Al Kresta is a broadcaster, writer and author who is, first of all, a missionary. He is President and CEO of Ave Maria Radio and host of “Kresta in the Afternoon.” He draws upon his unique faith background to create what is, arguably, the most fascinating — and most spiritually constructive — talk radio program on the radio today.
A 1976 honors graduate of Michigan State University, Al has also done graduate work in theology at both Catholic and Protestant seminaries. He became well known in the Detroit area for his program, “Talk from the Heart,” one of the top-rated Christian talk radio programs during the 1980s and 90s. When he began the program, Al was a Protestant pastor. The questions forced upon him as pastor, however, led him to return to the Catholic Church. His profound personal conversion to Christ and return to the Catholic Church is told in the best-selling anthology Surprised By Truth.
In 1997, Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan recruited Al to launch the media apostolate, Ave Maria Communications.
Over the years Ave Maria Communications has included:
– Credo, which became Michigan’s largest religious publication and the recipient of 18 merit awards from the Catholic Press Association;
– Ave Maria Radio which produces a number of its own programs and features including Catholic Connection with Teresa Tomeo; The Doctor is In with Dr. Ray Guarendi and Coleen Kelly Mast; More2Life with Greg and Lisa Popcak; Food for the Journey with Sr. Ann Shields, as well as Kresta in the Afternoon and many others.
– The local radio stations 990 AM WDEO (Detroit and Ann Arbor) and 1440 AM WMAX (Saginaw, Bay City and Midland).
Heard on more than 350 stations and Sirius Satellite, Kresta in the Afternoon looks at all areas of life through the lens of Scripture and the teaching of the Catholic Church and takes on all comers. Over the years, Al has engaged in vigorous discussions or debates with nationally known figures from politics, the arts, the Church, academia and business such as Mother Angelica, Jesse Jackson, John McCain, Gloria Steinem, Cuba Gooding Jr., Scott Hahn, Rick Santorum, Judge Robert Bork, Jerry Falwell, Pat Buchanan, Mrs. Anwar Sadat, Martin Luther King III, Jack Kevorkian, John Cardinal O’Connor, Chuck Colson, Archbishop Charles Chaput, George McGovern, C. Everett Koop, Francis Cardinal George, Dennis Quaid, George Will, Tim Russert, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Garrison Keillor, Dion DiMucci, Colin Raye and many more.
Kresta’s life and spiritual journey took on a new dimension in February 2003, when he lost his left leg to necrotizing fasciitis, a virulent infection often referred to as the “flesh-eating bacteria.” His extended recovery and eventual return to broadcasting have given him new insights into the realities of suffering and hope.
He is the author of Dangers to the Faith: Recognizing Catholicism’s 21st Century Opponents, Moments of Grace: Inspiring Stories From Well-Known Catholics, Why Are Catholics So Concerned about Sin?: More Answers to Puzzling Questions about the Catholic Church, and Why Do Catholics Genuflect? And Answers to Other Puzzling Questions About the Catholic Faith, published by Servant Books.
Al and his wife, Sally, have been married for more than 45 years and have been blessed with 5 children on earth and two in heaven.
– If you would like to order a copy of any Kresta in the Afternoon program with Al Kresta, please go to the Program Copies page for more information.
