Viral video from creators of #1 “The Bible in a Year Podcast” breaks records
Fr. Mike Schmitz is one of the most well-known faces on Catholic YouTube, but even he’s never seen something quite like this.
Garnering 358k views in just 24 hours, The Bible in 10 Minutes (feat. Fr. Mike Schmitz) has become Fr. Mike’s most viral video ever, more than doubling his previous 1-day record of 160k views set in 2022 with his review of The Sound of Freedom. The video additionally garnered 1M views in just 3 days, breaking Fr. Mike’s previous time to the same milestone.
The Bible in 10 Minutes is a new offering from Fr. Mike Schmitz and Ascension, the multimedia Catholic network which hosts the Ascension Presents YouTube channel and produced The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)™ podcast. Bible in a Year was #1 on Apple Podcasts for 3 weeks across 2021 and 2022.
“The Bible is amazing,” Fr. Mike begins, seated on screen. “But sometimes confusing and hard to read… We’d like to read it, but without a map, it’s easy to get lost. There is a narrative throughout the Bible that tells a single Story. The Story of God’s plan for our Salvation. Once we understand that Story, we can understand the context of every book of the Bible. So, here’s the Story in less than 10 minutes.”
Audience Reaction
Audience reaction to The Bible in 10 Minutes has been overwhelmingly positive, as seen in the comments on YouTube:
- @bonnieostrenga5478 – “This video is the start of something huge!”
- @carahall2385 – “God has anointed Ascension Press and Father Mike for this time in history to reach so many people. I was a devout lifelong Evangelical Christian who entered the Catholic Church 3 years ago thanks for the Holy Spirit working through Father Mike and YouTube. Thank you Father Mike and Ascension Press. I am praying for you! Please keep on with this kind of content.”
- @elizabethpierson1126 – “This is a beautiful, simple and engaging animation video! I am 68 and I loved it! It really spoke to me clearly and I love how in just 10 minutes it gave me the entire Bible story, the core events and teachings – it is a production I would gladly share and refer others to who do not have the basic knowledge of the Bible, no matter their age.”
The First of Many Such Videos?
In addition to Fr. Mike Schmitz, a dedicated team of employees at Ascension spent months on the production of The Bible in 10 Minutes. The video’s animation was developed in collaboration with Coronation Media, a boutique animation company which specializes in unique, impactful Catholic videos.
At the end of the video, Fr. Mike invites the audience to decide whether or not they’d like to see more high-quality Catholic videos like this one. Those interested in supporting future projects like this from Ascension can contribute at www.AscensionPress.com/Support.
“We would love to make more videos like this that impart the truths of the faith in such a beauty-forward manner,” comments senior video producer Sean Boyd. “It’s up to our audience to help us fund more videos and make it possible!”
About Fr. Mike Schmitz
Fr. Mike Schmitz is a priest for the Diocese of Duluth who serves as the chaplain for Newman Catholic Campus Ministries (bulldogCatholic) at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He also serves as the Director of the Office of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth, and travels nationally to give talks at Catholic retreats and events.
Fr. Mike’s work with the Bible in a Year podcast has been covered by the CBS National News, The New York Times Magazine, Fox News, Washington Post, The London Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
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 10 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.
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Contact:
Lauren Joyce
Ascension
18003760520
[email protected]
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.
