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 — now approaching one billion downloads worldwide and 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, a Saint of the Day, lectio divina prompts, and all of Ascension's podcasts — Bible in a Year, Catechism in a Year, and the newest addition, Rosary in a Year — with transcripts, answered questions, and linked references.^3
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, and over 2 million Rosaries have been prayed through the app.^1 In February 2026, Fr. Mike Schmitz and Jeff Cavins received the Museum of the Bible's prestigious Pillar Award for Narrative — the first Catholics ever to receive the honor — recognizing their global impact in helping people engage with Scripture.^4 ChMeetings, a leading church software company, also named the Ascension App the "Best Catholic Bible App of 2026."^5
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!"^3 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."^3 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
- Seasonal programs include the Crux Lenten Challenge with Fr. Columba Jordan, CFR, and Advent reflections with Fr. Mike Schmitz^1
- Content from 20+ leading Catholic presenters, including professors and parish priests featured during liturgical seasons^6
- Bible audiobook available for offline download; Catechism audiobook recently added^3
- Ascension Presents YouTube channel reached 1 million subscribers^7
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)
