Deacon Tom and Evie Adams(Courtesy photo)
Diaconate couple of 20 years moves from the Big Island of Hawaii to the big state of Texas
By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Deacon Tom and Evie Adams, who have had an adventure or two in their nearly 33 years of marriage, are off on another. On March 30, they pulled up stakes in the tiny town of Hawi on the Big Island to move to the big state of Texas.
After much “prayer and discernment,” the diaconate couple decided to “start a new season in life and move to the Mainland,” closer to their four children who are “spread out from California to Colorado,” said Tom, who in July marks his 20th year as a deacon. “It has been a very difficult decision because of our love for our parish, diocese and community.”
They are headed for the Dallas-Fort Worth area where most of Tom’s family lives.
Tom was born and raised in Roswell, New Mexico. After bouncing around the world as an officer in the Marine Corps, he was stationed at Pearl Harbor in the late 1980s. A few months after his arrival in Hawaii, he met Evie and married her in the base chapel. He then left the corps “to focus on being a husband and father.”
“The birth of our first child was really a turning point for me,” he said. “Seeing the miracle of life transformed me and inspired me to a closer relationship with God.”
That inspiration led to a life that wove family rearing with parish ministry with new jobs and a move from Oahu to the Big Island.
The interisland relocation was destiny. “Evie and I were on a long weekend visiting the Big Island, driving around the island. I saw the Hawaiian Cement terminal at Kawaihae and told Evie I would like to work for Hawaiian Cement and raise our family on the Big Island. Two months later I had a job with Hawaiian Cement and 10 months after that they sent me to the Big Island. From our lips to God’s ears!”
After nine years with Hawaiian Cement, Tom got a job with Bonded Materials Company where he worked until last month.
Settling in Hawi, the couple dove into an active parish life at Sacred Heart Church, starting with Baptism ministry and participation in a “beautiful and talented” young adult group that prayed, studied, socialized and sang together. “It was out of this group that my first thoughts of the diaconate took root,” Tom said.
Encouraged by others, Tom decided to study for the diaconate, a huge challenge considering it required monthly formation weekends on Oahu with his wife.
He began classes in January 1998.
“It was difficult,” he said. “I was working in Honolulu, coming home on the weekends. Evie had to pack up the kids and come to Oahu once a month.”
Her family watched the two older kids, while the Adamses brought their 6-month old to class. “The formation team took good care of Josiah!”
Two years later and still in formation, they had Tanya, their fourth child.
Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo ordained Tom on July 20, 2001, at Sacred Heart, Hawi, the only parish to which he has been assigned.
“We love North Kohala, it is such a special place,” he said. “We tell people Kohala isn’t the end of the world — but we can see it from here!”
“In our time at Sacred Heart we have seen eight priests lead the parish. God has been so good to send us the priests we needed for the challenges we faced at the time.”
“Our people are so very generous and loving and have had such an impact on the North Kohala community,” he said.
“I have been blessed to have heard the call to diaconate in this parish, been nurtured as I pursued that call, felt the love and support of so many amazing people over the last 30 years,” Tom said.
He is thankful “to have had the opportunity to serve and share my life with so many people in times of joy and in times of sadness and so many moments in between.”
“None of that would have been possible if Evie had not been by my side as my beautiful wife,” he said. “She has given me her encouragement, her wisdom, her support and her love every moment of our marriage.”
For Evie, having a deacon for a husband often meant “the children and I had to learn to share him — sit in the pew without him, and at times have dinner without him.”
“We didn’t mind,” she said. “I embraced my role as a supportive wife, cheerleader and prayer partner to my husband.”
“I pray a lot. That is one of my silent things I love doing,” Evie said. “I pray for him. I pray for what God ordains for him and to let it happen.”
“I’ve always told Tom, ‘If that is what God wants, let it be. Let the Holy Spirit work through you.’”
“Through our journey God has immensely strengthened our faith, family and our marriage as well,” Evie said.
“The Lord has blessed us abundantly and continues to do so.”
