Our God is an amazing God—a Father who loves and cares for us more than we could ever fathom. He chose a beautiful young woman for His mother. He chose a faithful foster father. He then sent His Son as a tiny baby born in a stable. This baby grew and taught, and as a man, He healed the sick, cured lepers, raised the dead, and then allowed Himself to be tortured and killed for our sins. Yet that wasn’t the end of the story. He conquered death, and He now gives Himself to us in the Eucharist during every Mass.
We know all this because we believe the inerrant word of the Gospels. And we can reflect on these events and more when we contemplate the mysteries of the Rosary—as they all have biblical roots.
The rosary is a powerful spiritual weapon in our fight against evil. History has shown that our Blessed Mother protects those who are faithful to praying the Rosary. We saw this at Champion, Wisconsin; at the Battle of Lepanto; the Battle of Vienna; and more. And at American Life League, through our Marian Blue Wave program, in which we pray for preborn babies, their moms, and the closing of all abortion facilities, we see Mary’s protection of the babies through pro-life victories.
The Rosary is a beautiful prayer, and it is through the mysteries and prayers of the Rosary that we strengthen our faith, grow in spirituality, and deepen our relationship with God.
But how many Catholics actually pray the Rosary regularly? One survey found that just 44% of adults pray it—ever.
Knowing that the Rosary is such a powerful spiritual weapon and that it’s pleasing to both God and His mother, and knowing that it can transform our hearts, Ascension is gearing up to start a new podcast on January 1. In years past, podcast listeners deepened their faith and were inspired by Ascension’s Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year podcasts, both hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz.
This year, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR, director of communications and the director of priestly studies of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, will host a new “in a year” podcast called Rosary in a Year, which hopes to guide “listeners in a step-by-step journey that will change the way you pray—no matter where you are in your spiritual life.”
This is great news for anyone who wants to grow in devotion to the Rosary.
In a recent introductory episode, Fr. Mark-Mary chatted with Fr. Mike Schmitz about the goals of the podcast and about what listeners should expect. During their conversation, Fr. Mark-Mary likened Ascension’s “in a year” podcasts to a garden. He explained that, with Bible in a Year, listeners found the land, tilled it, and planted seeds and created the garden. Then with Catechism in a Year, listeners learned how to take care of the garden. And now in the Rosary in a Year, listeners will cultivate the garden and enjoy the fruits.
This beautiful imagery should resonate with us all, as we know that, in order to deepen our relationship with Christ, we must learn how to pray, as Fr. Mike said, in any season. That means we pray in good times and bad.
If you’re like me, you know it can be really difficult to love saying the Rosary. I personally love the idea of the rosary and the rosary itself. I have several very special ones. But I have never truly enjoyed praying the Rosary. I find myself stumbling over the repetition and losing focus partway through.
That’s why I am so excited about this new podcast, as Fr. Mark-Mary and the team at Ascension truly seem to know that many people feel this way. And they want us to know that it’s okay and that it takes practice to grow in any devotion. What God wants is our hearts and our desire to grow closer to Him.
That’s why the podcast will take an entire year to build the foundation we all need to truly love saying the Rosary and to not only make it a part of our lives but a part of us as well.
Fr. Mark-Mary walked listeners through the following six phases that will build the foundational prayers of the Rosary:
1. Forming the Relationship
In this first phase, the podcast will help us establish and deepen our relationship with Jesus, the Trinity, and with Mary. At the end of each day, we will pray one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and the Glory Be together.
2. Biblical Roots of Mysteries and Prayers
In phase two, the podcast will focus on the scripture verses that go with each mystery and that are the roots of the other prayers of the Rosary (yes, they all are!). We will still pray just one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and the Glory Be.
3. Meditating on the Mysteries
This phase begins with Lectio Divina (divine reading) and will offer reflections and essays on the mysteries by some beloved saints. It will also include Visio Divina (divine seeing), and listeners will be able to look up sacred works of art that depict the mysteries. We will then pray a decade of the Rosary.
4. Finding Focus
This phase begins “building up the muscle of prayer” and will include 10 minutes of praying with the mystery. We will then pray a decade of the Rosary.
5. Building Up the Decades
This phase leads us to an increase in prayer, as we pray two decades, then three, then four, and then finally the whole Rosary by the end of the phase.
6. Praying Together
In this phase, which lasts the final 30 days of the year, we will pray the whole Rosary daily.
Spending time each day with the events from Jesus’ life, with the saints who studied the faith, and with Jesus’ own words from scripture, and then truly learning where the prayers originated and how to reflect on the mysteries will be transformative.
Fr. Mark-Mary said that his hope is that people fall in love with our Lord, with our Lady, and with the Rosary. I have no doubt that at the end of 2025, that percentage of Catholics who pray the rosary will be much higher than 44 percent.
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Surely this will be a help to many. I have found what is sometimes referred to as a “Scriptural Rosary” to be excellent, though it also requires work at first. After familiarizing myself with the scriptural references appropriate to each bead of each mystery, and interiorizing them, I have sort of a conversation with Mary about each one. Eventually, without distractions, I can have concentrated prayer and reflections for all of an hour or hour and a half (sometimes more) – all with eyes closed. I call it a total immersion Rosary. As if that’s not enough, I include in the Fatima prayer an ending from reading Portuguese scholars who say that the standard ending, :… souls most in need of thy mercy [in purgatory]”, whereon I name all those I am most anxious about. If this sounds arduous, I would recommend the straight “Scriptural Rosary” at first.
I prayed 🙏 15 decades of the Holy Rosary 📿 today for the benefit of the “Poor Souls in Purgatory,” who are praying unceasingly for our spiritual and temporal needs” to find me a “virtuous and devout” second wife to replace my deceased wife Therese, my loyal wife of 29 years and nine months and “best friend” for 40 years. I am 67 years and eleven months old and a staunch devotee of the Holy Rosary for 53 years. The Holy Rosary is the most efficacious private prayer in the Catholic Church; and it will be that way until the end of time.