005, for reasons of conscience. He resigned from the clergy roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on April 25th, 2006 (Feast of St. Mark).

He and Marie were received into full communion in the Catholic Church on September 14th, 2006 (Feast of the Exultation of the Cross), by Msgr. John Williams, pastor of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Raleigh, were they had been attending Mass since January 2006. Concelebrating the Mass, and serving as Paul’s sponsor was Fr. Jay Scott Newman, (pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Greenville, SC), who had been instrumental in Paul’s journey to the Catholic Church. In January, 2007, Paul accepted the position of Assistant Headmaster and Prof. of Theology for St. Thomas More Academy. In June of 2008, he launched “Spiritus Gladius Ministries”, in order to “train Catholics, with the ‘Sword of the Spirit’ to live, share, and defend the Faith.”

On September 29th, 2008, Paul was given the opportunity to share his story on EWTN’s “The Journey Home” program, being interviewed by Marcus Grodi of the Coming Home Network International. For a more in-depth account of his faith-journey, please see “From Shadows and Symbols”  posted on the Coming Home Network website. (www.chnetwork.org/newsletters/Feb07.pdf )