Local priest retiring due to multiple sclerosis diagnosis

A local priest is retiring after serving his parish and the Palm Springs community for more than 30 years.

Father Andrew Green began as rector of the Episcopal Church of St. Paul in the Desert in 1988, serving through several generations of parishoners.

“I’ve done weddings for kids whom I’ve baptized,” Green said. “I’ve baptized the children of those kids whom I’ve married and whom I have baptized.”

One of his first responsibilities at the church was caring for the area’s elderly population.

“I anticipated I would be burying a lot of those folks,” Green said.

But faced with the AIDS epidemic in the late 80’s, he discovered there were others in need of his help.

“I can remember getting up on the pulpit saying AIDS is not something that’s out there, that other people have,” he said. “We have HIV and AIDS. It’s a part of our church’s history and our life.”

He began taking a stand for the Palm Springs LGBT community.

“We weren’t inviting people to come here so that they could be cured of their gayness,” Green said. “But they’d be embraced and welcomed as the full persons who they were.”

His advocacy and support led him to the Desert AIDS Project, where he served as a board member for 18 years, until 2011.

Green is now retiring because of his multiple sclerosis, which requires him to use walking sticks to stay balanced.

“I needed to step away from doing the work that I love because it’s simply not safe for me to do that,” he said.

For him, it’s a bittersweet departure. But as he remembers his legacy, he’s looking ahead too.

“I’m proud of having been a part of all of this, I’m proud of the ways in which I’ve led it,” Green said. “What’s next? What does God have in store for us? And I think there’s great things.”

You can reach Jake on Twitter, Facebook or email him at jake.ingrassia@kesq.com.