Producer Matthew Handley remembers Al Kresta
This weekend, Catholic radio host and my former employer, Al Kresta passed into eternity. I will be reading an obituary for him and an inspiring reading on the Resurrection by St. Paul on my radio program Michigan Mornings™ on Monday.
I was one of Al’s producers for his daily radio show Kresta in the Afternoon during my time working at Ave Maria Radio. It was a job that I enjoyed, and I took pride in sharing the Gospel with listeners across the country.
Al was also formative in the maturation of my Catholic and political beliefs. I was fresh out of college when I began working for him and, perhaps as a reaction to the generally progressive policies of the Catholic school I attended, I tended to skew in the right.
I regularly viewed things happening in the Church and in the world through a political lens. I’d complain about this bishop on the right or this bishop on the left; this is a distinction that I have tried to eradicate from my own thought and on my newsletter, The Purple Catholic. In part, it is because of Al Kresta. What Al taught me was that we ought to look at life through the lens of scripture and the teaching of the Church.
My political lens of the Church and life was not unique. We often received calls from listeners wanting to talk about conservative bishops or liberal priests. We would frequently receive calls from listeners complaining Al’s political views were too far to the left. Not five minutes later, we’d get a call from someone complaining Al was spending too much time defending the right.
Al clearly wasn’t that; he was Catholic. Saying someone was on the left or right is contrary to the proper lens we ought to view the world: Scripture and Tradition.
Al was very well-read. Well, that is a bit of an understatement; his personal library filled a three-car garage. He would read just about anything that was sent to our office regardless of the political or religious slant. But because he was also steeped in the scriptures and the teachings of the Church, Al could properly discern and critique publications that drifted away from the Magisterium and praise works that reinforced it.
Many thanks to Al Kresta for helping me sort through a confusing journey back to the Catholic faith. His “Bridge Group” gatherings allowed Catholics and Protestants to openly discuss their differences in a civil and insightful environment and helped me to appreciate the Catholic church in a new and exciting way. Al was always easy and courteous when we crossed paths over the nearly 30 years since those meetings. Before that, my husband and I were regular listeners of his on the local Christian radio station. His intelligence and sincerity of seeking the Truth will forever be cherished. God rest his soul.
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