Ascension’s new podcast Hit the Top of Apple’s Chart Within 48 Hours of Launch.
Within 48 hours of its launch, The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) podcast became the #1-Ranked Show on Apple Podcasts, a chart position it has held for 4 days now. The show currently ranks ahead of long-standing and widely popular programs from The New York Times, NPR, NBC News, Barstool Sports, and The Daily Wire as its debut has attracted an enormous following.
“We are overwhelmed by the staggering response to this podcast,” comments Matthew Pinto, founder and president of Ascension, the Catholic publisher and multimedia network which is producing The Bible in a Year. “We had hoped that this program would be exciting to our listeners, but this huge level of response is truly unbelievable. People are hungry for God, and we’re honored to help them encounter God’s Word through a daily podcast, especially as so many of us continue to be cut off from our parishes, communities, and loved ones during these difficult days.”
Fr. Mike’s Vision: Shaping Hearts and Minds with God’s Eternal Word
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) is a passion project from the heart of one of America’s most prolific evangelists. Fr. Mike Schmitz is well-known for his YouTube videos on “Ascension Presents,” as well as for his keynote presentations at FOCUS’s SEEK Conferences, Steubenville Youth Conferences, and other national events.
Fr. Mike explains his vision for this extraordinary project: “One of the primary reasons why I wanted to create this podcast was because my own mind was being filled with a lot of chaotic voices. Some were wise, many were merely distracting. I think that a lot of people are tired of those same distracting and temporary voices. And they want what I want: to allow our hearts and minds to be shaped by something eternal – God’s eternal Word.”
In choosing a framework for organizing the 73 books of Scripture, Fr. Mike turned to the Bible study system that changed his own relationship with God’s Word: Jeff Cavins’ celebrated Great Adventure® Bible Timeline. “We have this phenomenal resource in Jeff Cavins’ Great Adventure Bible Timeline,” comments Fr. Mike. “Jeff Cavins unpacks the story of salvation—the story of God’s love for his people. We’re basing our reading plan on The Great Adventure Bible Timeline because in my life, The Bible Timeline is probably the most significant Bible study that I’ve ever been a part of.”
To get the most out of The Bible in a Year, listeners should sign up for the free Bible in a Year Reading Plan to be sent to their email. Episodes for The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms. The show can also be accessed inside Hallow, a Catholic prayer and meditation App.
About Fr. Mike Schmitz
Fr. Mike Schmitz serves as Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and as Chaplain for the Newman Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Minnesota–Duluth. He is well known for his popular YouTube videos, released weekly on the Ascension Presents YouTube channel, and he also streams Sunday Mass to a worldwide audience. In addition to hosting the definitive Catholic Bible in a Year podcast, he is also a presenter in Ascension’s Chosen, Altaration, and The 99 programs, as well as a contributing author to Pray, Decide, and Don’t Worry: Five Steps to Discerning God’s Will.
About Jeff Cavins
Jeff Cavins, a featured guest throughout The Bible in a Year, is the creator of the celebrated Great Adventure ® Bible Timeline study series which has empowered generations of Catholics to understand the Bible’s central “story of salvation.” Jeff has been a leading Catholic evangelist, author, and podcast host for decades, and is particularly well known having hosted EWTN’s “Life on the Rock” TV show for six years. Jeff’s best-selling books and Bible studies include The Bible Timeline: The Story of Salvation, Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible, Jesus: The Way, the Truth, and the Life, The Activated Disciple, and Walking with God: A Journey Through the Bible.
About Ascension
Ascension is a multimedia network and the leader in Catholic faith formation and digital content. Over the past 20 years, Ascension has helped nurture the faith of over 10 million people in over 8,000 parishes through more than 50 unique faith formation programs and the Ascension Presents media and YouTube platforms.
Media Contact
Lauren Joyce at (484) 876-1400 or newsroom@ascensionpress.com