'Rosary' beats Rogan: Is faith-based media becoming mainstream?
The number one podcast in the world to start off the new year doesn’t belong to Joe Rogan.
It doesn’t belong to Alex Cooper, Mel Robbins, or anyone from the Kelce clan.
It belongs to Father Mark-Mary Ames of Ascension Press. Or, really, as he told Fox News Digital, it belongs to God.
In a time when Bible sales are seeing a sudden spike amid research that suggests people are unsubscribing from religiosity at large, it comes as somewhat of a surprise that "The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR)" climbed to #1 on Apple Podcasts to start off the new year — holding that spot for three consecutive days before falling to a noteworthy #2 on January 4.
Its humble host is the director of communications and the director of Priestly Studies of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFR), whose primary mission is the "wholehearted embracing of Jesus Christ and their Holy Father, St. Francis of Assisi."
The "Habits for Holiness" author sat down with Fox News Digital at SEEK25 DC, a four-day event consisting of conference sessions, world-class Catholic keynote speakers, music, mass and adoration for anyone seeking their pillars of prayer, fellowship, inspiration, and entertainment. There, he explained everything from what motivated him to live a virtuous life, what the rosary is truly meant to be, and how he really feels about the success of his podcast.
Father Mark-Mary Ames, who was born and raised in Orange County, California in what he described as a "wealthy family," said he was inspired by Mother Teresa to give up a life of privilege for the service of others.
"I heard that there's a group of Franciscans in New York who are hardcore and sleep on the ground. And I looked them up, and I read our constitutions — which are what we say we're about — and I’m like, 'if that's true, that's everything I'm looking for.' So I was a very, very normal kid, on a normal path. And then God just sort of made this happen."
"I'm made to give my life to the poorest of the poor," he added. "The big, deep experience of my life is what God's done in generosity. And so there's nothing I've left behind or sacrificed that he hasn't been repaid a hundred-fold. It's in new and deeper ways."
Though it isn’t the work he’s most proud of, the priest spoke to Fox News Digital about being passed the baton from successful Ascension Press alum Father Mike Schmitz for his "Rosary in a Year" podcast, describing the rosary itself as "the great remedy for our time."
"There’s something particular that God wants to do through Mary that also continues now. So, it's interesting that even Mary's the one who continues to come," he said. "I think the number one thing is [that] there seems to be some sort of special grace given by God to the Rosary where he wants to do some special work. And the rosary is the thing that unlocks it. It opens the door to grace."
The rosary can be confusing and even intimidating for some — but the priest asserts it’s actually "perfect."
"It took hundreds of years to be developed to get to what it is, as a perfect prayer that has our way of receiving and coming to God," he said. "But also, it's really good for our humanity. We're all over the place. It's really hard for us to focus and to concentrate and the human ability to focus in the concrete for an extended period of time is somewhat of like, the foundation on which prayer is built. It’s going to be really hard to hear God, to come to God, if you can't pay attention at all. And so I think there's a part of praying the rosary, which is like physical therapy for the soul. The content works the concentration muscle within. It's really atrophied."
While his podcast serves to break down each of the Marian mysteries and the structure of this perfect prayer with palatability in mind, offering both seasoned meditators and newcomers alike a chance to understand it in deeper ways, Father Mark-Mary revealed that the devotion of the rosary can actually be a personalized experience — adding to its perfection.
"[Praying the rosary] is not actually a commandment, but you do have to go to Mass on Sunday," he said, explaining the difference between devotional and liturgical prayer. "And so within the devotional are good, good things. Whether or not it’s a good thing for you, there’s actually some space for you to make that decision within it. There’s much more space for personalization."
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The rosary expert went on to confess that even he can lose focus when praying it.
"A million percent," he admitted. "And that’s something that’s like…it shouldn’t be controversial to people or put them off. This is my own journey because I want to do better and grow deeper."
That was the very motivation — or calling, as he described it — that compelled him to sign on to host "The Rosary in a Year."
"I just try to be faithful to what's before me. And if God wants to make this thing number one, awesome. If he wants to do all sorts of awesome, that's kind of for him."
Despite its success thus far, the famous friar told Fox News Digital there are "more beautiful" things happening in the world the media doesn't shine a spotlight on:
"There’s many, many people in my life who are doing things that are much more beautiful and much more moving than having a podcast hit number one. People just don't know about it," he said. "I'm very grateful for the podcast, its popularity, and it's a source of grace for people and helping them pray. [But] it’s not the hardest thing I do. It's not the most honorable thing I do. And it's definitely not the most heroic or sort of moving thing that my brothers and neighbors do."
Readers can learn more about these beautiful things here.