'The Rosary in a Year' podcast: 'Poco a poco' to the Lord

(OSV News) -- "The Rosary in a Year" chart-topping podcast is a step-by-step journey to a deeper relationship with the Lord, its host told OSV News.

"You don't have to become a desert monk tomorrow, but can you take the next best step towards slowing down, cultivating your interior life and experiencing the peace that only Christ can give," said Father Mark-Mary Ames, a member of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and director of both the religious congregation's communications and priestly studies.

Launched this month, Father Ames' "Rosary in a Year" podcast from Ascension focuses on what he calls "the fundamentals of the prayer" -- specifically, "knowing the one who is the source and end of our prayer."

The podcast, which is structured in six phases, begins by "taking the time to know that as you are praying, your loving Father is looking upon you with love and listening attentively," said Father Ames, who lives at a New York friary in the Bronx.

Designed for both beginners and regular rosary devotees, the podcast seeks to lay a foundation for a lasting habit of prayer, while enabling participants to enter more fully into meditating on the lives of Jesus and Mary.

The pace is "poco a poco," said Father Ames, citing the Italian phrase for "little by little" -- which was also the title of a music album released by fellow friar Brother Isaiah, a project for which Father Ames was executive producer. "The Poco a Poco Podcast" is also the name of another CFR podcast Father Ames regularly co-hosts.

The priest took a similar approach in his 2021 book "Habits for Holiness: Small Steps for Making Big Spiritual Progress," also available from Ascension, a Catholic publisher based in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

"It's a bit of the slogan I've taken upon my media evangelization, and it's consistent with the Franciscan-pilgrimage spirituality," Father Ames explained. "Take the next good step."

That message has gained traction among podcast listeners. On the Apple U.S. podcast charts, "Rosary in a Year" held the overall No. 1 spot from Jan. 1-3 and again from Jan. 8-10, a total of six days, besting comedian Joe Rogan's long-running No. 1 hit show. As of Jan. 14, the podcast -- which debuted at No. 1 on Apple's U.S. religion and spirituality chart and remains in that position -- is still in the overall top five.

The podcast's immediate success mirrors that of two predecessor podcasts from Ascension hosted by Minnesota priest Father Mike Schmitz: "The Bible in a Year" which launched Jan. 1, 2021, and "The Catechism in a Year," which launched Jan. 1, 2023. Both quickly rose to No. 1 on the Apple U.S. charts. "The Bible in a Year" is currently No. 2 in Apple's U.S. religion and spirituality chart, right behind "The Rosary in a Year."

"People are hungry for substantial, well-ordered, spiritual formation," said Father Ames. "I pray that 'The Rosary in a Year's' popularity is in large part because it is the Lord's response to the deep longing of so many of the faithful: Lord, teach us how to pray."