Monsignor Noel T. Fogarty ministered to the Catholics of South Florida before there was even an Archdiocese of Miami. Back in 1957, the young seminarian from Ireland was recruited to serve the families of a small parish in the resort town of Miami Beach. The archdiocese was created a year later.

''It was quite a shock arriving here,'' he recalls. ``When the blast of hot air hit me coming off the plane in August, I had my doubts.''

Yet Fogarty, now pastor of St. Gregory in Plantation, never looked back. In fact, he returned to his homeland during the 1960s to recruit other seminarians for the new archdiocese that had been carved from the southeast part of the state. In 51 years, he has witnessed (and survived) explosive population growth, vast demographic changes and an ever-changing priestly role.

''Early on a pastor was expected to be at every meeting in a parish,'' he says. ``Today, the volume of activity has increased such that I could not possibly do that.''

Other changes: As a result of the Second Vatican Council, lay people have taken on many duties that once fell under a pastor's domain, resulting in a varied list of outreach ministries in individual parishes. Altar girls now serve Mass, and more Catholic schools have sprouted up to meet the demand for religious education.

''The most rewarding part of my job has been to see our students coming back as well-formed citizens. I can see the value of our Catholic education,'' he says.

Yet, not all changes have been for the better, Fogarty points out. He has seen more divorces -- and the effects these break-ups have had on children. He laments the growing secularization of pop culture, too.

''Our young Catholics face tremendous challenges to be true to their Catholic values in this society,'' he adds.

In many ways, Fogarty's career has mirrored the evolution of the Archdiocese. As a young priest at St. Mary Magdalene in 1957, his congregation consisted of 25 permanent families -- but 5,000 Sunday snowbird churchgoers. On weekdays he taught at the now defunct Notre Dame High School and served as spiritual advisor.

In 1961, only four years into the priesthood, he was charged with founding St. Bartholomew in Miramar. He later served as archdiocesan chancellor and vicar general, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Miami Shores and, finally, St. Gregory, where he has remained since 1991.

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