Ascension’s breakout The Bible in a Year podcast is now available to the world’s two billion YouTube users.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)™ featuring Jeff Cavins is now available on Ascension Presents, the largest Catholic YouTube channel in the world in English, with more than 550,000 subscribers and more than 77 million views.
With this development, Ascension breaks through accessibility barriers in auditory media, bringing the Bible to those who need or prefer a visual option. Each YouTube episode features the full text of the correlating Bible in a Year podcast episode, carefully edited with large, clear font which viewers can easily pause, re-play, or adjust the speed as needed.
The comment sections on Ascension Presents overflow with enthusiasm and gratitude for the new offering, such as this comment from viewer “Kristen”:
“As someone with a severe hearing impairment . . . having closed captioning is wonderful. I have tried reading the Bible many times in the past but I would give up because I had so many questions or didn’t understand what the Scriptures were trying to teach me. I am so looking forward to doing this every day.”
In 2021, Ascension reintroduced the Bible to Catholics with The Bible in a Year podcast. The show saw explosive popularity, shooting to the number one position on the Apple Podcast chart in all categories within two days of its launch. It held that position for most of January, ahead of successful long-running shows from the New York Times and NPR.
Midway through The Bible in a Year, Ascension reports 100 million cumulative downloads, making it the number one podcast in religion and spirituality from January through June.
The Bible in Year has affected the lives of listeners from all over the world. Annie Ignatius, another Ascension Presents viewer, comments:
“Dear Fr. Mike. I’m from Malaysia. I just started my Bible Day 1 today. Thank you so much for this reading and reflection. God bless you and your team in bringing this gift of life, the Word of God to all of us.”
Ascension’s YouTube channel Ascension Presents was founded in 2015 with the goal of presenting the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith through media, and to answer the longings of the human heart with the transformative power of the Gospel through fun and informative videos about Catholic living.
The channel’s first video with Fr. Mike Schmitz was called “Bromance, Pizza, and Your Mom” and was posted on April 1, 2015.
About Ascension
Ascension is the leader in Catholic faith formation and digital content. Over the past 20 years, Ascension has helped nurture the faith of more than 10 million people in 8,000 parishes through their books, Bibles, faith formation programs, chart-topping podcasts, social media, and the Ascension Presents Youtube channel. The company has 60 employees and is based in Exton, Pennsylvania.
Media Contact
For media inquiries, contact Lauren Joyce at (484)876-1400 or Newsroom@AscensionPress.com.