Shows / The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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…
Episodes
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 189: Worship of the Eucharist (2026)
We continue our examination of the sacrament of the Eucharist, specifically how we worship the Eucharist. Fr. Mike examines how we, as Catholics, worship…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 188: Christ’s Presence in the Eucharist (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we explore the reality of Christ’s true presence in the Eucharist. Fr. Mike unpacks what actually happens during the celebration of…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 187: The Church’s Sacrificial Unity (2026)
Together, we continue our exploration of the sacrificial memorial of the sacrament of the Eucharist. Fr. Mike reiterates that the whole Church, both visible…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 186: The Sacrificial Memorial (2026)
We continue our examination of the sacrament of the Eucharist. Fr. Mike emphasizes that every element of Christ’s passion, the whole thing, is one, single…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 185: Thanksgiving, Memorial, Presence (2026)
Together with Fr. Mike, we continue our examination of the sacrament of the Eucharist. Fr. Mike takes us back to the Book of Genesis, the sacrifices of Cain…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 184: The Movement of the Mass (2026)
There is great depth to the movement of the celebration of the Mass. Fr. Mike highlights the role of Christ as the head and high priest and the role of the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 183: The Mass of All Ages (2026)
Celebrating the sacrament of the Eucharist has been part of the Tradition of the Catholic Church for 2,000 years. Fr. Mike unpacks the citation from St. Justin…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 182: The Signs of Bread and Wine (2026)
Fr. Mike breaks down the various ways the Eucharist fulfills the sacrifices of bread and wine of the Old Covenant and explains why the Eucharist is central to…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 181: The Sacrament of the Eucharist (2026)
The sacrament of the Eucharist has many different names, and "each name evokes certain aspects of it." Fr. Mike explains the meaning behind this sacrament's…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 180: The Source and Summit (2026)
The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” Today, we begin our journey into the mystery of the Eucharist. Fr. Mike emphasizes that the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 179: Summary of Confirmation (2025_
Together, with Fr. Mike, we have arrived at the conclusion and nugget day for the section on the sacrament of Confirmation. Fr. Mike reiterates the idea that…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 178: Who Receives Confirmation (2026)
We continue our examination of the sacrament of Confirmation, specifically both who should receive Confirmation and who can act as the minister of the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 177: The Celebration of Confirmation (2026)
We continue our examination of the sacrament of Confirmation, specifically the celebration and effects of the sacrament of Confirmation. Fr. Mike explores the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 176: Traditions and Signs of Confirmation (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we continue our examination of the sacrament of Confirmation, specifically the two Traditions and different signs of Confirmation. Fr…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 175: Introduction to Confirmation (2026)
We begin our examination of the sacrament of Confirmation. Fr. Mike emphasizes that the reception of Confirmation is necessary for the completion and…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 174: Summary of the Sacrament of Baptism (2026)
In this summary of the Church’s teachings on Baptism, the Catechism relays the heart of the sacrament. If you needed to quickly explain Baptism to someone on…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 173: Brothers and Sisters in Baptism (2026)
The Catechism shows us how Baptism unites the Church as a “People of God of the New Covenant” and goes so far as to say that “Baptism constitutes the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 172: What Does Baptism Do? (2026)
Baptism has profound effects upon the baptized: “purification from sins and new birth in the Holy Spirit.” The Catechism shows us that the graces of Baptism…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 171: The Necessity of Baptism (2026)
“Baptism is the sacrament of faith.” The Catechism explains to us who can baptize as well as why we need Baptism for eternal life. It also explains to us what…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 170: Who Can Be Baptized? (2026)
Put simply, “[e]very person not yet baptized and only such a person is able to be baptized.” The Catechism explains to us the purpose of Baptism for both…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 169: The Mystagogy of Baptism (2026)
Together with Fr. Mike, we continue our examination of the sacrament of Baptism, specifically the mystagogy of the rite of Baptism. The Catechism explains each…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 168: The Celebration of Baptism (2026)
We continue our examination of the Sacrament of Baptism, specifically how we celebrate the sacrament and the different elements that must always be present in…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 167: The Baptism of Christ (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we continue our examination of the sacrament of Baptism. Fr. Mike emphasizes that each and every one of the Old Covenant…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 166: Introduction to Baptism (2026)
Together, we begin the chapter on the sacraments of initiation, specifically the section on the sacrament of Baptism. Fr. Mike unpacks the different names that…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 165: Summary of Liturgical Diversity (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we arrive at the conclusion and “nugget day” for the section on liturgy and culture. Fr. Mike reiterates the importance of the fact…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 164: Liturgical Diversity and Unity (2026)
Did you know there is more than one liturgical rite in the Catholic Church? Fr. Mike reviews the different liturgical Traditions that are part of the Catholic…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 163: Summary of the Liturgy (2026)
In today’s “nugget day”, we review the main takeaways from our readings on the liturgy. Fr. Mike invites us to remember that every time we participate in the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 162: Where the Liturgy Is Celebrated (2026)
Where is the liturgy celebrated? The Catechism offers us overarching principles as well as specific details about the spaces in which the liturgy is…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 161: The Liturgy of the Hours (2026)
The Liturgy of the Hours is known as the “public prayer of the Church.” Fr. Mike explains how praying the Liturgy of the Hours sanctifies time and gives God…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 160: The Liturgical Year (2026)
