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

Day 218: Walking With Mary

August 6th, 2025  |  11 mins 56 secs

ascension, assumption, building, building up the decades, catholic church, catholic faith, contemplative prayer, coronation, decades, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, glorious, glorious mysteries, imaginative prayer, intercession, intercessory prayer, mary, meditating, meditative prayer, mother, our lady, poco a poco, prayer, queen, relational prayer, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, two decades

In this final episode of our series on relational prayer with the Rosary, we turn our hearts toward Our Lady, inviting her not only into our imagination but into the very moments of our day, whether in prayer, work, or rest. Fr. Mark-Mary encourages us to be with Mary wherever we are: beside us in the chapel, in the car, at the kitchen sink, or on a prayer walk. Let her love you, shelter you, and intercede for you. Today’s focus is the mysteries of the Assumption and the Coronation of Mary, and we will be praying two decades of the Rosary.

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

Day 207: Fiat by Fiat

July 26th, 2025  |  14 mins 59 secs

ascension, assumption, catholic church, catholic faith, father mark mary, father mark-mary, finding focus, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, heaven, homecoming, independent meditation, luminous, luminous mysteries, mary, meditation, mother theresa, practice, prayer, promises, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, trust

 Those of us who wish to experience the fulfillment of God's promises in our lives are called to make the journey through life to heaven just like Mary did: fiat by fiat. Fr. Mark-Mary walks through our meditation archive, reminding us that the Assumption reveals how God will fulfill his promises and inspires us to our homecoming in heaven. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Assumption and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

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

Day 187: God is Never Outdone

July 6th, 2025  |  13 mins

art, art meditations, ascension, assumption, catholic church, catholic faith, creator, creature, divinity, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, generosity, glorious, glorious mysteries, humanity, light, mary, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, stained glass, visio divina

Jesus took flesh from Mary and glorified it, says St. Augustine. As we meditate on the Assumption through a stained glass depiction, Fr. Mark-Mary explains how Mary’s generosity to Jesus is given back to her as he shares his divine nature with her. The creature, he says, will never best the generosity of the creator. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Assumption and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

All of the Sacred Art we’ll be meditating with can be found in the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide, for free linked in the complete prayer plan, or in the Ascension App. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 167: Glory Awaits the Faithful

June 16th, 2025  |  13 mins 37 secs

art, art meditations, ascension, assumption, catholic church, catholic faith, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, glorious, glorious mysteries, heaven, mariani, mary, queen, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, st bonaventure, victorious, victory, visio divina

Fr. Mark-Mary reflects on the Assumption of Mary through Cesare Mariani’s 1863 fresco, which depicts Our Lady rising in glory, surrounded by angels, saints, and the faithful. This meditation reminds us that in Christ, the victory is already won—and all who remain faithful will share in that eternal triumph with Him and Our Lady. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Assumption and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

All of the Sacred Art we’ll be meditating with can be found in the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide, for free linked in the complete prayer plan, or in the Ascension App. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 147: Fullness of Victory

May 27th, 2025  |  14 mins 10 secs

art, art meditations, ascension, assumption, catholic church, catholic faith, childlike, daughter, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, fresco, glorious, glorious mysteries, immaculate conception, mary, riy, rome, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, victory, visio divina

Mary, through her Immaculate Conception, shares in the fullness of Christ’s victory. Fr. Mark-Mary, meditating on The Immaculate Conception, a fresco in the Church of Santa Maria dell’Orto, in Rome, explains the intrinsic connection between the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Assumption and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

All of the Sacred Art we’ll be meditating with can be found in the Rosary in a Year Prayer Guide, for free linked in the complete prayer plan, or for free in the Ascension App. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

Day 127: Reunion into Heaven

May 7th, 2025  |  11 mins 54 secs

ascension, assumption, catholic church, catholic faith, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, glorious, glorious mysteries, grace, heaven, mary, mother teresa, resurrection, reunion, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, saint, saint reflections, st. bernard, st. bernard of clairvaux

What was it like in heaven the day Mary was assumed?  St. Bernard of Clairvaux describes the incredible joy that must have occurred, and Fr. Mark-Mary shares a story of Mother Theresa that mimics the joy of reunion to help us meditate on the mystery of the Assumption. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Assumption and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

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

Day 107: Beauty Which Never Fades

April 17th, 2025  |  14 mins 58 secs

aging, ascension, assumption, beauty, catholic church, catholic faith, earth, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, fulton sheen, glorious, glorious mysteries, heaven, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, saint, saint reflections, venerable fulton sheen

The mystery of the Assumption reveals to us that true beauty lies not in earthly appearances, but heavenly things, in heaven, our true home. Fr. Mark-Mary reads from Venerable Fulton Sheen, meditating on the Assumption lifting us out of earthly despair to heavenly joy. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Assumption and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

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

Day 87: It’s All True

March 28th, 2025  |  14 mins 45 secs

ascension, assumption, catholic, catholic church, catholic faith, catholicism, elizabeth, faithfulness, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, glorious, glorious mysteries, glory, lectio, lectio divina, magnificat, mary, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, salvation, trust

The mystery of the Assumption reveals that everything God promised to Mary was fulfilled. Fr. Mark-Mary emphasizes that we can place our hope in this: if God’s faithfulness was true for Mary, God’s faithfulness will be true for us. We, like Mary, are invited to share in the blessedness of salvation as heirs of the works of God. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Assumption and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

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

Day 67: He Has Promised

March 8th, 2025  |  12 mins 1 sec

assumption, catholic, catholic church, catholicism, doubt, faith, fulfillment, glorious, glorious mysteries, god’s plan, mary, promise, promises, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, trust

Sometimes God asks us to do things that are unexpected or difficult. However, these times are often an opportunity for God to bless us: although we might have planned good things for ourselves, God asks us to trust that he has the best planned for us. Fr. Mark-Mary shows how Mary is the perfect example of this trust in God, and how God’s promises of goodness are fulfilled in the Assumption. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Assumption of Mary and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

Day 47: Mary’s Return Home

February 16th, 2025  |  12 mins 36 secs

ark of the covenant, assumption, glorious, glorious mysteries, heaven, historical context, mary, mother of god, old testament, revelation, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year

What are the Biblical roots of the Assumption? Fr. Mark-Mary draws from both the Old and New Testament to explain the Biblical basis of Mary’s Assumption. Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant, and so just as David ensured the first Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem, Jesus would ensure that his mother was brought home to heaven, body and soul. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Assumption of Mary, 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.