For 22 years, kids in Cranford knew who to go to for matters of faith and friendship. Al Forsythe, St. Michaels' former Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) administrator, left in January to continue his work in Knoxville, Tenn. When he returned to the area, he found friends and family gathered in the St. Michael's gym on Sunday to wish him farewell.

Though Forsythe's location has changed, his focus hasn't; it's always been about the kids.

"They've been a great group (over the years)," said Forsythe. "No matter what you ask for, what you hope for, they always go above. The teens might not necessarily know who they are at first, but they come to know themselves. I've loved seeing how they grow."

After two decades, Forsythe touched hundreds of hearts and watched hundreds of young people grow, and it is as hard for the people of Cranford to say goodbye to him as it is for him to leave Cranford.

"The (CYO) program had such a big impact on my twins and how they turned out," said Johanna Pagurek, whose children came up through the program in the late 1980s and early '90s and stayed in touch with Forsythe afterward.

"Al truly lives his faith," said longtime colleague Ellen Collett. "Knoxville is blessed to have him."

In Tennessee, Forsythe will be operating on a diocesan level as opposed to a parish level. His diocese is only 20 years old, stretches 350 miles and contains 47 parishes. The area in which it sits is a Catholic minority. Forsythe says he'll miss the weekly contact with the kids, but is excited for the possibilities.

"(The young people in the Knoxville diocese are) very active, and they have to be," he said. "Being a minority, their faith is constantly challenged. It's a great witness to my own faith to see how strong young people can be when challenged."

Stepping in for Forsythe in Cranford is Anthony Pantano, who came through Forsythe's program and understudied with Forsythe for the last three years. Both men feel the transition has been a smooth one.

"Anthony is dynamite with the kids," said Forsythe.

Pantano thinks one of his biggest strengths is his youth; a senior at Montclair State University (studying business administration), he feels he's able to relate well with his high-school-age charges. Nevertheless, he knows his work is cut out for him.

"I'm anxious, scared, excited," said Pantano. "It's hard to follow someone like Al. Trying to do the same caliber work will be tough, but I have lots of support."

One of the programs Pantano will assuredly keep going is the yearly mission trips to West Virginia, where St. Michaels and four other parishes  help build houses and repair infrastructure for the desperately poor in Osage, W.Va.  

Forsythe's impact will be felt in New Jersey long after he's gone. Pantano's counterparts at ST. Theresa's parish in Kenilworth and St. Dominic's parish in Jersey City (both of which participate in the mission trips to Appalachia), Rich Donovan and Brian Caldwell, are former Cranford residents who came through Forsythe's CYO program as well.

"Everyone comes from the Tree of Al," said Caldwell.

"A legacy is not why I do what I do, but it's a great byproduct," said Forsythe. "(Working for St. Michaels) has been a gift."