The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)

Day 10: Blessed Are You (2026)

January 10th, 2026  |  8 mins 44 secs

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Everytime we say the Hail Mary, we express a cry of joy in honor of the Blessed Mother. Fr. Mark-Mary reveals the Biblical celebration at the center of the Hail Mary that we too can participate in, sharing a story of the Franciscan Friars delight in God’s creation that we can emulate as we pray the Rosary. Today’s focus is “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,” and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

Day 9: Blessed Are You (2026)

January 9th, 2026  |  8 mins 24 secs

ave maria, hail mary, marian prayer, mary, mother of god, mother of jesus, praying through mary, praying to mary, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year

Everytime we say the Hail Mary, we express a cry of joy in honor of the Blessed Mother. Fr. Mark-Mary reveals the Biblical celebration at the center of the Hail Mary that we too can participate in, sharing a story of the Franciscan Friars delight in God’s creation that we can emulate as we pray the Rosary. Today’s focus is “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,” and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.
For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 8: Full of Grace (2026)

January 8th, 2026  |  9 mins 11 secs

ave maria, hail mary, marian prayer, mary, mother of god, mother of jesus, praying through mary, praying to mary, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year

As we pray the rosary, we can focus on the words of the prayers we’re saying, especially the words of the Hail Mary. Fr. Mark-Mary explains the Biblical roots of the Hail Mary, leading us in a meditation of love for Mary. Today’s focus is “Hail Mary, full of grace,” and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

Day 7: Grace Will Overflow (2026)

January 7th, 2026  |  10 mins 1 sec

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Praying the Rosary is not just for ourselves! Fr. Mark-Mary reveals how your prayers of the Rosary are a powerful action that God can use to create an overflowing of grace into your relationships, your family, and our world. Today’s focus is on prayer as a source of grace and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 6: Prayer is a Battle (2026)

January 6th, 2026  |  10 mins 45 secs

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How is prayer a battle, and what role does the rosary serve in this fight? Fr. Mark-Mary explains the various struggles we may experience while trying to grow our prayer life, and how we can use the Rosary as a weapon to defeat temptation. Today’s focus is on prayer as a battle and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 5: A Garden of Rest (2026)

January 5th, 2026  |  15 mins 20 secs

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When we’re with Mary,  we don't have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. Fr. Mark-Mary looks into the history of the Rosary and shares a meditation to help us rest with Mary in the garden of the Rosary. Today’s focus is “Mary, mother inviolate,” and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 4: Prayer With Mary (2026)

January 4th, 2026  |  14 mins 2 secs

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The Rosary is a Marian prayer, which means we can deepen our experience of prayer through meditating on Mary’s life and virtues. Follow along with Fr. Mark-Mary as he explains how Mary mirrors God the Father’s love, and shares a meditation on how we can experience the loving face of Mary in our prayer of the Rosary today. Today’s focus is “Mary, the mirror of justice,” and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 3: Heart of Jesus (2026)

January 3rd, 2026  |  14 mins 48 secs

ascension, catholic, catholic church, catholic faith, catholicism, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, jesus, litany of the sacred heart, meditation, mercy, patience, prayer, presence of god, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year

What do you feel when you are in the presence of Jesus? Freedom and comfort, or is there some apprehension or anxiety? Today, we journey with Fr. Mark-Mary to Jesus’ workshop, practicing imaginative meditation to use when we pray the Rosary. Today’s focus is “Heart of Jesus, patient and full of mercy,” and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 2: The King Knows You (2026)

January 2nd, 2026  |  12 mins 40 secs

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Jesus, the eternal king, knows your name. Fr. Mark-Mary leads us in a meditation on the presence of Jesus to assist us in our prayer of the rosary, expressing the truth that the king of the universe personally knows and loves you. Today’s focus is “Jesus, King and center of all hearts” and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 1: Responding to God (2026)

January 1st, 2026  |  12 mins 40 secs

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Welcome to Day 1 of the Rosary in a Year! Today we begin our journey with Fr. Mark-Mary, as he leads us in a guided meditation to help us find the presence of God as we pray. This first phase, Forming the Relationship, will set the stage for your rosaries all year as we begin deepening our relationship with Jesus and Mary in prayer. Today’s focus is on finding the presence of God, and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 365: The Glorious Mysteries

