Novena to Our Lady Undoer of Knots
Our Lady Undoer of Knots takes her name from "Maria Knotenlöserin," an 18th-century German painting that is still venerated in a church in Augsburg. It shows Mary calmly untying a long, knotted ribbon as angels hand it to her. The image draws on an old idea from the early Church writer St. Irenaeus: Mary's yes to God undid the knot of disobedience tied by Eve.
The devotion remained largely local until the 1980s, when a young Argentine priest named Jorge Mario Bergoglio encountered the painting while studying in Germany. He brought a copy home and helped spread the devotion across Latin America. He is now Pope Francis.
As pope, he has returned to the image more than once, handing out small holy cards of Our Lady Undoer of Knots and even referencing her at general audiences. In doing so, he has brought a once-local German devotion to Catholics who had never heard of it before his papacy. This page includes a clearly marked prayer for each of the nine days, making it easy to find any single day quickly.
An Opening Prayer to Begin the Novena
Mary, Undoer of Knots, I bring you the ribbon of my life as it is right now, tangled in more places than I can name. Untie it the way you always have, one knot at a time, over these nine days. Amen.
Day 1 — Naming the Knots
Meditation: Before anything can be untied, it has to be named clearly and out loud rather than left vague. In the original painting, the ribbon Mary works with is long, holding many knots at once rather than just one, a picture of how our lives usually carry several tangled things at the same time. Today, write down or say, one by one, the specific knots you are carrying. Mary, Undoer of Knots, take each one I have just named. Amen.
Day 2 — A Ribbon Handed to a Patient Mother
Meditation: In the image that gave this devotion its name, angels hand Mary a long ribbon, and she works it loose calmly, without rushing any part of it. Nothing about her posture in the painting suggests urgency or strain; she simply keeps working, one knot at a time, for as long as it takes. Ask her for that same patience with your own tangled situation today. Mary, Undoer of Knots, work patiently on what I hand you. Amen.
Day 3 — The Knot of a Broken Relationship
Meditation: Bring today one relationship that has come undone in the wrong way, through hurt, silence, or distance that grew without either side meaning it to. Paul told the Romans, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all" (Romans 12:18), a call that puts real weight on the part that is actually yours to carry. Ask Mary to begin loosening whatever is knotted between you and that person. Mary, Undoer of Knots, untie the knot between us. Amen.
Day 4 — The Knot of Fear and Anxiety
Meditation: Fear ties itself around a person quietly, one worry looped over another until it is hard to say where it even started. Paul told the Philippians not to be anxious about anything, but to bring every request to God "with thanksgiving," promising a peace that "surpasses all understanding" in return (Philippians 4:6–7). Name your fear plainly today, out loud if you are able to. Mary, Undoer of Knots, loosen the fear that has wound itself around my heart. Amen.
Day 5 — The Knot of Unforgiveness
Meditation: Some knots are tied by our own hands, held tight because letting go feels like losing something we are owed. Paul told the Ephesians to be "kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32), naming forgiveness as something received before it is something given. Bring today the person you have not forgiven, even if you are not ready to forgive them yet. Mary, Undoer of Knots, loosen my grip before you loosen the knot. Amen.
Day 6 — The Knot of a Hard Decision
Meditation: Confusion is its own kind of knot, the kind that keeps you circling the same choice without ever moving forward. Proverbs promises, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding... and he will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:5–6), a straightening that starts with letting go of needing to see the whole road at once. Bring the decision you are stuck on today. Mary, Undoer of Knots, untangle my thinking and show me the next single step. Amen.
Day 7 — The Knot Inside a Family
Meditation: Families tie knots that are old, sometimes older than the people currently caught inside them. Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery out of jealousy, yet years later he told them, "do not be distressed or angry with yourselves... God sent me before you to preserve life" (Genesis 45:5), untying a knot that had held a whole family for decades. Bring your family's specific knot today, whatever generation it started in. Mary, Undoer of Knots, work loose what has been tangled in my family. Amen.
Day 8 — The Knot of a Habit You Cannot Break
Meditation: Some knots are pulled tighter by our own repeated choices, tied and retied without our fully meaning to. Even Paul admitted this struggle in himself: "For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate" (Romans 7:15), naming the problem plainly instead of excusing it. Name today, plainly, the habit or pattern you keep returning to against your own wishes. Mary, Undoer of Knots, loosen what I have tied and retied with my own hands. Amen.
Day 9 — The Last Knot, and the Trust That Remains
Meditation: On this final day, look back over the ribbon of the past nine days. Some knots may already feel looser; others may still feel just as tight. The psalmist wrote that God "heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3), a promise of tender care rather than a promise that every knot will be gone by a certain date. Hand the whole length of it to Mary regardless. Mary, Undoer of Knots, take what remains, however slow the work turns out to be. Amen.
A Closing Prayer for the Ninth Day
Mary, Undoer of Knots, for nine days I have handed you the ribbon of my life, knot by knot. I do not always see the moment a knot comes loose, the way angels once handed you a ribbon and watched it slowly untangle in your hands. Keep working on what I have brought you, even after today. Pray for me, and ask your Son to do for me what I cannot do myself. Amen.
Scripture to pray
"For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."— Luke 1:37–38 (ESV)
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.— Romans 8:28 (ESV)
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.— Genesis 3:15 (ESV)
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.— Psalm 147:3 (ESV)
Frequently asked questions
What is the Novena to Our Lady Undoer of Knots?
It is a nine-day Marian devotion asking Mary to untangle the specific difficulties, or "knots," in a person's life, drawn from an 18th-century German painting of Mary untying a ribbon of knots handed to her by angels.
Where did the Undoer of Knots devotion come from?
It began with a painting, "Maria Knotenlöserin," created around 1700 for a church in Augsburg, Germany. A young Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis, encountered the image while studying there in the 1980s and helped bring the devotion to Argentina, from where it spread across Latin America.
What is Day 4 or Day 8 of the Undoer of Knots novena?
Day 4 focuses on the knot of fear and anxiety, and Day 8 focuses on the knot of a habit you cannot break on your own. Each day above has its own clearly marked heading so you can go straight to the day you need.
How many days is the Undoer of Knots novena?
Nine days, following the traditional Catholic novena pattern. Some versions of the devotion are also prayed as a longer set of Hail Marys tied to physical knots on a ribbon, but the nine-day meditation form is the most common.
Is there a physical ribbon or knot tradition that goes with this novena?
Yes, in some parishes and homes. A person ties a few knots into a ribbon, one for each difficulty they are praying about, and holds or looks at the ribbon while praying each day of the novena, then unties a knot as that concern eases. The ribbon is a devotional aid, not a requirement; the nine days of prayer are what matter most.
Is there a shorter version of this novena?
Yes. Some Catholics pray a single short aspiration, such as "Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for us," for nine days when a full daily meditation is not possible. The version on this page gives each day its own specific knot to reflect on, which many people find more concrete, but a shorter daily prayer still honors the same nine-day structure.
Can I pray this novena at the same time as another one?
Yes. There is no restriction on praying more than one novena during the same nine days, and many people pair this devotion with a novena to a favorite saint or with the Rosary. Focus on giving each prayer real attention rather than treating either one as a formality to get through.