For Catholics who want to finally read and understand the Bible — not just open it and hope for the best — the Ascension App puts 25 years of Catholic Scripture scholarship right in your pocket, built around the one tool that's helped hundreds of thousands crack the code of salvation history: Jeff Cavins' Bible Timeline® learning system.^1
At its core is the full text of The Great Adventure Catholic Bible with audio narration by Fr. Mike Schmitz, the priest whose "Bible in a Year" podcast became the most successful religious podcast of all time — officially surpassing one billion downloads worldwide in March 2026, now adapted into Spanish, Malayalam, Hungarian, and Slovak.^2 To mark the podcast's 5th anniversary in 2026, Ascension released free bonus commentary from Fr. Mike for the opening days of the series, offering fresh insights even for returning listeners.^9 But the app goes far beyond a digital Bible. It's an entire Catholic faith formation ecosystem: daily Mass readings with video reflections from trusted presenters (including NAB translations from the USCCB), the complete Catechism of the Catholic Church with audiobook playback, 80+ study plans from voices like Dr. Edward Sri, Sarah Christmyer, and Jackie Francois Angel, guided Rosary recordings in English and Latin (over 2 million Rosaries prayed through the app), a Saint of the Day, lectio divina prompts, a Bible Commentary feature, and all of Ascension's podcasts — Bible in a Year, Catechism in a Year, Rosary in a Year, the "Called" podcast featuring Fr. Mike's interviews with ordinary people living extraordinary faith, and the "Mass in a Month" podcast where Dr. Edward Sri guides listeners step-by-step through every part of the Mass in 31 episodes.^1
Built by Ascension, a Pennsylvania-based Catholic multimedia network that has served more than 20 million Catholics over 25 years, the app launched on June 26, 2023, and immediately became the #1 Bible app in America's App Store. More than 1 million Catholics have downloaded it.^1 In 2026, Ascension also launched Season 5 of its Catholic Classics podcast — Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. and Rebecca Dougherty reading The Practice of the Presence of God, a spiritual classic that Pope Leo XIV has said shaped his own spirituality.^10 Ascension is also partnering with the USCCB as publisher of the forthcoming Catholic American Bible, a historic new Scripture translation approved for liturgical and personal use, anticipated for Ash Wednesday 2027 — with plans to integrate it into future app editions.^6
Why Christians Love the Ascension App: "This app has everything! The Bible, daily readings, catechism, the videos and studies, lectio Divina, the podcasts, and they keep adding more tools and functions! My favorite Catholic app by far!"^4 An 80-year-old cradle Catholic shared: "The BIY, because of its organization around the narrative, Father Mike's and Jeff Cavins' insightful commentaries, and the loving prayers each day made the Scriptures truly become living words. This has been a deeply rich experience for me, and I am filled with gratitude."^4 Another user wrote: "I'm not even a Catholic Christian but I use this app because I love the daily short videos. Those nuggets of faith and wisdom really encourage me."^1
Notable- Bible in a Year officially surpassed 1 billion downloads (March 2026)^3
- 5th anniversary bonus commentary from Fr. Mike released free in the app (2026)^9
- "Mass in a Month" podcast with Dr. Edward Sri — 31-episode walk-through of the Mass (May 2026)^7
- "Called" podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz — powerful stories of ordinary people living extraordinary faith^8
- Catholic Classics Season 5: The Practice of the Presence of God — a book Pope Leo XIV says shaped his spirituality (June 2026)^10
- "Rediscover Mass" free podcast series launched exclusively in the app (March 2026)^5
- Ascension partnering with USCCB to publish the Catholic American Bible (expected 2027)^6
- ChMeetings named it "Best Catholic Bible App of 2026"^11
- Bible audiobook available for offline download; Catechism audiobook recently added^4
- New Bible Commentary feature for deeper verse-by-verse study^4
Platforms: iOS, Android Pricing: Freemium (free access to full Bible text, Catechism, daily Mass readings, Rosary, and all podcasts; subscription for full content library: monthly, annually; free trial for new users)
