The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

A day-by-day walk through the transformative beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church.

About the show

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) podcast follows a reading plan inspired by Ascension’s Foundations of Faith approach, a color-coded approach that reveals the structure of the Catechism, making it easier to read and understand. With this podcast, you’ll finally understand what it means to be Catholic and how the beliefs of the Catholic Faith come together.

Listen and…

  1. Read the ENTIRE Catechism of the Catholic Church in 365 days
  2. Understand the essentials of the Catholic Faith and why they matter
  3. Understand how Church teaching is rooted in Sacred Scripture
  4. Absorb over 2,000 years of Sacred Tradition
  5. Encounter God’s plan of sheer goodness for your life

Each 15-20 minute episode includes:

  • A guided prayer to help you enter into each episode
  • A reading from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
  • An explanation from Fr. Mike Schmitz about the reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Episodes

  • Day 121: The Apostolate (2024)

    April 30th, 2024  |  17 mins 45 secs
    apostolate, apostolic, fruitfulness, kingdom of christ, lay people, mission, priests, soul of the apostolate

    For the Church to remain truly apostolic, she must exercise the apostolate, which is the mission “to spread the Kingdom of Christ over all the earth.” Today’s readings remind us that all members of the Church are “sent out” on a mission to proclaim the Good News. Most importantly, Fr. Mike emphasizes that charity, drawn from our unity with Christ, is the “soul” of the whole apostolate that leads us to bear fruit. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 863-870.

  • Day 120: The Apostolic Church (2024)

    April 29th, 2024  |  16 mins 11 secs
    apostles, apostolic church, apostolic succession, bishops, peter, pope, priests, successors

    The fourth mark of the Catholic Church is her "apostolic" nature. Fr. Mike explains the three ways the Church is apostolic and discusses how this characteristic shapes the unique structure and Tradition of the Catholic Church. He also encourages us to pray for our local bishops, who continue to shepherd us in the Faith today as the Apostles' successors. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 857-862.

  • Day 119: The Church’s Missionary Mandate (2024)

    April 28th, 2024  |  17 mins 17 secs
    mission, missionary, missionary mandate, patience

    Together, with Fr. Mike, we explore the many aspects of the Church’s missionary mandate. Fr. Mike emphasizes the importance of engaging and living out Christ’s great commission. We conclude today with a reflection on the fact that it is the love of Christ that urges us on in our mission of patience in bearing witness to the Gospel. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 849-856.

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    Day 118: The Church and Non-Christians (2024)

    April 27th, 2024  |  22 mins 46 secs
    muslims, non-christians, salvation, the church, the jewish people

    Fr. Mike examines the relationship between the Church and non-Christian religions. He discusses that while there is some degree of goodness and truth in every religion, the fullness of truth exists in the Catholic Church. Fr. Mike concludes with a reflection on the statement from the early Church Fathers that “outside the Church there is no salvation.” Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 839-848.

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    Day 117: The Church Is Catholic (2024)

    April 26th, 2024  |  22 mins 3 secs
    apostolic succession, bishop, catholic, particular church, pope, rome

    We continue our examination of the four marks of the Church with today’s mark: catholic. Fr. Mike explains that “catholic” means that the Church is universal in two senses. The first is that Christ is fully present in her, and so receives the fullness of the means of salvation. Second, it goes out to all peoples; everyone belongs. Today’s readings from the Catechism are paragraphs 830-838.

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    Day 116: The Church Is Holy (2024)

    April 25th, 2024  |  17 mins 35 secs
    charity, glorification, holy, love, sanctification, st. therese of lisieux, the church

    Fr. Mike examines the next characteristic of the Church, the Church is holy, and he emphasizes two important ideas. The first is that the Church is unfailingly holy only because of God’s gracious gift to us. The second is that each and every one of the activities of the Church are for two purposes: the sanctification of men in Christ and the glorification of God. We conclude with a reminder from St. Therese on the importance of charity, that love of God is the “vocation which includes all others.” Today’s readings from the Catechism are paragraphs 823-829.

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    Day 115: Wounds to Unity (2024)

    April 24th, 2024  |  20 mins 7 secs
    conversion, division, oneness, renewal, unity, unity of christians

    Together, with Fr. Mike, we examine the wounds to the unity of Christ’s one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church. The Catechism emphasizes that people on both sides of this division are to blame for this broken unity. God did not intend for the disunity of Chrstians that we see today, but rather, intended for the unity of all Christians. Fr. Mike, therefore, concludes with asking us to pray and hope for the miracle of the unity, once again, of all Christians. Today’s readings from the Catechism are paragraphs 817-822.

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    Day 114: The Church Is One (2024)

    April 23rd, 2024  |  18 mins 38 secs
    apostolic succession, bonds of unity, christ’s church, church of christ, church unity, diversity, division, eastern rite, one holy catholic and apostolic church, paragraph 3, the church is one

    In this new paragraph—"The Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic”—the Catechism explains how and why the Church is “One”. Fr. Mike highlights the many manifestations of the good that Jesus works through the Church, and he also urges us to cling to the “visible bonds of unity” that Christ offers us. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 811-816.

