As he nears retirement, Msgr. Terrence ‘Terry’ Watanabe reflects on his ministry and looks toward the future
By Lisa Dahm
Hawaii Catholic Herald
If the Diocese of Honolulu had a yearbook, the priest named “Best at Hospitality” would be Msgr. Terrence “Terry” Watanabe.
Even as he prepares to retire at the end of this month, he is busy assisting the diocese with the episcopal ordination and installation of Jesuit Father Michael Thomas Tupou Castori as Honolulu’s next bishop — as he did for the episcopal ordination and installation of Bishop Larry Silva in 2005.
Msgr. Watanabe takes this zeal for welcoming others seriously and applies it to Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
“That kind of hospitality is so important because if people don’t feel like they belong, they’re not going to want to know Jesus or be part of the church,” Msgr. Watanabe said.
All in the genes
Caring for others, an instinctive welcoming spirit and a deep love for Christ were gifts he inherited from his grandparents, parents and extended family.
Msgr. Watanabe was born to Alan Watanabe and Eleanor Rocha on April 5, 1951, in Wailuku. His grandparents lived five doors from his house, and he grew up only two blocks away from Christ the King Church in Kahului.
“We would sometimes sleep over at my grandma’s house, and I remember at 4 in the morning, my grandmother would be walking around the living room where we were sleeping, and she would be praying the rosary and talking to God,” Msgr. Watanabe recalled.
As early as sixth grade, he remembers his family telling him they thought he would be a servant of God due to his empathetic care for his great-grandmother, who had leg problems toward the end of her life.
“They tell the story that even as a little child I would make sure I would go and get the footstools for her to put her feet up,” Msgr. Watanabe said.
Young Terry attended Christ the King grade school, overseen by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, as part of the third graduating class. In the sisters, he saw that a tireless devotion to Christ and a grateful spirit were key to a life offered solely to God.
“They played a major, major role in my life,” he said. “They were the ones that allowed us to go into the chapel in their convent, and help them clean the chapel, set things up and put new fresh linens on the altar. Their dedication and commitment were incredible.”
His vocational call continued through the eighth grade. Providentially, his desk was positioned in the corner of the room, visible to the front office door. The principal recruited the eager student to work part-time in the administrative office, where he answered the phone or helped prepare tests for other grade levels.
After a visit by a priest who spoke about vocations, the 13-year-old decided to give God a try and enter St. Stephen Seminary in Kaneohe in 1965 for his high school studies.
“I’m one of the last lifers,” he said, describing the young men who attended from freshman year of high school through ordination. The seminary closed its doors as a high school in 1970, shortly after he graduated, though it continued on as a seminary for several years.
It was there where a young Gary Secor, now a monsignor and delegate general (formerly vicar general) of the Diocese of Honolulu, first met Watanabe. Secor had just finished high school at Maryknoll School and was beginning seminary studies at St. Stephen.
“He’s very, very friendly and always loves to be with people,” Msgr. Secor said.
The seminarians attended Chaminade University of Honolulu, where Watanabe earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. During summer breaks, he picked pineapples and also worked in the cannery at Maui Land and Pineapple Co.
“In doing all that manual labor, I realized that that’s not what I was interested in doing,” he said.
Answering God’s call
As Watanabe finished up at Chaminade, he reached an important milestone. He considered other careers in hospitality and serving people — such as being a teacher, social worker, psychologist or general manager of a hotel or restaurant — but he eventually decided to continue moving toward the priesthood.
“Because God was the one who put all these people in my life who shared the love of Christ with me, I felt that it was my turn to give back and share the love of Christ with others,” he said.
Both Watanabe and Secor went to St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California, where they were picked up at the airport by the future Bishop Larry Silva.
In 1976, as a seminarian, Watanabe served at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Pearl City for six months before being ordained a transitional deacon. In 1977, after receiving his master of divinity in theology from St. Patrick’s Seminary, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop John J. Scanlan at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Wailuku.
Father Watanabe served as associate pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel until June 1982, then served as parochial vicar at St. John Vianney Church in Kailua until 1985.
While at St. John Vianney, he had the life-changing encounter of serving as principal of its prekindergarten to eighth grade elementary school for six months. The job taught him the importance of a Catholic education.
“That experience helped me to truly understand better our principals and how hard they work, and all that they have to do, and our teachers as well,” he said. “That (opportunity) opened my eyes to all of that.”
