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

Day 168: Our Shared Inheritance

June 17th, 2025  |  15 mins 47 secs

and st. john the baptist, art, art meditations, ascension, beatitudes, catholic church, catholic faith, coronation, coronation of mary, crown, crowning, earth, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, giuseppe mattia borgnis, glorious, glorious mysteries, heaven, inheritance, queen, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, st. anne, st. joseph, visio divina

The Coronation of Mary is portrayed in Giuseppe Mattia Borgnis’s fresco, where the Trinity crowns her Queen of Heaven as saints, angels, and loved ones gaze on with joy. The presence of St. Joseph, St. Anne, and St. John the Baptist emphasizes that those who suffer with Christ also share in His glory. We are reminded that while the road of discipleship includes pain, it ultimately leads to the fulfillment of God’s promises of eternal victory and our shared inheritance in Christ. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Coronation of Mary 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 165: Following in His Footsteps

June 14th, 2025  |  14 mins 7 secs

art, art meditations, ascension, bernardino gandino, catholic church, catholic faith, father mark mary, father mark-mary, father’s house, follow, footprints, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, glorious, glorious mysteries, heaven, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacraments, sacred art, st. francis of assisi, the ascension, visio divina

Exploring the mystery of the Ascension, Fr. Mark-Mary meditates on Jesus’ enduring presence through the symbol of His footprints, as depicted in Bernardino Gandino’s Baroque painting. This image becomes a powerful reminder of Christ’s continued presence and an invitation to follow Him not just in spirit, but step by step, through Scripture, the sacraments, and the life of the Church. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Ascension 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 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 105: Love Draws Us Up

April 15th, 2025  |  11 mins 31 secs

ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, glorious, glorious mysteries, heaven, love, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, saint, saint reflections, st. thomas aquinas, theological truth, theology

Heaven is more than just a theological reality. Heaven can be a personal truth we approach with profound love, longing to join Jesus in heaven. Fr. Mark-Mary reads from St. Thomas Aquinas, leading us in meditation on the mystery of the Ascension. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Ascension and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

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

Day 65: Returning Home

March 6th, 2025  |  9 mins 48 secs

apostles, ascension, catholic, catholic church, catholicism, faith, glorious, glorious mysteries, heaven, home, jesus, pope benedict xvi, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year

Did Jesus leave us when he ascended to heaven? Fr. Mark-Mary answers this question, leading us in a meditation on the certainty of Jesus’ perpetual presence with us in all times and places. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Ascension 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.

Day 46: Come Holy Spirit

February 15th, 2025  |  11 mins 59 secs

covenant, descent of the holy spirit, ezekiel, fulfillment, glorified reality, glorious, glorious mysteries, heaven, historical context, holy spirit, joel, new covenant, old testament, pentecost, pope john paul ii, promises, reality, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year

The Descent of the Holy Spirit makes all things new, including our way of participating in God’s life. Fr. Mark-Mary looks at Pentecost as a prayer event, the fulfilment of the promise of the Father, and as a fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Pentecost, drawing on audiences from Pope John Paul II. As we pray the Rosary, we meditate on this new life of God at work in us through the Holy Spirit. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, 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 45: He Parted from Them

February 14th, 2025  |  9 mins 33 secs

ascension, destination, destiny, future, glorified reality, glorious, glorious mysteries, heaven, historical context, hope, human nature, humanity, old testament, pope benedict xvi, reality, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, space

What does Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, body and soul, mean for us? Fr. Mark-Mary explains that this mystery is more than Jesus joining the Father in Heaven: the Ascension has implications for our future destiny. For the first time, humanity enters into the life of God as Jesus’ human body enters heaven. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Ascension, 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.