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    Day 113: The Temple of the Holy Spirit (2024)

    April 22nd, 2024  |  17 mins 35 secs
    advocate, charism, charisms, gift of god, grace of the holy spirit, holy spirit, in brief, living in the spirit, my charism, nugget day, paraclete, spirit of christ, temple of the holy spirit, temple of the living god, the soul of the church

    “What the soul is to the human body, the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ, which is the Church.” The Catechism uncovers how the Holy Spirit truly builds up the whole Church in the name of Jesus. Fr. Mike dives into the incredibly diverse gifts that the Holy Spirit gives up for the building up of the Kingdom—the charisms. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 797-810.

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    Day 112: The Church Is the Bride (2024)

    April 21st, 2024  |  16 mins 13 secs
    betrothed to christ, body the church, bride of christ, christ and the church, christ the bridegroom, christ the head, christus totus, christ’s reign, church the bride, fullness of christ, head of the body, head of the church, jesus’ reign, one flesh, passover, spotless bride, spotless lamb

    Christ is the head of the Church. The Catechism describes Jesus’ relationship to his Church as “a personal relationship…expressed by the image of bridegroom and bride.” Fr. Mike points out how important this is by reminding us that, underneath all of the doctrine and the dogma, God is madly in love with you. If we always remember this love, everything else will fall into place. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 792-796.

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    Day 111: The Church as the Body of Christ (2024)

    April 20th, 2024  |  17 mins 28 secs
    abide in me, body of christ, christ’s body, church diversity, communion, communion with jesus, diversity of members, mystical body, one body, the church, united in christ, united in jesus

    “The Church is communion with Jesus.” The Catechism shows us what it means for the Church to be considered the “body of Christ”. Fr. Mike explains how being part of the Church makes us “united in him, in his body”—more intimately connected with Jesus than even the Apostles were. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 787-791.

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    Day 110: The People of God (2024)

    April 19th, 2024  |  18 mins 31 secs
    body of christ, god’s chosen people, israelites, kingdom priests, new covenant, old covenant, people of god, priest prophet king, salt and light, temple of the holy spirit

    God draws people to himself and makes them his own. The Catechism shows us what makes God’s people different from everyone else, and what it is that unites them. Fr. Mike hones in on what exactly it is that the People of God do, and exhorts us to start doing that right here, today. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 781-786.

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    Day 109: Mystery of Union With God (2024)

    April 18th, 2024  |  17 mins 9 secs
    bride, bridegroom, grace, holiness, mary, mystery, sacrament, union, unity

    Do we love the Church? Some of us might struggle with that idea, but Fr. Mike explains that if we are to love and live in accordance with the heart of Jesus, we must love what he loves. Jesus, the bridegroom, loves his bride, the Church, so we must love the Church. We also learn that the sacraments are not only signs but also the very instruments by which the Holy Spirit gives us the grace of Christ. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 772-780.

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    Day 108: Revealed by the Holy Spirit (2024)

    April 17th, 2024  |  18 mins 47 secs
    divine, guidance, history, holy spirit, human, paradox, revelation, wisdom

    Jesus Christ established the Church, but the Holy Spirit continually sanctifies the Church with wisdom, guidance, and charismatic gifts. The Church’s mission is to proclaim and establish the beginning of God’s Kingdom on earth, and we participate in this mission through charity, humility, and self-denial. Fr. Mike helps us understand the seemingly paradoxical idea that the Church is visible and spiritual, both human and Divine. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 767-771.

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    Day 107: Origin of the Church (2024)

    April 16th, 2024  |  20 mins 28 secs
    gift, god’s plan, heart, holy spirit, love, origin, salvation

    The origin of the Church is just one of the ways we can come to know the depth of God’s love for us. From the very beginning, the Church, as a gathering of the people of God, has been a plan born of the Father’s heart. Fr. Mike explains that Jesus Christ instituted the Church, that salvation comes to us through the Holy Spirit in the Church, and that this was God’s plan from the very beginning of time. The Church is not man-made; the Church is God-made, and it is a great gift to us. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 758-766.

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    Day 106: Symbols of the Church (2024)

    April 15th, 2024  |  17 mins 26 secs
    brokenness, building, church, reform, sheep, symbols, woundedness

    There are many different symbols of the Church that can help us to understand it. We learn some of these symbols today, including a sheepfold, a cultivated field, the building of God, the spotless lamb, the bride of Christ, and our mother. Fr. Mike reminds us that, like us, the Church on earth needs constant reform. Jesus loves the Church and gave himself up for her. If we have any hostility or indifference toward the Church, we must check our hearts and pray to love what God loves. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 753-757