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 of people 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 — nearing one billion downloads worldwide.^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, the complete Catechism of the Catholic Church, 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, Rosary in a Year) with transcripts, answered questions, and linked references you won't find anywhere else.^3
Built by Ascension, a Pennsylvania-based Catholic publisher that has served more than 10 million Catholics over 25 years, the app launched on June 26, 2023, and immediately became the #1 Bible app in America's App Store — outranking apps from Disney+, LinkedIn, and Zoom on launch day. More than 1 million Catholics have now downloaded it.^4 Development manager Josh Rudegeair consulted with over 1,300 devoted Bible in a Year listeners during the design process, and Fr. Mike Schmitz told his audience: "If learning about the Bible and the Catechism is important to you, then this app will change your life."^5
Why Christians Love the Ascension App: "This app has rapidly led me to a deeper understanding of the Faith."^3 Users describe the app as a one-stop destination that finally organizes their spiritual life — one reviewer shared, "I downloaded the Ascension App, and I don't know how I lived without it. Every day, I just open the app, I know what my readings are and even what my daily Mass readings are. This is a one-stop-shop for practicing Catholics."^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 Fr. Schmitz has received messages from listeners who credit the app and its podcasts with leading them back to confession, through grief, and even into the Catholic Church: "So many people who have been involved in abortion have reached out to me — and other areas of human brokenness as well — and have said that listening to this has gotten me to the place where I knew I needed to hand over my heart, my past, my sins, to the Lord Jesus."^5
With content from over 20 leading Catholic presenters and seasonal programs like Advent reflections and the Crux Lenten Challenge, the Ascension App is quickly becoming the hub where Catholics grow deeper in Scripture, Tradition, and daily prayer.^6
Platforms: iOS, Android Pricing: Freemium (free access to full Bible text, Catechism, daily Mass readings, Rosary, and all podcasts; subscription for full content: monthly, annually)
