Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR
Fr. Mark-Mary Ames is the Director of Communications and the General Almoner of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFR). The primary mission of the CFR community is a wholehearted embracing of Jesus Christ and their Holy Father, St. Francis of Assisi. Through their commitment to prayer and contemplation, the study of Sacred Scripture, fidelity to the Church and the sacraments, their fraternal life, and their generous service to others especially the poor, the CFRs receive the nourishment necessary to live out their lives as sons of St. Francis in the Capuchin tradition.
Fr. Mark-Mary is the host of the Ascension Presents video series The CFRs. He is the executive producer of Brother Isaiah’s upcoming music album, Mysteries & Medicines, and was also the executive producer of Brother Isaiah’s previous album, Poco a Poco.
He is the author of Habits for Holiness: Small Steps for Making Big Spiritual Progress. His latest book with Ascension is The Father: 30 Meditations to Draw You Into the Heart of God.
His favorite work, however, is not nearly as public. Near and dear to Fr. Mark-Mary’s heart is his work walking one-on-one with the suffering, hearing confessions, and offering service as a regular chaplain to the Sisters of Life formation convents.
The following is an excerpt from The Father: 30 Meditations to Draw You Into the Heart of God. One of the rules of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal is to live in an area noted for the poverty. If a neighborhood’s economic status improves too much—that is, becomes...
Ash Wednesday And so, it begins. The gospel tells us that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days and forty nights, and there He prayed, fasted, and was tempted. Why did He do this? This answer requires us to go back to the significant event...
So the first principle is simply this: Sanctify your day. Each day, have some time of prayer in the morning. If you’re not praying at all, I would say a minimum of five minutes is a great first step. It might be time to read the Gospel reading of the day. It might be...
We are in Lent – a season of renewal, a season of “leaning in,” a season of surrendering more and more. Lent is a sacred and beautiful season. What I’d like to propose is that Lent is a great time to focus on “living intentionally” – essentially “living on purpose.”...