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

Day 146: My Soul Thirsts

May 26th, 2025  |  14 mins 3 secs

art, art meditations, ascension, boldness, catholic church, catholic faith, confidence, descent of the holy spirit, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fear, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, glorious, glorious mysteries, holy spirit, jean restout, mary, pentecost, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacred art, spirit, trust, visio divina

At Pentecost, the Apostles may have been filled with a reasonable amount of fear, as wind shook the upper room and fire descended. However, Jean Restout’s painting, Pentecost, draws our attention to someone who is unafraid: Mary, who has already experienced the overshadowing of the Spirit. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit 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 126: Fire of Love

May 6th, 2025  |  12 mins 37 secs

ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, cross, descent of the holy spirit, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fire, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, glorious, glorious mysteries, holy spirit, kindle, love, pentecost, prayer, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, sacrifice, saint, saint reflections, st. alphonsus, st. alphonsus liguori

God desires the fire of his love to burn always in our hearts, says St. Alphonsus Liguori. Fr. Mark-Mary explains that we can kindle this fire of the Holy Spirit through the  wood of the cross and the oxygen of prayer. We meditate on the Holy Spirit’s ability to transform us and growing our receptivity to his love. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

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

Day 114: Baptized with Him

April 24th, 2025  |  13 mins 11 secs

ascension, baptism, baptism in the jordan, cappadocian, catholic church, catholic faith, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, friars, holy spirit, luminous, luminous mysteries, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, saint, saint reflections, salvation, st. gregory, st. gregory of nazianzus, trinity

St. Gregory of Nazianzus offers us a reading on Christ’s baptism, full of scriptural references to the Old Testament and the Trinity. Fr. Mark-Mary provides us with historical information on St. Gregory’s teachings on the Trinity, and a meditation on  the person of Jesus and our baptism into his mystical body as the means of salvation. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Baptism of Jesus and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

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

Day 106: He Sends His Spirit

April 16th, 2025  |  11 mins 39 secs

ascension, catholic church, catholic faith, descent of the holy spirit, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, glorious, glorious mysteries, holy spirit, pentecost, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, saint, saint reflections, st. ambrose, trinity, worship

Sometimes it feels like Jesus gets more attention than the Holy Spirit. Fr. Mark-Mary, with help from a reading by  St. Ambrose, dives into the role of the Holy Spirit in our prayer, and how we ought to worship the third person of the Blessed Trinity. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

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

Day 86: Filled with New Wine

March 27th, 2025  |  18 mins 20 secs

apostles, ascension, catholic, catholic church, catholic faith, catholicism, descent of the holy spirit, father mark mary, father mark-mary, fr. mark mary, fr. mark-mary, fulfillment, glorious, glorious mysteries, holy spirit, lectio, lectio divina, new wine, promise, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, wine

After the descent of the Holy Spirit, those who hear the Apostles are amazed and perplexed, suggesting that perhaps the Apostles have had too much wine. On one level, the people are wrong, but on another level, Fr. Mark-Mary tells us, the Apostles are filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus has promised us the new wine in the Wedding Feast at Cana, and here in the third Glorious mystery, we see the fulfillment of his promise in the form of the Holy Spirit. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

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

Day 66: Wait and Pray

March 7th, 2025  |  12 mins 12 secs

apostles, catholic, catholic church, catholicism, faith, glorious, glorious mysteries, holy spirit, patience, pentecost, prayer, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, transformation

What were the Apostles feeling as they waited in the upper room? Despite their trepidation, the Apostles waited and prayed with confidence, and the Holy Spirit transformed them. Fr. Mark-Mary shares a story of transformative prayer, teaching us how we can call upon the Holy Spirit. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.

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 27: The Spirit Prepares Us

January 27th, 2025  |  10 mins 12 secs

apostles creed, creed, faith, glorious mysteries, holy spirit, incarnation, pentecost, riy, rosary, rosary in a year, rosary-in-a-year, spirit, trust

Fr. Mark-Mary shares his personal testimony on the Holy Spirit’s influence in his life and encourages us to look for the Holy Spirit’s presence in our own lives. He explains how meditating on the words of the Creed and the mysteries of the Rosary can lead us to greater understanding and faith as the Holy Spirit works through us. Today’s focus is “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints,” and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.