Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)
Host: Ascension
Episode: Day 244: The Sorrowful Mysteries
Date: September 1, 2025

Overview of the Episode

This episode marks a new phase in “The Rosary in a Year,” as Fr. Mark-Mary Ames and the community move from meditating on two decades of the Rosary to three. The focus is on the first three Sorrowful Mysteries:

1. The Agony in the Garden
2. The Scourging at the Pillar
3. The Crowning with Thorns

Fr. Mark-Mary offers encouragement for building the “concentration muscle,” creating space for personal prayer, and growing in meditative depth. The session is contemplative, focusing primarily on the communal recitation of the Rosary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Transition to Three Decades

• Theme: Listeners are invited to deepen their prayer life by moving to three decades of the Rosary.
• Purpose: The gradual addition of decades serves both newcomers and experienced pray-ers by helping them cultivate greater focus and spiritual endurance.

“We finished up our time of having the focused two decades of prayer, and today we're going to move to three decades.” — Fr. Mark-Mary (00:52)

Building the Habit of Prayer

• Insight: The approach is twofold:
  • Going slower to foster deeper meditation
  • Helping those who struggle with attention span to gradually strengthen their capacity for contemplative prayer
• Encouragement: Fr. Mark-Mary reassures listeners that it’s normal to struggle with attention, but this practice is essential for spiritual growth.

“For a lot of folks, praying five decades at a time, it's just really difficult. But I do believe that we can build up the muscle.” — Fr. Mark-Mary (01:52)

Less Teaching, More Practice

• Shift: At this stage, Fr. Mark-Mary intentionally provides less verbal guidance and instruction, placing trust in listeners’ accumulated experience and encouraging them to bring previous lessons into their prayer.

“There’s going to be less from me—less guidance from me, less teaching or reflections from me—confident that you have what you need at your disposal.” — Fr. Mark-Mary (01:58)

The Transformative Power of the Rosary

• Emphasis: Participation in the communal Rosary is portrayed as not only transformative for individuals but as “a source of grace for the whole world.”

“We’re just going to continue this journey of praying together and praying up the decades, confident that this is transformative for us, salvific for us, and a source of grace for the whole world.” — Fr. Mark-Mary (02:13–02:32)

Praying the Sorrowful Mysteries (Timestamps & Structure)

Introduction & Reflection

• Welcome and Explanation: (00:52–02:32)
• Opening Prayer: (02:37)
  • “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” — Fr. Mark-Mary

First Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden

• Decade Prayers: (02:44–06:16)
  • Our Father, Hail Marys (10 times), Glory Be, Fatima Prayer

Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar

• Decade Prayers: (06:29–10:03)
  • Structure as above

Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns

• Decade Prayers: (10:17–13:55)
  • Structure as above

Closing Prayers

• Final “O My Jesus” and Closing Blessing: (13:57–14:12)
• Farewell and Blessing: (14:14–14:20)
  • “Thanks so much for joining me and praying with me again today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. Poco a poco, friends. God bless you.” — Fr. Mark-Mary (14:14–14:20)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “The Rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and Mary and becomes a source of grace for the whole world.” — Fr. Mark-Mary (00:04)
• “The best place to listen to this podcast is in the Ascension app. There are special features built just for this podcast and also recordings of the full Rosary with myself and other friars.” — Fr. Mark-Mary (00:36)
• “We finished up our time of having the focused two decades of prayer, and today we’re going to move to three decades.” — Fr. Mark-Mary (00:52)
• “For a lot of folks, praying five decades at a time, it's just really difficult. But I do believe that we can build up the muscle.” — Fr. Mark-Mary (01:52)
• “We are intentionally at this point backing up… at the service of you kind of putting into practice and bringing to prayer what you have already received.” — Fr. Mark-Mary (01:58)
• “Poco a poco, friends. God bless you.” — Fr. Mark-Mary (14:19–14:20)

Episode Structure Overview

| Timestamp | Segment | |----------------|--------------------------------------------------| | 00:52–02:32 | Welcome & transition reflection | | 02:37–06:16 | First Sorrowful Mystery: Agony in the Garden | | 06:29–10:03 | Second Sorrowful Mystery: Scourging at the Pillar| | 10:17–13:55 | Third Sorrowful Mystery: Crowning with Thorns | | 13:57–14:12 | Final prayers | | 14:14–14:20 | Farewell and blessings |

Tone & Atmosphere

The tone remains meditative, gentle, confident, and encouraging, expressing deep trust in the practice’s transformative value for individuals, communities, and the world. Fr. Mark-Mary’s approach is pastoral and patient, inviting listeners to persist “poco a poco”—little by little—on the journey.

For Listeners

• Who is this for? Anyone, whether new or experienced in praying the Rosary, especially those seeking to deepen their prayer life and relationship with Jesus and Mary.
• What to expect? A prayerful, meditative experience with concise teaching, gentle encouragement, and a focus on building spiritual resilience through incremental growth.

For more information or to download the prayer plan, visit Ascension’s Rosary in a Year site.