Albert Kresta

Al Kresta, husband, father, grandfather and faithful servant of Jesus Christ died Saturday, June 15, 2024 at 10:26 am. Al is survived by his ever-faithful wife, Sally and their five children: Alexis Love (John), Nicholas (Katie), James (Natalie), Albert Evan (Mary), and David. Between them they blessed Al with 21 beautiful grandchildren that are being raised in the same radical, Christ-centered worldview that Al worked so tirelessly to share with the world.
The delight Al took in being a father was never in doubt, and the family culture in the Kresta house was a two-sided coin of profound service to Christ and unbridled silliness. On the first side of the coin, one finds the Kresta Family Mission Statement, which Al placed prominently on the refrigerator: "To demonstrate the existence of the infinite, personal, triune God and the truth of the Catholic faith through lives of prayer, activism, love and truth."
On the other side of the coin, Al often broke into song when the mood overtook him, singing about any nonsense that caught his fancy: like the roundness of his baby boy's head, or the idea of dogs and pigs bathing in a fountain. Al's vast library of over 50,000 titles is the stuff of legends. But, in keeping with silliness, Al's favorite gifts from his family were oddities to decorate the library (a life size suit of armor, a large wooden giraffe, a frog fishing). Al's parenting style was not one of outsized expectations and demands, but instead, he demonstrated total authenticity and a strong curiosity in his children's interests. Al loved attending his kid's and grandkid's sporting events, concerts, and theater performances, and despite his lengthy professional commitments and duties, Al never missed an important family milestone.
Al was raised in a loving home in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest of five, he is survived only by his sister Lynn Smith, who was the second oldest and his original partner in crime. As a young boy, Al showed great promise and was beloved by his peers. As a teenager, however, Al fell in love with the electric guitar, and consequently slipped into the lifestyle that oftentimes accompanied rock and roll in those days. By 16, Al left home and was living on the streets. This was the late 1960's and Al swam in the deep end of the counterculture, until he had, what he called, a "moral conversion." Al would later say it became clear there was a way of life and a way of death – Al chose life. And while this conversion resulted in Al turning away from destructive vices, he never gave up the rock-n-roll.
Al found his way from Woodstock to Michigan where he was a member of the I AM movement – a new-age religious group that considered Jesus just one of many "ascended masters." Al became more curious about the Christian Bible, and one day, on his way to a new-age bookstore he was flagged down by a young man who handed him a pamphlet: Want To Learn More About The Bible? This encounter, and the pamphlet were a sign. From that point on Al was committed to following the biblical Jesus and living in His Truth wherever it led him.
Soon after becoming a Christian, Al was committed to evangelizing everyone he met. This included a young horticulture therapy major named Sally Morris. Al could never have guessed when he first shared the Gospel with Sally that for the next 47 years she would be his anchor through so many storms - that she would teach him more about Christ's faithfulness and mercy than he could ever preach.
Al and Sally were married March 19, 1977. They wanted to live as missionaries, and in the early years they began raising their family on the west side of Detroit where they had two houses side by side. While the family lived in one house, the other was offered to single mothers and people struggling with addiction.
One of Al's aforementioned storms came in the early 80's after the birth of their first born. Al slipped into a very serious depression that would have him hospitalized multiple times over the next three years. It wasn't until 1985 when Al took a personal retreat to the Abbey of Gethsemane in Kentucky that the dark cloud of depression would be lifted. At Gethsemane, Al encountered a suffering God that met him in his pain, and healed his broken mind. Again, Al chose life, and returned home miraculously healed, reignited, and ready to serve the Lord.
After years of managing a chain of Christian bookstores Al's natural gift for preaching and voracious appetite for study led him to pastor Shalom Ministries. Here, Al and Sally opened a crisis pregnancy center, participated in Operation Rescue and opened The Christian Library and Study Center. Always a lover of the arts, Al helped launch Trinity House theater, a venue that showcases Christian artists of all disciplines.
Then, after years of proclaiming the Gospel from the pulpit, Al began sharing the Gospel over the airwaves. Al's first major radio show, Talk From The Heart was a hit! His unique brand of looking at pop-culture, politics and world events through the lens of scripture resonated with listeners from all walks of life. Insightful and earnest, Al would go on to be considered one of the finest interviewers in all of radio. And as he continued studying scripture and developing his theology, Al began feeling called by the grace of his baptism to return to the Catholic Church. Finally, in 1992, Al and his whole family entered into full communion with the Catholic Church.
