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 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 new Bible Commentary feature, and all of Ascension's podcasts — Bible in a Year, Catechism in a Year, Rosary in a Year, and the newer "Called" podcast featuring Fr. Mike's interviews with ordinary people living extraordinary faith — with transcripts, answered questions, and linked references.^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 March 2026, Ascension unveiled "Rediscover Mass," a free podcast series exclusively in the app designed to help both new and lifelong Catholics prepare for and understand the Mass at a deeper level.^5 Ascension also partnered with the USCCB as a 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- Over 100,000 five-star reviews across both app stores^1
- Bible in a Year officially surpassed 1 billion downloads (March 2026)^3
- ChMeetings named it "Best Catholic Bible App of 2026"^7
- "Called" podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz — powerful stories of ordinary people living extraordinary faith^8
- "Rediscover Mass" free podcast series launched exclusively in the app (March 2026)^5
- Seasonal programs include the Crux Lenten Challenge with Fr. Columba Jordan, CFR, and Advent reflections^1
- Ascension partnering with USCCB to publish the Catholic American Bible (expected 2027)^6
- 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; new users get a 3-month free trial)
