Deacon Tom Forbes

A familiar face to all, Deacon Tom Forbes and his wife have been active parishioners at St. Rose of Lima for thirty years. And if you did not know, Deacon Tom is a convert - a former Presbyterian until his marriage. How fortunate for us that he heard God’s calling through our community of faith.

Deacon Tom first became involved with St. Rose’s Youth Ministry program where he spent countless hours fostering the spiritual growth of children and teens. He was later asked to serve as the Director of Religious Education. In both of these roles, he was involved in various parish activities ranging from teen prayer groups to adult renewal weekends.

During this time, Deacon Tom began his studies at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington. He was ordained into the Diaconate in June of 1987 and was officially assigned to St. Rose of Lima.

As a Deacon, his focus shifted to ministering to adults. He serves as the co-chairperson for Baptism as well as the FOCUS program for engaged couples. In addition, he is a member of St. Rose’s RCIA team, which is especially rewarding given his own conversion to Catholicism.

Deacon Tom is the epitome of a true teacher as he has had the opportunity to enrich thousands of people in mind, body and spirit. In addition to providing spiritual direction at St. Rose, Deacon Tom spent thirty years as an American History teacher at East Rockaway High School. During his tenure there, he was also the head coach for the varsity football and baseball teams for more than twenty years. His love for coaching was quite enduring as he also coached freshman baseball at Adelphi University.

While enriching the lives of so many people has come naturally to him, Deacon Tom’s experience provides him with many gifts in return. Deacon Forbes admits that he experienced his calling through other people. “I find God in other people all the time,” says Deacon Tom. “It has been a wonderful experience for me.”