Five years after his "reversion", Al was contacted out of the blue by Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza and a faithful Catholic philanthropist. Monaghan had heard Al on the radio, and wanted him to move to Ann Arbor and create a Catholic radio station ("Ave Maria Radio") and newspaper ("Credo"). What Monaghan did not know, is that two months earlier, after much prayer, Al and Sally had already decided to move to Ann Arbor to attend Christ the King Catholic Church. Monaghan's invitation was a clear sign of God's providence.
It was a new life for the Krestas in Ann Arbor, and would prove to be a new life for Catholic radio as well. Al, along with a faithful staff, would build Ave Maria into the largest Catholic radio apostolate in the English speaking world.
In the winter of 2003, Al was brought to the brink of death once again when he contracted necrotizing fasciitis, the flesh eating bacteria, in his leg. Prior to going into surgery the doctors asked Al, "We may have to amputate, so it's your leg or your life?" – Al chose life; and whenever he retold the story he scoffed at the notion that it was even a question. Having gone into septic shock, Al was hospitalized for five months. Through the prayers of friends, family and thousands of loyal listeners, God's servant was delivered from the brink, and would continue to be the voice calling in the wilderness for another 20 years. In 2021, Ave Maria Radio celebrated 25 years of service with a weekend festival where Al got to show off some of those old guitar skills while performing with the Kresta family band: The Wampus Rompus.
On May 3, 2024, Al was diagnosed with liver cancer. His first words were, "My faith is in God, and God can do all things." In his last days Al was fully himself and as loveable as ever. There is not a single one of his nurses, doctors or any medical staff that was not witnessed to as he fought his cancer. He believed deeply in the dignity of the human person and that each one of them was an expression of God's love. Everywhere he went people knew him not as Al Kresta the radio host, but as Al, who takes the time to introduce the nurse to everyone in the room when they enter. Or Al, who thanks the doctor profusely for their honesty when he is given a bad diagnosis. People loved him because he pursued the fullness of life wherever he found it and that is what resonates with the human heart.
Al especially witnessed to his family at the end. In the week preceding his death every son, daughter and grandchild was able to have their own moment with "Grampy." He shared regrets and things he was going to miss, but most of all he shared his great hope for each of them. He encouraged them to continue studying God's word and to pursue His goodness in every area of life. During a conversation just two days before he died, and after he had his moments with every member of the family, he looked around, and with a look of great pride (and a hint of surprise), he simply said, "We did it!"
Al will be mourned by thousands in the coming weeks, and he would want each of us to know that even though his work on earth is finished, the harvest remains plentiful. Al never retired, and he never planned to fully retire. In an email to his son, from September 24, 2018, Al wrote: "PS Pray for me as I keep evaluating how to be most effective as a disciple, ever-learning of Him and as a vendor of words, too full of creative ideas to be aging this quickly... I'm 67, but I can't imagine retirement when we've got heaven forever and only a few years left in this world. Why play golf or Parcheesi when you could be engaged helping others taste the powers of the age to come now." Indeed, the work continues. And it is a joyful work meant to unify us and bring us deeper into the fullness of life. It is GOOD news. As we take up the banner may we all continue to encounter Christ, just as Al did, in the things that matter most.
Visitation will be held on Friday, June 21, 2024 at Nie Funeral Home, 3767 W. Liberty Rd., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103 from 4-6pm, with a Scripture Service & Sharing from 6-8pm, which will be streamed here: https://podiumvideo.biz/albert-kresta. Mass of Christian Burial will take place Saturday, June 22, 2024 at Christ the King Catholic Church, 4000 Ave Maria Dr., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105 at 9:30am. Interment will take place directly following at Old St. Patrick Cemetery of Ann Arbor.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:Ave Maria Radio
Please sign the Tribute Wall and share a memory of Albert.
To read more information published about Al Kresta, please visit the articles below:
- National Catholic Register Article
- National Catholic Reporter Article
- Catholic News Agency Article
- The Catholic World Report Article