EXTON, Pa. (OSV News) — “The Bible in 10 Minutes,” a new viral video offering by Father Mike Schmitz and Ascension, earned 358,000 views in just 24 hours, according to a July 10 news release from Exton-based Ascension, a multimedia Catholic network and a leader in Catholic faith formation and digital content.
The audience response makes this Father Schmitz’s most “viral video ever, more than doubling his previous one-day record of 160,000 views set with his 2022 review of ‘The Sound of Freedom,'” the release said.
Father Schmitz, a priest of the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota, has gained a national following for, among other things, his popular “The Bible in a Year” and “The Catechism in a Year” podcasts from Ascension.
He will be a featured keynote speaker during the National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21 in Indianapolis. Father Schmitz and Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart, founder and servant mother of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth in the Archdiocese of Boston, are scheduled to address the congress’s July 18 evening revival session 7-9:30 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Making the Bible accessible
Father Schmitz begins his new video, seated on screen. “The Bible is amazing,” he says, “but sometimes confusing and hard to read. … We’d like to read it, but without a map, it’s easy to get lost. There is a narrative throughout the Bible that tells a single story. The story of God’s plan for our salvation. Once we understand that story, we can understand the context of every book of the Bible. So, here’s the story in less than 10 minutes.”
In addition to Father Schmitz, a team of Ascension employees spent months on the production of “The Bible in 10 Minutes,” according to the release. The video’s animation was developed in collaboration with Coronation Media.
“We would love to make more videos like this that impart the truths of the faith in such a beauty-forward manner,” senior video producer Sean Boyd remarked. “It’s up to our audience to help us fund more videos and make it possible!”
“The Bible in 10 Minutes” can be found on the “Ascension Presents” YouTube channel.
