CIY Special Guests revealed, along with new The Bible Timeline Show and updated BIY growth metrics

Ascension, the team behind the #1 religion podcast in the world, The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)â„¢, is excited to share several announcements:

New Reach Statistics for The Bible in a Year (BIY)

• 1.5 Million "Audience Reach" for BIY in last 30 days
  Unique devices downloading podcasts (Chartable) + unique YouTube viewers

• Year over Year Growth (Nov 2021 – Nov 2022)
  • 157% Growth in Total Downloads, All Time (Fireside)
    • Nov 2021 = 142 Million Nov 2022 = 365 Million
  • 150% Growth in Downloads of Episode 1, All Time
    • Nov 2021 = 1 Million Nov 2022 = 2.75 Million
  • 67% Growth in BIY Facebook Group Membership
    • Nov 2021 = 75,000 Nov 2022 = 125,000

• Ascension also confirmed chart positions for the show:
  • #1 Global podcast in Religion & Spirituality (Chartable, 2022)
  • #1 Podcast in Religion & Spirituality (Apple Podcasts, 2021-2022)
  • Top 40 Podcasts (Apple Podcasts, 2022)

Podcast, YouTube, and Product Announcements

• The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) (CIY) podcast – confirming their announcement from June 2022, Ascension revealed additional details about the upcoming January 1, 2023, release, including:
  • 4 Podcast Special Guests – Jeff Cavins, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Dr. Mary Healy, and Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT – each of whom will join Fr. Mike to introduce a new section of the podcast.
  • Free downloadable promotional materials – created in response to repeated audience requests, these materials will allow parishes, schools, or Catholic groups to share news about either The Catechism in a Year or The Bible in a Year in their local areas, and enjoy the show together as a community (CIY here) (BIY here).

• The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Ascension Edition – the new printing of the Catechism is the first to feature the Foundations of Faith approach, with a comprehensive color-coded system built into the text itself, and carried across the supplemental products connected to the Catechism or the CIY podcast.

• The Bible Timeline Show (with Jeff Cavins) YouTube show – a new video program which will air on Ascension's The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) YouTube Channel, featuring:
  • 24, one-hour-long episodes in 2023.
  • Cavins hosting special guests for each episode, including Scott Hahn, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Fr. Josh Johnson, and Fr. Dempsey Rosales Acosta.
  • Two episodes apiece will be dedicated to the 12 color-coded periods of the Bible Timeline Learning System, which undergirds the Bible in a Year podcast and many of Cavins' other publications.

About Ascension

Ascension is a multimedia network and the leader in Catholic faith formation and digital content. Over the past 24 years, Ascension has helped nurture the faith of over 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, which hosts the largest Catholic YouTube channel in English.

Media Contact

Leslie Rowe at Leslie@PrevishMarketing.com