"How incredible is it that we live in an age where we have this this tool… in that sense of just being able to say, ‘oh my gosh, I can help people that never would meet me [in person]," the Catholic priest and Ascension Press' ‘Bible in a Year' podcast host, who got his start in the digital space back in 2007 recording homilies, told Fox News Digital.

"That's a big piece of the impetus behind this. There's something to be said, and there's good news to be shared," he added, following the beginning of this Lenten season.

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Father Mike Schmitz who hosted the very popular "Bible in a Year" podcase says that with "Catechism in a Year" he hopes that people "will not only grow in information but real transformation" through the new podcast.

Schmitz says he hopes the podcasts are going to go one step further in forming people.

"What we want to do is to make it accessible for the common person — to break down some of these ideas that are kind of ‘woah, I've never heard that word before' and break it down into, OK, how does this play out in your family, with your children, with your finances, with your emotions, in your parish?"

Catechism in a Year will be presented in daily episodes (365 total) and will range from 15 to 20 minutes.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church" is divided into four pillars: faith, liturgy/sacraments, life in Christ, and prayer and just as The Catechism of the Catholic Church is divided into four parts, the Catechism in a Year podcast will be divided into four parts featuring four different guests.

• "What we believe,"
• "How we worship,"
• "How we live," and
• "How we pray".

With a global audience of 1.5 million Catholics and non-Catholics, the previous effort, "Bible in a Year" podcast shows audiences are ready and open to hear more.

"Bible in a Year" is the no. 1 podcast in Religion and Spirituality on Apple Podcasts.

Source

• Catholic News Agency

"I did not like going to mass. I would say I hated going to mass," Schmitz said. "(But) when I was 15 years old, I had this awareness … I believe it was the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Going to the next step of becoming a priest took some self-convincing.

"I thought, ‘God, you've given me so much. If you ever ask for me to do anything for you, I'll do it,'" he said. "My second thought was, ‘If you want me to hear someone's confession, I'll do it.' My third thought was, ‘Oh, she's really cute.' Which, priests don't get married."

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