Fr. Mike reviews the major solemnities and feast days that make up the liturgical year and explains why they are important to celebrate. We learn that the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 159: When the Liturgy Is Celebrated (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we examine the question of when the liturgy is celebrated. The Catechism states that there is a word that marks Christian prayer, and…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 158: Holy Images in the Liturgy (2026)
We continue our examination of the different elements of the liturgy, specifically holy images in the liturgy. Fr. Mike highlights that because the Word was…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 157: God’s Word and Sacred Music (2026)
Fr. Mike examines the words, actions, music, and singing involved in how we celebrate the Liturgy. He discusses how, at many Masses, there are signs that…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 156: How the Liturgy Is Celebrated (2026)
We continue to examine the celebration of the liturgy and sacraments. In the context of how the liturgy is celebrated, Fr. Mike explains that we are both body…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 155: Who Celebrates the Liturgy (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we examine “who celebrates the liturgy.” Fr. Mike emphasizes that when we celebrate the sacraments, the whole Christ, not just the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 154: Sacraments of Eternal Life (2026)
We’ve seen how the sacraments re-present what Christ worked for us in his Passion and death, but the Catechism also explains to us how the sacraments prefigure…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 153: Sacraments Save (2026)
Jesus uses his sacraments to save his people. The Catechism proclaims that the sacraments are “efficacious”, the sacraments are “wrought…by the power of God”…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 152: Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi (2026)
The Catechism makes clear to us that evangelization and the sacraments go hand in hand. An ancient saying is highlighted, linking the two: lex orandi, lex…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 151: The Seven Sacraments (2026)
The Catechism introduces the seven sacraments that Christ offers the Church: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 150: The Epiclesis (2026)
At the heart of the Liturgy of the Eucharist is the epiclesis, when the priest begs the Holy Spirit to come and transform the bread and wine into the Body and…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 149: The Holy Spirit Recalls Christ’s Mystery (2026)
Fr. Mike examines how the Holy Spirit recalls the mystery of Christ. We explore how the Holy Spirit both inspires the Word of God and recalls the Word of God…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 148: The Holy Spirit’s Work in the Liturgy (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we continue our examination of the sacramental economy, specifically the Holy Spirit’s work in the liturgy. Fr. Mike emphasizes that…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 147: Christ’s Work in the Liturgy (2026)
We continue our examination of Christ’s acts through the sacraments that he instituted. Fr. Mike emphasizes the importance of understanding that the sacraments…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 146: The Father’s Work in the Liturgy (2026)
Together, we begin Section One on the sacramental economy. Fr. Mike emphasizes that the sacramental economy is both what God has done for us and how we should…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 145: Introduction to the Liturgy (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we begin the section of the Catechism examining the liturgy. We start with an exploration of the questions of “why” the liturgy and…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 144: How We Worship (Part 2 Introduction with Bishop Andrew Cozzens) (2026)
Part 2 of the Catechism—the Second Pillar—is about “how we worship” through the Liturgy and the sacraments. Fr. Mike sits down with Bishop Andrew Cozzens to…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 143: Amen (2026)
Congratulations, we have come to the conclusion of Part One of the Catechism! Fr. Mike reviews the last “nugget” section on death and judgment, inviting us to…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 142: The New Heaven and the New Earth (2026)
What will happen to humanity and the entire universe at the end of time? Fr. Mike shares with us the joyous hope of the new heaven and the new earth that…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 141: The Last Judgment (2026)
We delve into the cosmic event that will take place at the end of time known as the Last Judgment. Fr. Mike explains the difference between the Last Judgment…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 140: Purgatory and Hell (2026)
Why do purgatory and hell exist? The Catechism teaches us today about the existence and the meaning of purgatory and hell. We learn that purgatory is a…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 139: I Believe in Life Everlasting (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we explore what happens to us at and after the moment of our death. We examine the importance of understanding that the Christian, who…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 138: Summary of the Resurrection of the Body (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we arrive at the “nugget day” or summary for the Catechism paragraphs on the Resurrection and the Christian vision of death. Fr. Mike…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 137: Dying in Christ Jesus (2026)
Fr. Mike examines the mystery of death and dying in Christ. Together, we explore the reality that in order to live with Christ, we must first die with Christ…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 136: Questions of Resurrection (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we unpack some of the questions surrounding the resurrection of the dead. The Catechism clarifies who, how, and when each person will…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 135: The Resurrection of the Body (2026)
Fr. Mike explores the essential element of Christian Faith that we “look forward to the resurrection of the dead.” We examine how this belief in the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 134: The Forgiveness of Sins (2026)
The Catechism provides an overview on how Jesus grants the Church the ability to forgive sins through both Baptism and the sacrament of Reconciliation. Fr…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 133: Devotion to Mary (2026)
When we show devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, we fulfill her prophecy that “all generations will call me blessed.” The Catechism clearly shows us how such…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 132: Mary Mother of the Church (2026)
Earlier in the Catechism, we unpacked Mary as the Mother of Jesus. Now, we look at what it means for Mary to be the Mother of the Church. Fr. Mike makes it…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 131: The Communion of the Church (2026)
The Catechism further unpacks the communion of saints and shows us how the Church lives in communion with those members who have passed on to eternal life with…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 130: The Communion of Saints (2026)
The Catechism begins Paragraph 5 and dives into the communion of saints. This communion is “in holy things (sancta)” and “among holy persons (sancti).” Fr…