Sequel to Chartable’s #1 global podcast in religion, “Bible in a Year,”
sees instant success with Catholics and beyond
EXTON, Pa. — This January, the #1 podcast in America is The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz), which has held the coveted top position on Apple for 5 days and counting, ahead of major podcasts like NBC’s Dateline, Crime Junkie, and NPR.
“CIY” is the sequel to the wildly successful 2021 The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)TM (BIY), which itself hit #1 on Apple at its January 2021 launch, hit #1 again in January 2022, and is #3 in all categories as of this writing. BIY was Chartable’s #1 global podcast in Religion & Spirituality in 2022, and has been downloaded 430 million times.
Podcast host “Fr. Mike,” described by the New York Times Magazine as “an affable 48-year-old Midwesterner who … exudes strong Ted Lasso vibes,” works fulltime as a Catholic priest and campus minister for the University of Minnesota Duluth, as well as for his diocesan office for young adult ministry.
As 2023 kicks off, Fr. Mike has invited his audience of Bible enthusiasts to consider studying a new religious text for 20 minutes each day: the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The response to his invitation has been enormous, as seen in the show’s #1 chart position and 115k-member official Facebook group.
A Podcast for Non-Catholics, Too
Non-Catholics are joining the movement, too. Anna, a self-described “life-long Southern Baptist” on YouTube, posted a “Protestant REACTS to Fr. Mike’s Catechism in a Year” video with 50k views in which she shares her excitement about the podcast, as well as a reflection on the opening line of the Catechism: “This first paragraph is … such a beautiful way to answer that age-old question of ‘Why are we here?’” And later in the video, she says, “If you sat this paragraph in front of any Protestant … no one would say that it wasn’t beautiful.”
“An Astonishing Moment for the Church”
As Christian affiliation declines across American society, it is notable that the top three podcasts on Apple at the beginning of 2023 (and 2022, and 2021) have been focused on guiding listeners through the Bible or the Catechism of the Catholic Church. (The “Bible Recap” podcast produced by the D-Group is the third Christian title in that chart-topping trifecta.)
Ascension president and CEO Jonathan Strate offers his thoughts on what has now happened three years in a row:
To have a podcast about the Catechism of the Catholic Church reach #1 in the United States in all categories is an astonishing moment for the Church. It speaks to the deep longing we have to respond to God’s plan for each one of us revealed so beautifully in the treasure that is the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Fr. Mike: Accessibility Brings New Life to Ancient Texts
When asked why he thinks people respond so enthusiastically to his podcast renderings of religious texts like the Bible or the Catechism, Fr. Mike answered,
I think there’s something about the accessibility of podcasts. When the Bible was originally made accessible to individuals with the invention of the printing press, and the Word of God was able to be distributed, vastly larger numbers of people read the Bible on their own. I think there’s something very similar about podcasts: they make texts like the Bible or the Catechism accessible, obtainable, graspable.
Podcast Details
The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) will feature 365 daily episodes throughout 2023, plus bonus episodes featuring special guest experts Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Jeff Cavins, Dr. Mary Healy, and Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT.
Fr. Mike Schmitz will be the main presenter of the podcast, and will personally read every line of the Catechism, using the Ascension Edition, throughout the year, as well as offering prayer and commentary during each of the 20-minute episodes.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Ascension Edition
To accompany the new show, Ascension obtained permission from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to print a new edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church with a comprehensive color-coding system, Foundations of Faith, which is built into the text itself and carried across companion products including The Catechism in a Year Notebook and The Catechism at a Glance Chart.
About Ascension
Ascension is a multimedia network and the leader in Catholic faith formation and digital content. Over the past 25 years, Ascension has helped nurture the faith of more than 10 million Catholics through award-winning books, the chart-topping Bible in a Year podcast, more than 50 unique faith formation programs, and Ascension Presents, the world’s largest Catholic YouTube channel in English.
Media Contact
Link: Media Kit for The Catechism in a Year podcast
Link: Media Kit for The Bible in a Year podcast
Media inquiries, contact Lauren Joyce: [email protected]
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Religion News Service or Religion News Foundation.
