Mike Schmitz Explained

Honorific Prefix:The Reverend Father
Mike Schmitz
Church:Catholic Church
Diocese:Duluth
Type:priest
Ordination:June 6, 2003
Ordained By:Dennis Marion Schnurr
Birth Name:Michael Thomas Schmitz
Birth Date:14 December 1974
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Religion:Catholicism
Nationality:American

Michael Thomas Schmitz[1] (born December 14, 1974)[2] is an American Catholic priest, speaker, author, and podcaster.

The Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries in the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota,[3] [4] Schmitz is most notable for his social media presence, which mainly consist of his YouTube videos[5] [6] [7] and The Bible in a Year podcast, both of which are produced by the Catholic publisher Ascension Press.[8] [9] Schmitz is a public speaker and makes speeches at Catholic events such as the Fellowship of Catholic University Students leadership summit.[10]

Early life and education

Schmitz is the fourth of six children, born to Peter Schmitz, an orthopedic surgeon,[11] and Gudrun "Goodie" Schmitz (née Amundsen).[12] [13] Schmitz was born in the Oak Park neighborhood of Chicago, where his father attended medical school. The family then relocated to Brainerd, Minnesota, where his father practiced medicine.[14] Schmitz is of Irish and German descent; his paternal grandmother comes from County Cork.[15] Schmitz was baptized on the March 1, 1975 at the Church of the Assumption,[16] Richfield, Minneapolis. He attended St Francis of the Lakes Catholic School for elementary school, Brainerd High School,[17] and St John's University, where he majored in Theology.[18]

Despite being brought up in a Catholic family, Schmitz was largely indifferent to religion until the age of 15.[19] 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.[20] Schmitz is currently the director of youth and young adult ministry for the diocese[21] 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.

Ascension Presents
Channel Url:UCVdGX3N-WIJ5nUvklBTNhAw
Channel Display Name:Ascension Presents
Years Active:2014-Present
Subscribers:1 million
Views:150,000,000+
Stats Update:October 6, 2024

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.[22]

Schmitz was the keynote speaker at the 2022 March for Life rally, an annual pro-life event in Washington, DC.[23] [24]

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.[25] 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.[26]

Books

Lighthouse Catholic Media talks with Fr. Mike Schmitz

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fr. Mike Schmitz: "Lent + Q & A" . Youtube . FOCUS Catholic . 9 March 2022.
  2. Web site: Michael Schmitz . 2022-12-30 . www.goodreads.com.
  3. Web site: Young Adult Ministry . Dioceseduluth.org . 2023-08-20.
  4. Web site: Sarah Reinhard . 2020-01-18 . Discernment 101: Father Mike Schmitz Tackles Decision-Making in Light of God's Will . 2020-05-04 . National Catholic Register.
  5. Web site: How to be like St. Joseph in a noisy world. Matt Riedl. Arlington Catholic Herald. 2020-03-09 . 2020-05-04.
  6. Web site: Lent in the time of coronavirus: More prayer and unexpected penance. https://web.archive.org/web/20200321170308/https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2020/lent-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-more-prayer-and-unexpected-penance.cfm. dead. March 21, 2020. Carol Zimmermann. Catholic News Service. 2020-03-19 . 2020-05-04.
  7. Web site: Youtube priest shares vocation journey discernment tips in interview with Sun. Kristen Bublitz. The Catholic Sun. 2020-02-05 . 2020-05-04.
  8. News: 18 December 2015 . Video series for Year of Mercy . Catholic Herald . . 1 June 2016.
  9. News: York . Will Pavia, New . Catholic priest Father Mike Schmitz's daily podcast of the Bible tops the digital audio charts . . en . 2022-12-26 . 0140-0460.
  10. News: Father Mike Schmitz: Live for Jesus. Burkepile. Jacqueline. 15 February 2016. National Catholic Register. 1 June 2016. 6 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190406082602/http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/father-mike-schmitz-live-for-jesus. dead.
  11. Web site: 2010-12-20 . Schmitz will miss his patients, their stories . 2022-12-26 . Brainerd Dispatch . en.
  12. Web site: 1999-04-02 . Helen Amundsen . 2022-12-26 . Brainerd Dispatch . en.
  13. Web site: 2023-02-28 . Gudrun “Goodie” Schmitz . 2024-09-07 . Brainerd Dispatch . en.
  14. Web site: 2010-12-20 . Schmitz will miss his patients, their stories . 2022-12-26 . Brainerd Dispatch . en.
  15. Web site: Ignite 2020 Conference - Fr. Mike Schmitz . Youtube . Irish Dominicans.
  16. Web site: Michael Schmitz on Instagram: "47 years and four days ago…in this very church…God the Father became MY adoptive Father and I became one of His beloved sons. There will never be a way to repay Him for His goodness and His grace. And I will never be able to thank my parents and godparents enough for what they've done. As we have died in Christ, we also now live in Christ." . 2023-01-28 . Instagram . en.
  17. Web site: Priest Jubilees - June 2018 . 2022-12-30 . Diocese of Duluth . en.
  18. Web site: SJU alum's approach to Bible soars to top of podcast charts . 2022-12-26 . College of Saint Benedict & Saint John's University . en-US.
  19. Web site: Fraga . Brian . 1 December 2015 . Fr. Mike Schmitz, interview . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190406082604/https://legatus.org/tag/fr-mike-schmitz/ . 6 April 2019 . 1 June 2016 . Legatus.
  20. Web site: Lighthouse Catholic Youth speakers. 1 June 2016. 3 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160603210850/http://www.lighthousecatholicyouth.com/speakers/. dead.
  21. News: Confession Is a Place of Victory. Pronechen. Joseph. 12 March 2015. National Catholic Register. 1 June 2016.
  22. News: York. Will Pavia, New. Catholic priest Father Mike Schmitz's daily podcast of the Bible tops the digital audio charts. The Times. en. 2021-01-10. 0140-0460.
  23. Web site: CNA . The powerful message of Fr. Mike Schmitz at 2022 March for Life . 2022-12-30 . Catholic News Agency . en.
  24. Web site: 1999-04-02 . Helen Amundsen . 2022-12-30 . Brainerd Dispatch . en.
  25. Web site: CNA . Father Mike Schmitz's next podcast, 'Catechism in a Year,' starts Jan. 1 . 2022-12-30 . Catholic News Agency . en.
  26. Web site: A year with "A Catechism in a Year Podcast". Catholic World Report.
  27. Web site: Father Michael Schmitz Tells the Truth in Love About Same-Sex Attraction. Daniel Mattson. National Catholic Register. 2018-04-08 . 2020-05-04.
  28. Web site: SJU alum's approach to Bible soars to top of podcast charts . 2023-12-20 . College of Saint Benedict & Saint John's University . en-US.

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