Parish Program

Parish Resources for The Bible in a Year: Family Edition

Bring the Bible to Life for Families in Your Parish

After helping millions of people encounter Scripture through the chart-topping The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) podcast, Ascension is bringing that same transformative journey to families through a new daily video podcast: The Bible in a Year: Family Edition (with Fr. Josh Johnson), launching January 1, 2027.

The Bible in a Year: Family Edition invites children, alongside parents, grandparents, godparents, and teachers, to discover the story of salvation through Scripture in a way that is engaging, age-appropriate, and deeply rooted in the Catholic faith. Using Jeff Cavins’ groundbreaking Great Adventure Bible Timeline in a new Bible, The Great Adventure Bible for Beginners, the podcast helps families understand the big story of Scripture and see how every part of the Bible points to God’s plan of salvation.

Parishes can support families going through the podcast together through weekly and monthly activity resources, as well as a full year of parish events, helping every family grow closer to God through Scripture, one day at a time.

Great for groups

Have questions? Program Details

Parish Resources for The Bible in a Year: Family Edition

Stay rooted in the word of God so that the word of God can stay in you.

Foster a Parish Rooted in Scripture

Created for kids, and the whole family grows alongside.

"Stay rooted in the Word of God, so the Word of God can stay in you." That's how Fr. Josh Johnson signs off every episode of The Bible in a Year: Family Edition. It's the whole idea behind the podcast: building biblical literacy and helping families grow closer to God, one day at a time.

Knowing the Bible isn't about knowing more facts; it's how a person actually comes to know Christ, and see their own place in the story of salvation. Scripture heard occasionally doesn't take hold, but encountered daily, with the context of one continuous story, it becomes part of how people see themselves and relate to God.

This podcast helps children and their families build that habit. As they enter into the story each day, the Bible stops feeling like an ancient book about someone else, and becomes their story.

Making the Bible theirs starts with meeting kids where they are. The Great Adventure Bible for Beginners (read aloud in the podcast) does exactly that, so the Bible becomes something they grow into, not something they outgrow.

Coming Soon!

How Your Parish Can Get Involved

Parish Weekly

  • A weekly, double-sided, folded resource to hand out to families after Mass, keeping the story going all week.
  • One Weekly for each week of the podcast.
  • Available in packs of 50 per week. Order one month at a time.

Monthly Activity Magazine

  • A ~40-page activity magazine perfect for religious education classrooms or for families to do at home, deepening the story month by month.
  • One magazine for each month of the podcast.
  • Available individually, in packs of 5, and in packs of 10. Order one month at a time.

Free Event Guide

  • A plug-and-play downloadable guide with everything you need to several events, building community as families grow in their understanding and love of Scripture together.

Coming Soon!

Parish Weekly

Order one month at a time.

Encourages Family Catechesis

Encourages Family Catechesis

  • A weekly, double-sided folded resource to hand out to families after Mass, keeping the story going all week.

  • Ideal for kids ages 7-12, but younger kids may enjoy activities with the help of a parent.

  • Encourages family catechesis by engaging the entire family, including the parents.
1/3
View Sample

Every Weekly includes 1-3 activities.

Coming Soon!

Monthly Activity Magazine

Order one month at a time.

  • A ~40 page activity magazine perfect for religious education classrooms, deepening the story month by month.

  • Ideal for kids ages 7-12, but younger kids may enjoy activities with the help of a parent.

  • 12 total issues in full color, covering the 12 time periods in the Bible Timeline®.

  • Each issue has at least one activity per day of the podcast (rooted in the Bible stories read each day), family challenges, discussion questions, Catechism and Saint connections, Biblical explanations of key events, visio divina, introductions and conclusions for each time period, and more.

  • Encourages family catechesis by engaging the entire family, including the parents.

View Sample

Pricing per Month

Parish Weekly

Weekly handouts for every Sunday of the year.


$39.95 per month, 50 new Parish Weeklies per week

Multiple packs of 50 can be ordered

Monthly Magazine

One issue for each month of the year.

$7.95 per individual copy

$29.95 per pack of 5 ($5.99 per copy)

$49.95 per pack of 10 ($4.99 per copy)

Coming Soon!

Free Event Guide

Plug-and-Play Guide

  • This resource provides an opportunity for fellowship at your parish as families follow along with the podcast together.
  • The guide includes everything you need to host several events at your parish, regardless of who is leading.
  • Each event focuses on one of the 12 time periods, and is fun for all ages!

The Great Adventure Bible for Beginners

The Great Adventure Bible for Beginners

The daily readings for the podcast are taken from the second in Ascension’s forthcoming series of Bibles for children, The Great Adventure Catholic Bible for Beginners.

Written for a 3rd-5th grade reading level, it deepens biblical understanding with faithful, age-appropriate language, beautiful sacred art, select verses quoted directly from the RSV-2CE, and The Bible Timeline® Learning System, preparing children to engage with God's Word for years to come.

Coming Fall 2026. Families can order a copy for home, and your parish can order the classroom edition in bulk for your religious education classrooms.
1/2
At a Glance
Target Audience
Kids
Recommended Age Group
7-12
Available Languages
English

Related Podcasts