Diocesan Priest Joins Ascension Presents YouTube Channel

On Oct. 19, 2021, Fr. Josh Johnson, Diocese of Baton Rouge Director of Vocations and priest, debuted his first video, "Can Catholics Do Halloween?," on the biggest Catholic YouTube channel - Ascension Presents. 

With 18,000 views in 24 hours, the inaugural "Halloween" episode of the new show "Ask Fr. Josh (The Catholic Question and Answer Show on Ascension Presents)" is already a hit, as seen in the comments:

• Fr. Josh, your devotion to God is unquestionable and you have been blessed with a fabulous way to communicate your faith and your wisdom to us! Thank you so much and God bless you! I love your singing! :) – Deborah M.
   
• This was so funny and great! Can't wait to see more of these! – Dora
   
• I am not Catholic but I loooooove these videos. I learn so much and it helps with my own relationship with The LORD. Thanks for your ministry! – Bold Follower

The show encourages viewers to #AskFrJosh their questions in the comment section using a hashtag, as well as to share a #GloryStory–a story of God's blessing in their daily lives. Fr. Josh will share select viewer comments in future episodes.

Fr. Josh, the Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Baton Rouge as well as a Campus Minister at Christ the King Catholic Student Center (Louisiana State University), has previously worked with Ascension on nearly a dozen projects including books, teen formation programs, and prayer programs.

While he has made cameo appearances previously on the Ascension Presents YouTube channel, this new show will be his first regular engagement on the platform.

"The purpose of this show is for me to listen to people's questions, to pray with them, study about the topics, and to hopefully respond in such a way that will help my viewers grow their relationships with God, with the Church, and with the wider community," explains the priest. "As Catholics, we have questions and sometimes we don't know where to go to get a good, healthy response. This question-and-answer show is here to serve that need."

Fr. Josh's Ascension podcast, "Ask Father Josh," is also an eponymous show with a similar question-and-answer format, but the content of the two offerings is different. While the his podcast features Fr. Josh answering multiple questions per week, his YouTube program will allow a deep dive into a single query, such as the first episode's topic: "How Should Catholics Celebrate Halloween?"

While waiting for the next episode to drop on November 3, fans can enjoy the archives of Fr. Josh's podcast at www.Media.AscensionPress.com.

About Fr. Josh Johnson
Although Fr. Josh Johnson was raised Catholic, he didn't like the Church very much while growing up. One day, during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, he fell in love with Jesus and received the call to become a priest. Now, Fr. Josh is the Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Campus Minister at Louisiana State University, and Chaplain at Cristo Rey Franciscan High School. Fr. Josh is a presenter in several Ascension programs, including Altaration, Connected, Rejoice!, Venture, and YOU, as well as the author of Broken and Blessed: An Invitation to My Generation, the Pocket Guide to Adoration, and the Pocket Guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. You can keep in touch with Fr. Josh through his weekly Ascension podcast, Ask Fr. Josh, and the new biweekly YouTube show, Ask Fr. Josh (The Catholic Question and Answer Show on Ascension Presents).

About Ascension
Ascension is a multimedia network and the leader in Catholic faith formation and digital content. Over the past 20 years, Ascension has helped nurture the faith of over 10 million people in over 8,000 parishes through more than 50 unique faith formation programs and the Ascension Presents media and YouTube platforms.