Mary, Undoer of Knots (Latin: Maria Nodorum Solvatrix; Spanish: María Desatanudos; Portuguese: Maria Desatadora dos Nós) is a Marian title tied to a painting by the German Baroque artist Johann Georg Schmidtner (c. 1700) that hangs in St. Peter am Perlach Church in Augsburg, Germany. The painting depicts Mary patiently untying knots in a long ribbon — an allegorical image of her intercessory work undoing the entanglements of sin, family conflict, addiction, and difficult life situations. The image's theological grounding goes back to St. Irenaeus of Lyon (c. 180 AD): 'The knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary; for what the virgin Eve bound by her unbelief, Mary loosed by her faith.' The devotion was relatively obscure in the global Catholic Church until then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires — the future Pope Francis — saw the painting during a 1986 study trip to Germany, brought a copy back to Argentina, and helped spread the devotion throughout Latin America in the 1990s. After his 2013 election as Pope, the devotion exploded globally; the Sanctuary of San José del Talar in Buenos Aires (where the largest Latin American copy of the image hangs) now receives tens of thousands of pilgrims per year, and replicas of the image are found in Catholic parishes worldwide. The novena is appropriate for: any seemingly intractable family conflict (the patron use case — knots in the bonds of family love), addiction in oneself or a loved one (the knot metaphor fits the compulsive cycle precisely), marriage difficulties, financial entanglements, faith struggles in adult children, and any situation that has been prayed about for years without visible movement.
12 min
Duration
9 days
Commitment
Beginner-Friendly
Level
Mary, Undoer of Knots
Patron Saint
Pray once daily for nine consecutive days. The traditional structure for each day: (1) Sign of the Cross; (2) Brief act of contrition; (3) Three Hail Marys; (4) The novena prayer; (5) A specific 'knot' named aloud or in the heart — different knots can be named on different days, or the same knot held all nine days; (6) A decade of the Rosary, asking Mary to begin to untie the knot named. Many Catholics keep a print or holy card of the Schmidtner image visible during the novena (the image itself is part of the devotion's pedagogy — watching Mary's patient hands work the ribbon is a contemplative aid). The novena is especially appropriate for situations that feel stuck: a wandering adult child whose return seems impossible, an addiction that has resisted every intervention, a marriage that has been distant for years, a financial mess with no clear way out, a faith struggle that has hardened over time. The Argentinian Catholic tradition recommends praying the novena to start and then continuing daily — naming new knots as life surfaces them — until the original knots show movement. Pope Francis has spoken publicly about the devotion as a model for patient intercessory prayer that takes seriously the time God needs to work.
Virgin Mary, Mother who never refused to help a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine Love and immense mercy that exist in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me, and see the knots that suffocate my life. You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of his children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the Evil One himself, can take it away from your merciful care. In your hands, there is no knot which cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with your Son Jesus, my Liberator, take into your hands today this knot (mention the knot). I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once and for all. You are my hope. Amen.
Coordinate sustained prayer for someone you love. Volunteers fill 30-minute slots covering days or weeks; the family receives a spiritual bouquet at the end.
Invite a small group to pray this each day with you. Everyone gets the same prayer text, the same rhythm, the same intention.