(ZENIT NEWS/LOS ANGELES, July 22, 2024) – Father Michael Thomas Schmitz, a prominent Catholic priest known for his active social media presence, is once again garnering global attention. Father Schmitz, Director of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota, released a new video on July 9 titled “The Bible in 10 Minutes.” The video quickly went viral, garnering 358,000 views within 24 hours of its release, breaking the previous record for the most views in a single day.
The video, produced by Ascension and Coronation Media, aims to demystify the Bible’s complex story. Schmitz explains that the Bible tells one overarching story: God’s plan for the salvation of mankind. “Once you understand this story, you can understand the context of each book of the Bible. Now, I’ll give you the story in under 10 minutes,” he says in the video.
The response was overwhelmingly positive: By July 11, just two days after its release, the video had garnered more than 598,000 views and 11,000 likes. According to Ascension Press, this beat his previous record of 160,000 views in a single day when he reviewed the film “Sound of Freedom” in 2023.
Father Schmitz has had success with digital evangelism. His podcast, “Reading the Bible in a Year,” is a huge hit with daily episodes offering commentary, prayer, and reflection. With 660 million downloads in 2023 alone, the podcast takes listeners through the entire Bible through 365 episodes. Father Schmitz’s goal is to help people develop a deeper relationship with God by revealing the story of the Bible, page by page.
In “The Bible in 10 Minutes,” Schmitz uses vibrant animation to bring the scriptures to life. He acknowledges the difficulties many people face when trying to read the Bible. “The Bible is a wonderful thing, but it can also be confusing and difficult to read at times,” Schmitz says in the video. “And that’s because the Bible is not just a book, it’s a collection of books written in many different styles over thousands of years, all inspired by God and compiled by the Catholic Church.”
Schmitz’s ability to break down complex theological concepts into easy-to-understand, engaging content has made him a beloved figure among Catholics and non-Catholics alike, and his influence has expanded through his work as chaplain at the University of Minnesota Duluth and his contributions to the YouTube series “Ascension Presents.”
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