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…
- Read the ENTIRE Catechism of the Catholic Church in 365 days
- Understand the essentials of the Catholic Faith and why they matter
- Understand how Church teaching is rooted in Sacred Scripture
- Absorb over 2,000 years of Sacred Tradition
- 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
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Day 118: The Church and Non-Christians
April 28th, 2023 | 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
April 27th, 2023 | 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
April 26th, 2023 | 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
April 25th, 2023 | 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 Christians 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
April 24th, 2023 | 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
April 23rd, 2023 | 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
April 22nd, 2023 | 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
April 21st, 2023 | 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
April 20th, 2023 | 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, the church
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
April 19th, 2023 | 17 mins 9 secs
ascension, bible, bride, bridegroom, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, grace, holiness, jesus, mary, mystery, sacrament, scripture, tradition, 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.
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Day 108: Revealed by the Holy Spirit
April 18th, 2023 | 18 mins 47 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, divine, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, guidance, history, holy spirit, human, jesus, paradox, revelation, scripture, tradition, wisdom
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.
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Day 107: Origin of the Church
April 17th, 2023 | 20 mins 28 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, gift, god’s plan, heart, holy spirit, jesus, love, origin, salvation, scripture, tradition
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.
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Day 106: Symbols of the Church
April 16th, 2023 | 17 mins 26 secs
ascension, bible, brokenness, building, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, church, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, reform, scripture, sheep, symbols, tradition, woundedness
Fr. Mike reminds us that, like us, the Church on earth needs constant reform.
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Day 105: Christ’s Church and its Mission
April 15th, 2023 | 17 mins 2 secs
ascension, belief, believers, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, church, creed, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, holiness, holy spirit, jesus, light, scripture, tradition
The Church has no other light than Christ's, and the Holy Spirit is the source of all its holiness.
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Day 104: The Holy Spirit and the Church
April 14th, 2023 | 17 mins 14 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, holy spirit, jesus, life of the church, mission of christ, scripture, tradition
As we conclude this article on the Holy Spirit, the Catechism teaches us today about the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Church. Fr. Mike breaks down the four main ways the Holy Spirit is active in the mission of Christ and how the life of the Church completes that mission. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 737-747.
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Day 103: The Power of Pentecost
April 13th, 2023 | 14 mins 38 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, gifts of the holy spirit, holy spirit, jesus, outpouring of the spirit, pentecost, scripture, tradition
Pentecost marks the beginning of the age of the Church, the time in which the Kingdom is inherited but not fully consummated. Today, we dive into the meaning and significance of Pentecost for our lives. Fr. Mike explains how the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost fulfills Christ’s Passover. On that glorious day, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit fully revealed themselves in the Trinity. We also learn how the Holy Spirit heals our wounded nature and empowers us to love as God loves through the various gifts of the Spirit. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 731-736.