The most successful religious podcast of all time, hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz, lands in the Top 5 on Apple Podcasts as it approaches one billion downloads and celebrates a five-year milestone.

[Exton, PA - January 2, 2026] The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)® featuring Jeff Cavins is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a return to the top of the Apple Podcasts charts, landing at #4 overall across all categories while continuing its reign as the #1 podcast in Religion & Spirituality. The podcast currently outranks popular shows including The New York Times, Huberman Lab, The Mel Robbins Podcast, and NPR.

Source: Apple Podcast charts, All Categories, 1/2/26

Since launching in January 2021, The Bible in a Year has become the most successful religious podcast in the world. The show made history during its debut by holding the #1 spot across all podcast categories for more than two weeks—an unprecedented achievement for a Catholic program—and returned to the top of the charts again in 2022. Five years later, the chart-topping podcast continues to maintain a consistent presence in the Top 40 podcasts overall, averaging nearly half a million daily downloads and approaching one billion total downloads worldwide.

A Five-Year Scripture Phenomenon

With more than 50,000 five-star reviews on Apple Podcasts, listeners frequently describe The Bible in a Year as life-changing, pointing to renewed faith, deeper prayer, and a lasting habit of daily Scripture reading.

To mark the five-year milestone, Ascension is releasing new bonus commentary from Fr. Mike Schmitz for Days 1–5 of The Bible in a Year, exclusively available on the Ascension app. The anniversary celebration also features exclusive video conversations about Scripture and faith with Fr. Mike and special guests—including The Chosen star Jonathan Roumie, The Bible Timeline® creator Jeff Cavins, and author Dr. Arthur Brooks on the Ascension Presents YouTube channel.

To join The Bible in a Year, anyone can download the free reading plan at www.AscensionPress.com/BIY and listen on the Ascension app, YouTube and all podcast platforms.

See the full Bible in a Year press kit here.

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About The Bible in a Year

The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)® is the world’s #1 religion podcast. Since its 2021 debut, listeners worldwide have been guided through the entire Catholic Bible in 365 daily episodes using The Great Adventure Bible Timeline learning system. With over 900 million downloads and over 50,000 five-star reviews on Apple Podcasts, The podcast has transformed how Catholics engage with Scripture and sparked a global movement of daily Bible reading.

About Fr. Mike Schmitz

Father Mike Schmitz is a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Duluth and one of the most trusted voices in Catholic media today. Host of the #1 religion podcast The Bible in a Year, Father Mike has guided millions of listeners through Scripture with his approachable teaching style and genuine passion for helping people encounter Jesus. Click here to see full author biography.

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 over 20 million Catholics through award-winning books, the chart-topping Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)® podcast, more than 50 unique faith formation programs, and the Ascension Presents media and YouTube platforms.

Media Contact 

For interviews or other media inquiries, please contact (800) 376-0520 or Newsroom@AscensionPress.com.