‘Father Crunk’ preaches love on popular Atlanta radio show

By Erika Anderson
Catholic News Service

ATLANTA — It was 6:30 a.m. the Monday after Easter and Fr. Ricardo Bailey was looking over the notes for his sermon one last time.

His well-read Bible resting next to him on the table, he flipped through his handwritten and typed notes, making last-minute changes. As a parochial vicar at Holy Spirit Parish, his Easter weekend was busy. His eyes were heavy with a lack of sleep as he tried to shake off the fog of fatigue threatening to consume him.

But as soon as he walked into his “church,” the youthful energy he is known for appeared in a burst of exuberance.

On Monday mornings this year, the priest’s church has been the studio of pop station Q100 (100.5 FM), his pulpit the popular morning show “The Bert Show.”

“We call him ‘Father Crunk.’ It’s Fr. Bailey from Holy Spirit Catholic Church,” announced Bert Weiss, as Fr. Bailey sat across from him, his white priest’s collar loose around his neck, headphones on for his segment.

“Crunk” is an urban term used to describe a high level of energy — which applies to Fr. Bailey.

“Father Crunk here tells us that, look, you can’t laugh at the dysfunction going on in Hollywood with some of these celebrities. What you ought to do is embrace it and apply it to your life because there’s some spiritual messages coming out of Hollywood that we can learn every single week,” Weiss said.

“Yes, indeed,” Fr. Bailey replied. “And today’s title is ‘Stop dippin’ and dappin’ when you don’t know what’s happenin’.”

Fr. Bailey went on to talk about the rumors surrounding the relationship between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

“Relationships, my friends, are hard enough, and the last thing that anybody needs are the rumors that fan the flames of the hater-ology that goes on out there,” Fr. Bailey said. “When you look at the Bible, there are people all around it that are trying to hate on one another. ... Remember all that drama that happened when Jesus was getting ready to be born?

“I mean, man, people were hating on Mary, filling Joseph’s mind with the fact that he needed to kick Mary to the curb because he wasn’t that baby’s daddy. But we all know how that turned out.”

The message of Jesus, Mary and Joseph might seem out of place on a radio station that plays hits from rapper Kanye West to pop superstar Kelly Clarkson, but Weiss said Fr. Bailey fits in perfectly.

“I think entertainment is entertainment,” Weiss told The Georgia Bulletin, Atlanta’s archdiocesan newspaper. “If it’s engaging, it’s engaging. Fr. Bailey is entertaining, engaging and talks about subjects our target audience is interested in: pop culture. It was an easy fit.”

Fr. Bailey, an Atlanta native, first appeared on “The Bert Show” last fall to pray for the Holy Spirit Preparatory School’s football team. “Bert” cast member Jeff Dauler had chosen Holy Spirit Prep when members of the show picked a high school team to cheer for during the football season. Listeners responded so well to Fr. Bailey that Weiss decided to bring him back for a regular segment.

“Fr. Bailey just has this amazingly welcoming personality. And he’s so original,” Weiss said. “Who wouldn’t want to listen to him? The trick was bringing a priest on without people feeling we were forcing them to listen to a religious sermon. The connection with Hollywood made it a perfect segment.”

And Atlantans have agreed with a resounding “Amen.”

“People generally love him. I’ve only received one negative e-mail about one of his segments,” Weiss said. “That’s probably one in a hundred. People love him because of his delivery and the nonthreatening way he approaches his subjects.”

Fr. Bailey remains humble about his work. His decision to do the radio segments was blessed by both Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta and Holy Spirit pastor Msgr. Edward Dillon.

He said he was nervous the first time he was on the air, but Dauler and Weiss gave him pointers to ease his nerves. In preparation each week he said he prays, looks at the entertainment news published on Q100’s Web site, and works to turn the Hollywood message into a holy one.

“I don’t take this lightly,” Fr. Bailey said. “But I want to make it as funny as it is spiritual. Q100 is a secular station, but it’s very important to realize that there are listeners who have been alienated by things that have happened in the past, and they are searching.”

Fr. Bailey’s radio reports are archived on the station’s Web site, www.allthehitsq100.com/bertshow.

“If you’d have told me when I was back at seminary that one day I’d be on a top 40 radio station, I’d have said you were lying,” he laughed. “But all I want to do is lead people to Jesus. That’s what it’s all about.”