Green, Thomas P.

Jesuit Father Thomas P. Green died on Dec. 26, 2012, at Murray-Weigel Hall, in Bronx, N.Y. Fr. Green was born on Dec. 17, 1929, in Jersey City, N.J., of Thomas and Claire (Eredene) Green. He entered the Society of Jesus at St. Andrew-on-Hudson, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Aug. 14, 1948. He was age 83, a Jesuit for 64 years and a priest for 51 years.

After completing secondary school at St. Peter’s Prep, Jersey City, he entered the Jesuit novitiate of St. Andrew-on-Hudson at Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Aug. 14, 1948. Following his novitiate and first vows, he studied philosophy (1952-55) at Bellarmine College, Plattsburgh, N.Y., receiving the Licentiate in Philosophy in 1955.

Before proceeding to theology at Woodstock College, Md., (1958-62) he taught mathematics and physics at Xavier High School from 1955 to 1958. He was ordained a priest at the Fordham University Chapel on June 17, 1961.

His first assignment after priesthood was to teach physics and religion at his alma Mater, St. Peter’s Prep, from 1963 to 1967. While there, he began assisting at the local parish, St. Peter’s Church. This became his lifelong work, assisting first at St. Peter’s Church (1967-70) and eventually at five other parishes in the New York Jesuit province.

He served as pastor at St. Francis Xavier Church, N.Y. (1970-77), then as pastor back at St. Peter’s (1977-82). In 1993 he moved to St. Ignatius Church, Brooklyn, as associate pastor, and in 1998 he moved north to St. Ann Church, Buffalo, as superior and pastor. Returning to New York City in 1994, he was pastor and superior at St. Aloysius Church, Harlem, until 2011. For a brief time he assisted at St. Michael’s Parish, Buffalo, before ill health forced him to be assigned in 2012 to the province infirmary at Murray-Weigel Hall.

In these parish assignments, whether as pastor or associate pastor, Fr. Green was always available — with a warm smile — to meet the needs of the people of the parish, especially the sick and homebound.

Fr. Green is survived by two nieces and their families.