The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
In Ascension’s The Catechism in a Year podcast, Fr. Mike Schmitz guides you through the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church in 365 episodes, providing explanation, insight, and encouragement along the way. Unlike any other Catechism podcast, The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) podcas...
Recent Episodes
1185 episodes
Day 78: Signs of the Kingdom (2026)
Fr. Mike unpacks the signs of the kingdom of God that Christ performed while on Earth. These signs of the kingdom are a way for us to see that Jesus i...
Day 77: The Kingdom of God (2026)
Fr. Mike explores Jesus’ mission of establishing the kingdom of God on earth, and who belongs in the kingdom of Heaven: all people. We see how Jesus i...
Day 76: Jesus’ Baptism and Temptation (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we examine the mysteries of Jesus' Baptism and temptation in the wilderness. Fr. Mike unpacks how Jesus’ Baptism is yet anoth...
Day 75: Jesus’ Infancy and Hidden Life (2026)
Fr. Mike explores the mystery of Jesus’ infancy and hidden life. We first take a look at Jesus’ Baptism, circumcision, and the Epiphany. Fr. Mike disc...
Day 74: The Christmas Mystery (2026)
Diving deeper into Jesus Christ as Mystery, the Catechism describes the deep mystery in the preparations for Christ’s coming—also known as Advent—as w...
Day 73: Christ’s Life Is Mystery (2026)
Many of the things we’d like to know about Jesus’ life we don’t know, but remember, as Fr. Mike has told us, a Christian mystery is not “a case to be...
Day 72: Mary’s Motherhood (2026)
For those with any lingering doubts or questions, the Catechism offers five reasons for Mary’s perpetual virginity. Fr. Mike digs into each reason and...
Day 71: Mary’s Virginity (2026)
The Catechism tackles a few important issues regarding Mary, the mother of God—her motherhood, her virginal conception of Jesus, and her perpetual vir...
Day 70: The Immaculate Conception (2026)
The Catechism introduces us to Mary’s Immaculate Conception and explains why God preserved her “immune from all stain of original sin.” Fr. Mike answe...
Day 69: Born of the Virgin Mary (2026)
Fr. Mike helps us to understand Mary’s role in the history of salvation. Through her belief and obedience, Mary becomes the Mother of God, and she coo...
Day 68: The Mystery of the Incarnation (2026)
We learn more about Jesus Christ’s nature as fully God and fully human. Because he was fully human, “like us in all things but sin,” Jesus had a human...
Day 67: The Humanity and Divinity of Christ (2026)
Fr. Mike teaches us more about the divine and human natures of the second person of the Holy Trinity, the Word that became flesh, Jesus Christ. Jesus...
Day 66: True God and True Man (2026)
We explore the truth that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man; he is one person with two natures, both Divine and human. Fr. Mike explains that we...
Day 65: Why the Word Became Flesh (2026)
The Word became flesh to reconcile us with God, to manifest God’s love for us, to model holiness, and to make us partakers of the divine nature. We le...
Day 64: The Lord (2026)
As we wrap up our discussion of Jesus’ titles, we learn about the last title attributed to Jesus: The Lord. Fr. Mike explains that this title expresse...
Day 63: The Only Son of God (2026)
As we continue to learn about the name of Jesus and the titles given to him, we encounter in today’s readings the unique title that belongs to Jesus a...
Day 62: The Christ (2026)
Why is Jesus named “The Christ”? Today we discover the meaning behind this powerful title. We also learn about the three-fold ministry of Jesus as the...
Day 61: The Name of Jesus (2026)
Together with Fr. Mike, we examine the name above every other name: Jesus Christ. We explore the importance of this name and our reverence for it. Fr....
Day 60: God Sends His Only Son (2026)
Fr. Mike emphasizes that God did not have to do anything for us after the Fall, yet he sent us his only Son, and through his Son, we have received gra...
Day 59: Summary of The Fall (2026)
We have arrived at the “nugget day” or the In Brief for the sections on The Father and Original Sin. Fr. Mike reiterates the important idea that every...
Day 58: Man’s Spiritual Battle (2026)
Fr. Mike explores the hard battle which each and every one of us must face, the battle with sin. Together, we examine the mystery of us being both fre...
Day 57: Consequences of Adam’s Sin (2026)
Fr. Mike examines the consequences of the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve. He discusses that even though they committed a personal sin, it affe...
Day 56: Man’s First Sin (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we explore the nature of man’s first sin or our “freedom put to the test.” Fr. Mike unpacks the importance of us understandin...
Day 55: The Fall of the Angels (2026)
Fr. Mike explores the fall of the angels, and how their fall leads to our own “fall into death out of envy.” Together, we examine what caused some of...
Day 54: The Fall of Man (2026)
The Catechism introduces us to the Fall, beginning with the reality of sin and the mystery of evil. Fr. Mike highlights the fact that sin is not “a de...
Day 53: Man in Paradise (2026)
In the beginning, humans were in friendship with God and in harmony with creation. The Catechism unfolds this harmony and introduces us to the “origin...
Day 52: Male and Female (2026)
The Catechism teaches about God’s plan and design for men and women—male and female—and their equality, complementarity, dignity, and destiny. Fr. Mik...
Day 51: Unity of Soul and Body (2026)
The soul and the body “are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.” The Catechism introduces us to this profound mystery...
Day 50: The Dignity of Man (2026)
“God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). The Catechism teaches us about...
Day 49: We Are Created For Worship (2026)
There is a solidarity among all of God’s creatures because all are oriented to give glory to God. We learn that God created the world in six days and...
Day 48: Creation in Order (2026)
God created all of the visible world in richness, diversity, and order, and everything owes its existence to God. Because all of creation comes from G...
Day 47: The Angels (2026)
The angels belong to Christ as they were made through him and for him, and he has made them messengers of his saving plan. We learn that angels have b...
Day 46: Heaven and Earth (2026)
God created heaven and earth — all that we see and all that we don’t see. We learn that the earth is filled with men and many things we can see, but o...
Day 45: Summary of Creation (2026)
In this “In Brief” section of the Catechism, we review that only God has the power to create, that is, to call into existence something from nothing....
Day 44: The Scandal of Evil (2026)
If God is a good Father and creates a good world, why does evil exist? The Catechism addresses this profound and often painful question. Fr. Mike help...
Day 43: Creation Is Good (2026)
How does God create? We read today about the reality that God creates an ordered and good world. Moreover, he is continually present in his creation,...
Day 42: The Work of Creation (2026)
Why did God create? The Catechism today gives us a glimpse into the reason for our existence as we learn about God’s marvelous work of creation. Fr. M...
Day 41: Origins and Ends (2026)
Together with Fr. Mike, we examine some of the different explanations for God’s existence outside of the Catholic understanding, such as Pantheism, Du...
Day 40: God Is the Creator (2026)
Fr. Mike explores God’s role as “Creator” and the vital importance of understanding God as the Creator of all things: heaven and earth, seen and unsee...
Day 39: The Father Almighty (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we explore the nature of God as Almighty. Fr. Mike discusses three important points to keep in mind about the reality of God’...