December 31st, 2025  |  29 mins 17 secs

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We conclude our Rosary in a Year journey with the Glorious Mysteries, thanking God for all of his gifts and blessings, both throughout Salvation history and our own lives. Fr. Mark-Mary shares his farewell message of thanks and emphasizes that while our 365 episodes of Rosary in a Year have come to an end, our journeys of prayer and drawing closer to God should continue on. We bring our “loaves and fish,” our prayer, commitment, and perseverance to Mary and Jesus today, confident that they will multiply our efforts. Today's focus is the Glorious Mysteries, and we’ll be praying the full Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 364: The Sorrowful Mysteries

December 30th, 2025  |  30 mins 12 secs

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We are called to remain close to Jesus in moments of sorrow, learning from His choice to meet suffering with trust in the Father rather than isolation. Fr. Mark-Mary reflects on the Passion as a costly gift of love, revealing how deeply Christ desires to save and remain with us. Through perseverance in prayer, we are reminded that Jesus never stops seeking us, even when the road is heavy. At the foot of the Cross, we receive Mary as our Mother, finding consolation in her faithful and tender care. Today’s focus is the Sorrowful Mysteries, and we’ll be praying the full Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 363: The Joyful Mysteries

December 29th, 2025  |  28 mins 28 secs

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As we come together to pray the Joyful Mysteries, Fr. Mark-Mary calls us to place our lives before the Lord with the same trust and openness shown by Mary. He reflects on how God brings life to what feels empty or lifeless, choosing humble hearts as His dwelling place. We are encouraged to persevere in prayer, to seek Jesus with renewed desire, and to allow Him to gather our scattered hearts into a deeper love for the Father. Today’s focus is the Joyful Mysteries, and we’ll be praying the full Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 362: The Glorious Mysteries

December 28th, 2025  |  28 mins 50 secs

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Inviting us to encounter the risen Jesus, Fr. Mark-Mary focuses on the deep joy that comes from loving Christ and rejoicing in His victory, a joy meant to shape our daily lives. As we pray, we ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with awe before God’s greatness and to renew our hearts. We also place our hopes and struggles into the care of Mary, our Queen and Mother, trusting in her loving intercession. Today’s focus is the Glorious Mysteries, and we’ll be praying the full Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 361: The Joyful Mysteries

December 27th, 2025  |  30 mins 35 secs

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Today, Fr. Mark-Mary invites us to bring our worries, our smallness, and our longing into God’s presence with confidence that nothing is impossible for Him. He reflects on the way God is drawn to humility, lifting us where we cannot lift ourselves, and in the quiet peace that comes from beholding Christ with a childlike heart. Even moments of spiritual dryness, he notes, can lead us into deeper relationship as we seek the Lord anew. Today’s focus is the Joyful Mysteries, and we’ll be praying the full Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 360: The Sorrowful Mysteries

December 26th, 2025  |  29 mins 53 secs

agony, agony in the garden, ascension, carrying, carrying of the cross, catholic church, catholic faith, contemplative prayer, crowning, crowning with thorns, crucifixion, decades, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, imaginative prayer, mary, meditating, meditation archive, meditation muscles, meditative prayer, poco a poco, prayer, praying together, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacrifice, scourging, scourging at the pillar, sorrowful, sorrowful mysteries, suffering

We pray the Sorrowful Mysteries and enter deeply into the heart of Christ’s Passion, guided by Fr. Mark-Mary through each decade. In the Agony in the Garden, Fr. Mark-Mary reflects on Jesus’ threefold cry of “My Father,” showing how Jesus faces his suffering in relationship with the Father, inviting us to bring our own agonies to God with the same trust. The Scourging at the Pillar inspires us to meditate on the irony of the crowd choosing Barabbas, the “son of the father” in name only, over the true Son. Despite the mockery of the Crowning with Thorns, Fr. Mark-Mary shows how even here Christ’s kingship is revealed and God is silently at work for our salvation. During the Carrying of the Cross, we’re guided into a moment of imaginative prayer, placing us in the role of Simon of Cyrene. Finally, as we pray with the Crucifixion, Fr. Mark-Mary draws attention to the tearing of the temple veil and Pope Benedict XVI’s insight that symbols give way to reality: God himself has opened the way to his heart through the crucified Christ. Today's focus is the Sorrowful Mysteries, and we’ll be praying the full Rosary.

For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.