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Mike Schmitz

Michael Thomas Schmitz (born December 14, 1974) is an American Roman Catholic priest, speaker, author, and podcaster.

The Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries in the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota, Schmitz is most notable for his social media presence, which mainly consist of his YouTube videos and The Bible in a Year podcast, both of which are produced by Catholic publisher Ascension Press. Schmitz is a public speaker and makes speeches at Catholic events such as the Fellowship of Catholic University Students leadership summit.

Early life and education

Schmitz is the fourth of six children, born to Peter Schmitz, an orthopedic surgeon, and Gudrun "Goodie" Schmitz (née Amundsen). Schmitz was born in the Oakland neighborhood of Chicago, where his father attended medical school. The family then relocated to Brainerd, Minnesota, where his father practiced medicine. Schmitz is of Irish and German descent; his paternal grandmother comes from County Cork. Schmitz was baptized on the 1st March 1975 at the Church of the Assumption, Richfield, Minneapolis. He attended St Francis of the Lakes Catholic School for elementary school, Brainerd High School, and St John's University, where he majored in Theology.

Despite being brought up in a Catholic family, Schmitz was largely indifferent to religion until the age of 15. After spending time as a missionary in South America, Schmitz attended Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity and was ordained in 2003 for the Diocese of Duluth. Schmitz is currently the director of youth and young adult ministry for the diocese 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 apocrypha). In each episode he reads and discusses sections of the Bible, also adding his own commentary and prayer. The podcast achieved success.

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

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. 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.