Al Kresta was a prominent Catholic radio show host heard on stations across the country who also helped launch Ave Maria Communications.
· Died: June 15, 2024 (Who else died on June 15?)
· Details of death: Died in Michigan of liver cancer at the age of 72.
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Al Kresta’s legacy
Al Kresta was born in New England and raised in a Catholic family, but his journey toward a career in Catholic radio was not a direct one. In the 1960s, he was instead more interested in the rock-and-roll lifestyle of the era. He left home, indulged in drugs, and through his experiences found his way to Evangelical Protestantism while a student at Michigan State University.
Kresta embraced his newly found faith, opening a Christian bookstore and presiding over a nondenominational church. He began hosting radio shows discussing faith and religion, winning an audience for himself in the process. In 1992, however, an interview with a Catholic priest changed the trajectory of his life once again: Kresta realized he was, after all, a Catholic. He repented and rejoined the Catholic Church.
In 1997, Kresta helped found Ave Maria Communications, alongside Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino’s Pizza. It became a major affiliate of EWTN Catholic Radio, through which “Kresta in the Afternoon” reached his many listeners. He was also an author, penning four books, including “Why Do Catholics Genuflect? And Answers to Other Puzzling Questions About the Catholic Church” and “Dangers to the Faith: Recognizing Catholicism’s 21st Century Opponents.”
In 2003, Kresta lost his leg to an aggressive bacterial infection of necrotizing fasciitis. In 2024, just six weeks before his death, he was diagnosed with liver cancer.
Notable quote
“The Catholic faith has never disappointed me when it comes to my use of reason or intellectual coherence.” — National Catholic Register
Tributes to Al Kresta
Full obituary: National Catholic Register
