Podcasts surged in popularity, keying surge in faith

Jeff Cavins prepped for the Jan. 1, 2021, rollout of the Bible in a Year podcast in a peculiar way.

He forgot.

Things escalated quickly for the popular author, speaker, television host and podcaster.

“About 4 o’clock in the afternoon, my producer called and said, ‘Are you sitting down,’” Cavins said recalling that New Year’s Day. “I said, ‘Yeah, why?’ 

“She said, ‘You’re No. 1 in the country.’ I had no idea what she was talking about. I said, ‘No. 1 what?’ She said, ‘Podcast, Bible in a Year, it’s No. 1.’

I said, ‘Oh, you mean No. 1 Catholic podcast?’ ‘No.’ ‘You mean No. 1 religion podcast on Apple?’

“She said, ‘No, everything. All categories.’ I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ And I looked it up on Apple and went, ‘Oh my gosh, look at that.’”

Look at that indeed.Still looking good, too, with the podcast – and its follow-up, Catechism in a Year – continuing to engage Catholics and non-Catholics alike, dominating Apple’s “Religion & Spirituality” chart pretty much since they hit the airwaves.

“When Father (Mike Schmitz) and I were taping Bible in a Year, we literally had no expectations,” Cavins said. “We just thought it was a cool idea. So we thought we’d just do it.”

Way cool, it turns out.

In The Bible in a Year podcast, Father Mike walks listeners through the entire Bible in 365 episodes, providing commentary, reflection and prayer. The podcast traces “The Great Adventure Bible Timeline,” a study piece developed by Cavins as an easier way to understand salvation history. Cavins joins Father Mike at key intervals to lend context for listeners.

In both 2021 and 2022, the Bible in a Year surged to No. 1 in all categories to start the year and stands as the No. 1 global podcast for “Religion & Spirituality” for most of the past three-plus years.

The Catechism in a Year, also featuring Father Mike, debuted as Apple’s No. 1 podcast to start 2023 and ranked among the top three shows on the “Religion & Spirituality” chart throughout the year, remaining strong in the opening months of 2024.

“I can say both were nothing short of exceptional,” said Kimberly Russell, a parishioner at Saint John Nepomuk Catholic Church in Yukon. “With (Bible in a Year), I fell further in love with God and I found a deep respect and love of the Old Testament, which I never knew! Also I experienced so many ‘ah-ha’ moments of seeing the New Testament hidden in the Old and the Old Testament revealed in the New.

“Then in (Catechism in a Year), I fell further in love with the Catholic Church. I feel like there will always be more to learn. But my foundation is stronger.”

Joanne Horn, a parishioner at Saint Philip Neri Catholic Church in Midwest City, soaked in the Bible in a Year immediately, then waited the “long year” for the release of Catechism in a Year.

Now, it’s part of her daily routine.

“I listen to both podcasts each day,” Horn said. “There is no way that I can cram into my brain the thousands of years of God's revelation in the Bible or the 2,000 years of revelation to the Catholic Church, but they've given me a jump start to feed my spirit and my prayer life.”

Some listen to the podcasts in private. Some in groups.

They make a good companion during commutes and on walks.

The Bible in a Year episodes run between 20-25 minutes. The Catechism in a Year is a bit shorter, usually at 15-20 minutes. In Father Mike, listeners get a theologian to shepherd them, offering context of the time period and deeper understanding of the teaching.

“What I like about both podcasts is how sincere and joyful Father Mike is as he reads and teaches,” said Leslie Ebert, a parishioner at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Oklahoma City. “I genuinely look forward to my commute knowing I can begin and end my workday with faithful Catholic insight.”

The Catechism in a Year finished its first year with 85 million downloads, a 4.9/5 rating on Apple.

Through February, the Bible in a Year had seen nearly 700 million all-time downloads and is nominated for the 2024 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards competition as one of five finalists in the “Best Spirituality/Religion Podcast” category. It’s the first time a Catholic show has been nominated.

“This is the most complete and precise study about the Bible and our faith that I believe exists,” said Mary Anne Burdo, a parishioner at Saint Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Guymon. “So many people have returned to the Catholic Church as a result of these podcasts and I have learned so much about my faith than I ever knew.

“And it appears that there are persons from all faiths that have partaken in these studies. They have been a blessing to me and the world.”

The podcasts are reaching people far and wide, and across religious lines.

“We’ve got a lot of evangelicals who are with us,” Cavins said. “Jewish people are with us. Agnostics have gone through it. The one thing that’s very unique about it is the number of people who are not Catholic who absolutely love it.

“It’s also stretched out into other sectors of society, like in Hollywood and with athletes. I get messages from people, and they don’t want to be known publicly, but they let you know that it’s making a difference in their life.”

Who knew? Nobody, it seems.

“Credit truly goes to the Holy Spirit,” Cavins said. “It was at a time when America, the world, was caught in COVID fear. People had lost their trust in government, in news, in even the church to some degree. They were searching for something solid.

“It’s beautiful and it’s wonderful to hear.”

The idea hatched, Cavins said, when Father Mike heard a protestant podcast that included a Bible reading and a commentary, and thought he’d like to do something like it.

Then Ascension approached Cavins and Father Mike, asking them if they had any ideas. Soon, the Bible in a Year podcast was born.

“And that’s how it began,” Cavins said. “Simple beginnings. Zechariah the prophet says, ‘Do not despise small beginnings.’”

John Helsley is editor of the Sooner Catholic.