Within 48 hours of its launch, “The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)” became the #1 Show on Apple Podcasts, a chart position it has held for 5 days and counting, beating out longstanding secular programs including Crime Junkie, NYT’s The Daily, and Dateline NBC.  The show now boasts over 1.3 million downloads, with many more expected in the weeks ahead. 

“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.”