Jump to content

Mike Schmitz

From Catholicism Wiki
The Reverend Father
Mike Schmitz
Schmitz in 2022
Schmitz in 2022
Church Catholic Church
Diocese Duluth
Orders
Ordination June 6, 2003
by Dennis Marion Schnurr
Personal details
Born Michael Thomas Schmitz
December 14, 1974
Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
Denomination Catholicism
Alma mater College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
Saint Paul Seminary

Michael Thomas Schmitz[1] (born December 14, 1974) is an American Catholic priest, speaker, author, and podcaster. He serves as director of youth and young adult ministry in the Diocese of Duluth and Newman Center chaplain at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Schmitz is most notable for his social media presence, including YouTube videos and The Bible in a Year podcast produced by Ascension Press.[2][3]

Early life and education

Michael Thomas Schmitz was born in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago, where his father attended medical school.[4] He is the fourth of six children, born to Peter Schmitz, an orthopedic surgeon,[5] and Gudrun "Goodie" Schmitz (née Amundsen).[6] Schmitz is of Irish and Norwegian descent; his paternal grandmother comes from County Cork.[7] The family then relocated to Brainerd, Minnesota, where his father practiced medicine.[5] Schmitz was baptized on March 1, 1975[8] at the Church of the Assumption,[9] Richfield, Minnesota (south of Minneapolis). He attended St. Francis of the Lakes Catholic School for elementary school,[10] Brainerd High School,[11] and St. John's University, where he majored in Theology.[12]

Despite being brought up in a Catholic family, Schmitz was largely indifferent to religion until the age of 15.[13] After spending time as a missionary in Central America,[14] Schmitz attended Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity and was ordained in 2003 for the Diocese of Duluth.[15] Schmitz is currently the director of youth and young adult ministry for the diocese[16] as well as the Newman Center chaplain at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Media career

Since 2015, Schmitz has been the host of Ascension Presents, a YouTube series produced by Ascension Press offering Catholic perspectives on cultural and societal issues. Beginning in 2017, these talks have also been offered as podcasts.

On January 1, 2021, Schmitz and Ascension launched a new podcast, The Bible in a Year, which consists of 365 daily episodes reading the entire Bible (including the Deuterocanonical books). In each episode, he reads and discusses sections of the Bible, also adding his own commentary and prayer. The podcast achieved massive success.[17]

Schmitz was the keynote speaker at the 2022 March for Life rally, an annual pro-life event in Washington, DC.[18][19]

On June 29, 2022, Schmitz and Ascension announced they would be launching another podcast, The Catechism in a Year, which premiered on January 1, 2023.[20] The format is similar to The Bible in a Year, consisting of 365 daily episodes where Schmitz reads and discusses sections of the Catechism, adding in his own prayer and commentary.[21]

The Bible in 10 Minutes, a YouTube video uploaded on July 9, 2024 by The Bible in a Year and produced by Ascension and Coronation Media,[22] features Schmitz retelling the stories of Adam and Eve, Moses, David, and Jesus, condensing the narrative into under 10 minutes.[23] As of July 2024, the video had garnered over a million views since its release.[24]

Books

  • Made for Love: Same-Sex Attraction and the Catholic Church (2018)[25]
  • How to Make Great Decisions (2019)[26]
  • A World Undone (November 20, 2020)
  • Pocket Guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (2021)
  • Bible in a Year Companion, Volumes 1-3 (2021)[27]
  • Catechism in a Year Companion, Volumes 1-3 (2023)
  • Unshakeable: Building a Life of Virtue in a World of Chaos (2025)

See also

References

  1. Back to citation "Fr. Mike Schmitz: "Lent + Q & A"". YouTube. FOCUS Catholic. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  2. Back to citation "Video series for Year of Mercy". Catholic Herald. Diocese of Superior. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  3. Back to citation York, Will Pavia, New. "Catholic priest Father Mike Schmitz's daily podcast of the Bible tops the digital audio charts". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  4. Back to citation Ignite 2020 Conference - Fr. Mike Schmitz, retrieved 2022-12-26
  5. Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 "Schmitz will miss his patients, their stories". Brainerd Dispatch. 2010-12-20. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  6. Back to citation "Helen Amundsen". Brainerd Dispatch. 1999-04-02. Retrieved 2022-12-26; Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mass with Fr. Mike Schmitz, retrieved 2022-12-30; "Gudrun "Goodie" Schmitz". Brainerd Dispatch. 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  7. Back to citation "Ignite 2020 Conference - Fr. Mike Schmitz". YouTube. Irish Dominicans.
  8. Back to citation "Why Baptizing Your Baby Is the Most Important Thing You Can Do", retrieved 2023-01-28
  9. Back to citation "Michael Schmitz on Instagram: "47 years and four days ago…in this very church…God the Father became MY adoptive Father and I became one of His beloved sons. There will never be a way to repay Him for His goodness and His grace. And I will never be able to thank my parents and godparents enough for what they've done. As we have died in Christ, we also now live in Christ."". Instagram. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  10. Back to citation Father Mike Schmitz, retrieved 2023-01-28
  11. Back to citation "Priest Jubilees - June 2018". Diocese of Duluth. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  12. Back to citation "SJU alum's approach to Bible soars to top of podcast charts". College of Saint Benedict & Saint John's University. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  13. Back to citation Fraga, Brian (1 December 2015). "Fr. Mike Schmitz, interview". Legatus. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  14. Back to citation I Will Follow—Two Catholic Priests' Vocation Stories, retrieved 2022-12-26
  15. Back to citation "Lighthouse Catholic Youth speakers". Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  16. Back to citation Pronechen, Joseph (12 March 2015). "Confession Is a Place of Victory". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  17. Back to citation York, Will Pavia, New. "Catholic priest Father Mike Schmitz's daily podcast of the Bible tops the digital audio charts". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  18. Back to citation CNA. "The powerful message of Fr. Mike Schmitz at 2022 March for Life". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  19. Back to citation "Helen Amundsen". Brainerd Dispatch. 1999-04-02. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  20. Back to citation CNA. "Father Mike Schmitz's next podcast, 'Catechism in a Year,' starts Jan. 1". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  21. Back to citation "A year with "A Catechism in a Year Podcast"". Catholic World Report.
  22. Back to citation Duncan, Gigi (11 July 2024). "'The Bible in 10 Minutes' becomes Father Mike's most viral video". Catholic News Agency. EWTN News. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  23. Back to citation Mauro, JP (11 July 2024). "Fr. Mike Schmitz goes viral with "The Bible in 10 Minutes"". Aleteia. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  24. Back to citation Porto, Grace (16 July 2024). "Father Mike Schmitz's Animated 'Bible in 10 Minutes,' Hits Over 1 Million Views in a Week!". ChurchPOP. ChurchPOP. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  25. Back to citation Daniel Mattson (2018-04-08). "Father Michael Schmitz Tells the Truth in Love About Same-Sex Attraction". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  26. Back to citation Sarah Reinhard (2020-01-18). "Discernment 101: Father Mike Schmitz Tackles Decision-Making in Light of God's Will". National Catholic Register. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  27. Back to citation "SJU alum's approach to Bible soars to top of podcast charts". College of Saint Benedict & Saint John's University. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
Retrieved from "https://catholicism.wiki/index.php?title=Mike_Schmitz&oldid=107566"