From 1985 to 1995, Father Watanabe was rector of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in downtown Honolulu. During that time, he also filled several administrative roles in the diocese, including vicar general and moderator of the curia under Bishop Joseph Ferrario.
Father Watanabe also was diocesan director of youth ministry between 1985 and 1990 and served in the Office for Affordable Housing for the Diocese of Honolulu. In 1993, he was named a prelate of honor to His Holiness (the formal title for a monsignor) by Pope John Paul II.
After his time at the cathedral, Father Watanabe served as pastor of St. Philomena Church and Holy Family Church, both in Honolulu, until 2008. He then was appointed pastor of St. Theresa Church in Kihei, where he ministered from December 2008 to July 2021.
Msgr. Watanabe’s next and final assignment was St. Anthony of Padua Church and School in Wailuku, where he’s been since 2021.
For years, he’s also served as vicar forane for the Maui-Lanai Vicariate. His leadership was critical to the community when Lahaina and Upcountry Maui were hit by devastating wildfires in 2023.
Positive impact
Tanya Barbero, family faith formation director at St. Anthony, has known Msgr. Watanabe for more than 40 years: They first met in the early 1980s when then-Father Watanabe spoke at her Engaged Encounter weekend. They have also worked together in youth ministry programs.
Whatever Msgr. Watanabe does, he does with largesse and magnanimity, she said.
“I think that he’s pretty genuine in the fact that those are qualities I still see now,” Barbero said of his consistency and authenticity.
“He sees what he wants, and he goes for it,” she added. “He’s not afraid to think outside of the box, but within the parameters of what his office and duties are.”
Father Ese’ese “Ace” Tui, now pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Honolulu, was parochial vicar at St. Anthony for five years while Msgr. Watanabe was pastor.
During that time, Msgr. Watanabe taught the younger priest, originally from Faga’alu, American Samoa, several valuable lessons that he has taken with him into his own pastorship.
“That is why I still call him for advice,” Father Tui said. “I never saw our relationship as pastor and parochial vicar. He was this father figure or older brother, and I felt open to talk to him about certain things.”
Msgr. Watanabe is also active in the community through participation on numerous boards of directors for both faith-based and lay organizations.
He has served on the boards for St. Anthony School, Mental Health Kokua, Hawaii Medical Service Association and Faith Action for Community Equity, a nonprofit, interfaith organization that addresses social justice issues. He is still on the boards of Hospice Maui and of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Maui, and sits on the Maui Leadership Council for Catholic Charities Hawaii.
Msgr. Watanabe said it’s important to work with people of other denominations and faiths.
“We’re called to share the good news of Jesus with everyone, not just with the people who are part of our church because you never know who might be touched by the Lord and given the gift of faith,” he said.
Highlights of priesthood
Msgr. Watanabe said that in the midst of his priesthood, he realized he was able to do all the jobs he loved through his vocation — to teach, work with youth and adults, and organize events and parties.
“Msgr. Terry loves to plan these events and be a part of them, but the great thing about him is he will never ask anybody to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself,” Msgr. Secor said. “When cleaning up after the event, he’s over there with the broom, taking the garbage out and doing everything that everybody else is doing.”
The most memorable parts of his priesthood, though, have been celebrating the sacraments with “the people of God” — from baptisms to funerals.
One of Msgr. Watanabe’s favorite experiences was taking a five-month sabbatical in Rome to celebrate his 25th anniversary.
“I learned a lot and got to understand the bigger picture of the church, and that I participate in a much bigger thing than just myself, and what’s going on here in Hawaii,” he said.
Another highlight was celebrating his 40th ordination anniversary at St. Theresa Church in Kihei with his St. Patrick’s Seminary classmates, who flew in from the mainland for the event.
Msgr. Watanabe said that if he were to relive his life, he would become a priest again. He has found that the love of Christ works through the support and encouragement of wonderful friends, family and his church community.
“I’m looking forward to the next space in life, just anticipating what God has in store for me,” he said. “He’s been very good and very gracious to me, and I thank him for that. I’m grateful to all the people whose lives have touched mine. I am grateful for their support, for their friendship, for their prayers and for their presence in my life.”
Top: Msgr. Terrence Watanabe baptizes a young catechumen during the Easter Vigil two years ago at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Wailuku. (Courtesy Maddie Pascual)
Bottom: Deacon Watanabe was ordained a priest in 1977 by Bishop John J. Scanlan at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Wailuku. (Courtesy Bruce Kurosaki)