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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We reflect on the moments in Jesus’ ministry that reveal his identity and invite our response of faith as we pray the Luminous mysteries. We revisit several of our Saint reflections as Fr. Mark-Mary highlights St. Ambrose’s teaching on the Father’s voice proclaiming Jesus as the beloved Son, and St. Alphonsus Liguori’s reflection on Mary’s unique intercessory role. As we continue through the mysteries, Fr. Mark-Mary reflects on James Tissot’s depiction of the grateful leper as a symbol of the Proclamation of the Kingdom, the disciples’ mountaintop experience in the Transfiguration, and Jesus washing the disciples’ feet at the Last Supper. Today's focus is the Luminous Mysteries, and we’ll be praying the full Rosary. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

We begin the Glorious Mysteries, returning to St. Augustine’s reflection on the Resurrection: a doorway to new life was opened in the Resurrection, that we ourselves share in through our baptism. Just as we enter into the Resurrection through our Baptisms, the Ascension too is a promise about our future destiny, as Fr. Mark-Mary explains Jesus is giving us the promise we’re meant to join him in heaven. In the Descent of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sends us the Spirit to accompany us, and sends us another promise in the form of Mary’s Assumption. Finally, Fr. Mark-Mary reflects on the beautiful love of God revealed in Mary’s coronation. 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.

Fr. Mark-Mary guides us in a deeply contemplative Rosary, as we walk the path of the Sorrowful Mysteries with Jesus. We encounter Christ in the Agony in the Garden, reflecting on how all of Salvation history has been leading to this moment. Reverently, we witness the Scourging and Crowning with Thorns, beholding Christ’s love and kingship. We honor the cross that became the sign of our salvation as Jesus carries it with love, and conclude in a meditation on James Tissot’s painting, What Our Lord Saw from the Cross. 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.

We journey again through the Joyful Mysteries, stopping to meditate with Jan van Eyck’s depiction of the Annunciation and its reminder to keep in conversation with God. Fr. Mark-Mary reminds us of St. Joseph’s essential role in the Nativity. We meditate on Mary’s sacrifice revealed in the Presentation in the Temple, and the call to turn to God in the Finding in the Temple. 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.

Fr. Mark-Mary draws us into the Glorious Mysteries, reflecting first on the Resurrection as the definitive victory over death. He then considers the Ascension as the culmination of Christ’s self-emptying, urging us to imitate his humility. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit’s fire becomes a source of renewal for hearts grown weary. The Assumption highlights Mary’s childlike trust, which becomes a powerful defense against evil. Finally, in the Coronation, Mary’s unique grace as Queen and Mother strengthens us to do the Father’s will. 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.

Today, Fr. Mark-Mary prays with the Joyful Mysteries, beginning with the Annunciation and the beautiful tension St. Bernard describes as all of heaven awaiting Mary’s “yes.” In the Visitation, he reminds us that although we don’t know every detail of our future, God gives enough light for each step. At the Nativity, he encourages us to bring our whole hearts—joys and sorrows alike—to the newborn Christ. He then reflects on the Presentation through Anna’s long waiting and God’s tender gaze. Finally, in the Finding in the Temple, we learn from Mary’s calm, confident pondering as she receives everything in love. 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.

Guiding us through the Sorrowful Mysteries, Fr. Mark-Mary ponders these mysteries through the lens of the Prodigal Son. In the Agony in the Garden, he highlights that just as the prodigal son demanded his inheritance, sinful humanity grasped at Christ, prompting us to consider the ways we, too, take matters into our own hands. During the Scourging and the Crowning with Thorns, he reveals both the cost of sin and the unshakable truth of our identity as beloved sons and daughters of the Father. As we arrive at the Carrying of the Cross and the Crucifixion, Fr. Mark-Mary emphasizes the Father’s relentless pursuit of us—running toward us in our weakness and answering every doubt with unwavering love. 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.

Fr. Mark-Mary shares insights on the Luminous Mysteries. In the Baptism of Jesus, he reminds us that the light of Christ shines even in the shadow of the cross, and at the Wedding at Cana, we see Mary noticing our needs and interceding with tender care. He meditates on Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom and His call to a deeper, more generous love, and on the Transfiguration as the moment when Christ reveals His radiant divinity. Finally, we are called to marvel at the “creativity of love” in the Eucharist, where Jesus remains with us in every place and circumstance. Today’s focus is the Luminous Mysteries, and we’ll be praying the full Rosary. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

For today’s Rosary, Fr. Mark-Mary reflects on the hidden beauty of the Resurrection, the longing for heaven stirred within us by the Ascension, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit revealed at Pentecost. He invites us to contemplate Mary’s Assumption as a sign of the glory prepared for those who trust in the Lord and her Coronation as the fruit of a life lived in humility. 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.

As we pray the Rosary, contemplating the sorrowful mysteries, Fr. Mark-Mary encourages us to draw close to Jesus. We witness the culmination of all of salvation history in the Garden of Gethsemane, we see the depths of love poured out for us with his blood, and we are invited to bring our contrition and hearts to our Lord. 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.

We return to Fra Angelico’s painting of The Annunciation and Giulio Campi’s fresco of the Presentation in the Temple as Fr. Mark-Mary leads us in meditation on the reverence and faith revealed in the Joyful Mysteries. Our prayer explores themes of humility, God’s love for us, and the importance of keeping our eyes on Jesus. 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.

Fr. Mark-Mary leads us in the Rosary, centering our meditations around hope. We’re reminded of the message both Christ and the Angel share: to not be afraid, the Apostles’ assiduous prayer of hope before Pentecost, and the promise revealed in Mary’s Assumption. 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.

Our meditations for today’s Rosary remind us of how God so often moves in unexpected ways. Fr. Mark-Mary reminds us of the prophecy shared with Zechariah and Elizabeth, concurrent with the Annunciation. Instead of the Messiah coming to a priest in the Temple, the Messiah is given to a hidden, lowly woman. Similarly, the Holy Family’s journey to Bethlehem was surely difficult, yet God was working through this to fulfill Micah 5:2. 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.

For today’s Rosary, Fr. Mark-Mary shares meditations on Vincente Masip’s Jesus in Gethsemane, the parallels between Christ and Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant, Fulton Sheen’s reflection on Pilate’s choices, and more. We walk with Christ through his passion, journeying from the Garden to the Cross. 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.

Gathering in prayer, we turn to the Luminous Mysteries as Fr. Mark-Mary invites us to rediscover our identity as the Father’s beloved children in the light of Jesus’ Baptism. At the Wedding at Cana, we reflect on Mary’s courageous willingness to offer her Son for the sake of God’s plan and the good of the world. Jesus proclaims the Kingdom and calls us to open our hearts, and during the Transfiguration, He reveals a glory that draws us beyond our distractions and into deeper wonder. In the Eucharist, we encounter the burning desire of Jesus’ heart for communion with us. Today’s focus is the Luminous Mysteries, and we’ll be praying the full Rosary. Today's focus is the Luminous Mysteries, and we’ll be praying the full Rosary. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.