[Exton, PA, October 4, 2024—]
Upon hitting 1 million, Ascension releases a video love letter to its audience: “From all of us here at Ascension Presents… thank you. All 1 million of you.”
As the Ascension Presents YouTube channel passed the coveted 1 Million subscriber mark today—earning YouTube’s Gold Creator Award—Ascension released a special video honoring its audience of nearly 10 years:
The nostalgic video flashes through the top Catholic evangelists who have appeared on the channel over the years and ends with a simple message to the viewing audience: “From all of us here at Ascension Presents, we want to take this moment to thank you. All 1 million of you.” The touching sign-off echoes the classic words Fr. Mike Schmitz uses to end his videos on the channel: “From all of us here at Ascension Presents, my name’s Fr. Mike.”
New “Truth and Beauty” Catholic Creator Awards to Celebrate the 1 Million Milestone
Ascension has announced an awards program to celebrate the milestone:
Ascension “Truth and Beauty” Awards for Catholic Content Creators
Catholic content creators on social media are encouraged to submit their best videos to be judged on the criteria of “truth and beauty,” elements from the Ascension mission statement. The Ascension team, including Fr. Mike Schmitz, will select the winning videos and celebrate them on the Ascension social media platforms. Winners will receive commemorative plaques and $500 cash prizes to help creators invest in their camera equipment and editing software.
“When Ascension Presents launched in 2015, few people had heard of Fr. Mike Schmitz,” explains Lauren Joyce, PR Manager for Ascension and coordinator of the awards program. “With the ‘Truth and Beauty’ Awards for Catholic Content Creators, we hope to celebrate other up-and-coming creators. There are incredibly passionate and talented Catholics using social media and YouTube to share the Gospel’s transformative power. We are excited to highlight their efforts!”
Ascension Presents: Defining the Genre of Video-Based Faith Formation
Over the last decade, Ascension Presents has defined the genre of video-based Catholic faith formation, publishing 1,500 videos, earning 150 Million views, and launching 4 additional YouTube channels. Highlights have included:
- 1st channel video (2015): “Pizza, Bromance, and Your Mom” (Fr. Mike Schmitz)
- Most popular video (6.5M views): “Pray with Us: The Chaplet of Divine Mercy” (Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR and Fr. Pierre Toussaint, CFR)
- Fr. Mike Schmitz’s most popular video (3.1M views): “Why Be Catholic and Not Just Christian?”
- Fr. Mike Schmitz’s video with the most 1-day views (358k): “The Bible in 10 Minutes”
- Video with the most virality on social media: “The Sisters of Life Answer the Internet’s Top Questions About Nuns” (over 4 million views on all social media channels)
“We’re honored to see Ascension Presents recognized with a Gold Creator Award for earning our millionth subscriber,” comments Ascension President and CEO Jonathan Strate. “This achievement is the fruit of a decade of hard work by both our video evangelists and our in-house team. The love Catholics have shown for Ascension Presents over the last decade shows that audiences are hungry for faith-based content and appreciate excellent production value in the media they consume.”
In addition to Fr. Mike Schmitz, other channel anchors over the years have included Jackie and Bobby Angel, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames (CFR) and other Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Jeff Cavins, and Fr. Josh Johnson. Notable Catholic evangelists like Matt Fradd, Emily Wilson, the Sisters of Life, Fr. Mark Toups, Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, and Jason Evert have appeared on the channel, and even Catholic actors Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie have made cameo appearances.
Ascension has launched 4 additional YouTube channels over the years, becoming a network of 5 channels with a combined subscriber base of 1,500,000. Each channel has its own videos and content theme:
- Ascension Presents (@AscensionPresents)
- The Bible in a Year & More: Fr. Mike & Jeff Cavins (@TheBibleInAYear)
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) (@TheCatechismInAYear)
- Sundays with Ascension (@SundaysWithAscension)
- La Biblia en un Año (con Fray Sergio Serrano, OP) (@LaBibliaEn365Dias)
Supporting Converts to the Catholic Faith
Over the years, Ascension Presents has helped many people outside the Church explore the truths of Catholicism and consider conversion. Many of these accounts are peppered throughout the comment sections of videos like Why Be Catholic and Not Just Christian?
About Ascension
Ascension is a multimedia network and the leader in Catholic faith formation and digital content. Over the past 25 years, Ascension has helped nurture the faith of over 10 million Catholics through award-winning books, the chart-topping Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)® podcast, more than 50 unique faith formation programs, and the Ascension Presents media and YouTube platforms.
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