Meet the Chaplain: Father Scott Adams – Jupiter-Palm Beach Chapter

As a young man, Father Scott Adams was close to being engaged to marry a couple of times, but those relationships never panned out.

“I had always wondered why those relationships weren’t working out. It was one of those things you don’t find out until later and you realize, ‘Oh, that’s why. The Lord had a different plan for me all along.”

After a business career in accounting and as a hotel general manager, Father Adams, 51, heeded the advice of friends to discern a calling to the priesthood. After a seven year process of discernment and seminary formation, Father Adams was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida in May 2016.

Father Adams is currently assigned to the Cathedral Parish of St. Ignatius Loyola. He is also the chaplain of Legatus’ Jupiter/Palm Beach Chapter, which chartered on Dec. 11, 2018. Father Adams, a convert to the Catholic faith, recently spoke with Legatus magazine.

When did you first enter the Catholic Church?

I was around 25 years old. I was raised Baptist and later went to a Presbyterian church for a while. It was when I went out on my own and started looking for a church, that one day I went to a Catholic Church, and realized that it was what I had been seeking.

What was it about the Catholic faith that you found convincing?

One of biggest things for me were the sacraments, the supernatural breaking into the natural. The Eucharist, in particular, that it’s no longer bread and wine but the body of Christ. We can clearly see how Jesus instituted that sacrament. It’s really hard to get around John Chapter 6.

When did you first begin to think about the priesthood?

After I went through the RCIA program and became Catholic, I was involved in various parish ministries. Along the way, people, priests included, would ask me, “Have you ever thought of becoming a priest?” I never paid it much attention until I pretty much had to. When you hear it over and over again, you need to take it to prayer and take it seriously.

What was your discernment like?

I always thought I would be left off the hook. I thought, “Oh, I’m too old, they won’t take me.” But they accepted my application and I entered seminary. You do a lot of your discernment in seminary, but think I knew pretty early on in the seminary that this is what the Lord wanted me to do.

What have been some of your initial impressions of Legatus?

I think it holds an important place, particularly for the folks who are involved in it. Important is that notion of not only growing in your faith personally, but being able to share that and live it and spread it in all that you do. So many times in business, the deck is stacked against you. If you’re trying to lead a good Christian, Catholic, moral life, you’re often feeling compromised, and asking yourself, “In order to get ahead, what do I need to do?”

I think it’s also important for the Legatus members to recognize, which is so important in all aspects of our faith, that we are not alone. They can get together, support one another and recognize that there are other people who are struggling with the same things as they are.

Do you feel your business background helps you relate to Legatus members?

I think so. I’ve been in the same positions, where you have to sometimes make hard decisions, whether it’s employer-employee relations and you have to let someone go, or whether it’s in sales and you’re tempted to push the envelope when it comes to the truth. I think I can relate to them on certain levels, in a real way, where they can say, “Oh yeah, you know what I’m talking about.”