Novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots

The Novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots is prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Undoer of Knots (Latin Maria Nodorum Dissolutrix, German Maria Knotenlöserin) — the image of the Mother of God patiently untying a long, tangled ribbon, undoing the knots of a soul's troubles one by one. It is prayed above all when some situation in life has become hopelessly tangled — a broken marriage, a hardened quarrel, a besetting sin, a debt, an illness, a knot of anxiety that will not loosen — and the one praying can no longer undo it by his own strength. Below is the full authentic text of the nine days: the opening prayer, each day's meditation and petition, and the closing prayers, together with an honest word on where this devotion comes from, how to pray it, and the variants the faithful most often ask for. If you are new to these nine-day prayers, begin with our short guide to what is a novena.

An honest note on the history of this devotion

Because Iter Fidei serves the traditional Roman rite, a word of plain honesty belongs at the very top, before the prayers. The image of Mary Undoer of Knots is genuinely old: it hangs in the church of St Peter am Perlach in Augsburg, Germany, painted around 1700 by Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner, and its theology is older still — it draws on St Irenaeus of Lyons in the second century, who wrote that "the knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary," so that the Virgin became the "undoer" of the knot the first woman had tied. That much is ancient and thoroughly orthodox.

The novena itself, however, is modern. The devotion in its present nine-day form spread in the late twentieth century and was carried across the world especially by Pope Francis, who had encountered the Augsburg image while studying in Germany and promoted it from his years in Buenos Aires onward. So this is not a novena handed down from the age of the old Roman rite; it is a recent devotion resting on a genuinely old image and a genuinely ancient theological insight. It is fully orthodox — the daily prayers carry the Imprimatur — and it is so widely sought that we give it here in full and without hesitation. But we will not dress it up as something it is not. A soul attached strictly to the devotions of 1962 and earlier may prefer an older Marian novena of unbroken pedigree — the Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help is the obvious choice — and loses nothing by doing so. Pray this one for what it is: a sound, approved, modern devotion built on an ancient truth.

The opening prayer

Each of the nine days is begun the same way. Make the Sign of the Cross, name the knot you are bringing to Our Lady, and say the opening prayer:

Each of the nine days below is complete in itself. It opens with the Sign of the Cross and a brief act of contrition, carries that day's meditation and petition, and closes with the prayer to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots. Simply pray the day that matches where you are in the novena — and if you wish, begin, as many do, by naming aloud the knot you are bringing to her.

The nine days

Each day has its own meditation and its own petition. Say the opening prayer above, then the meditation and petition for the day, then the closing prayers below. Many keep the fuller form and add the Rosary — the first three decades before the day's meditation and the last two after it — but the meditations may also be prayed alone.

Day 1 — Bringing the knot to Mary's hands

1. Make the Sign of the Cross.

2. Say the Act of Contrition. Ask pardon for your sins and make a firm promise not to commit them again.

Oh my God I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell. But most of all, because I offended you, oh my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

3. Say the first 3 decades of the Rosary.

4. Make the meditation of the day (to be posted each day).

5. Say the last 2 decades of the Rosary.

6. Finish with the Prayer to Our Lady the Undoer of Knots.

Meditation for Day 1

Dearest Holy Mother, Most Holy Mary, you undo the knots that suffocate your children, extend your merciful hands to me. I entrust to You today this knot....and all the negative consequences that it provokes in my life. I give you this knot that torments me and makes me unhappy and so impedes me from uniting myself to You and Your Son Jesus, my Savior.I run to You, Mary, Undoer of Knots because I trust you and I know that you never despise a sinning child who comes to ask you for help. I believe that you can undo this knot because Jesus grants you everything. I believe that you want to undo this knot because you are my Mother. I believe that You will do this because you love me with eternal love.

Thank you, Dear Mother.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

The one who seeks grace, finds it in Mary's hands.

Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots (Closing Prayer)

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of 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 exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in 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 precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone.

Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot...I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.
Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Day 2 — Humility and confidence in her intercession

1. Make the Sign of the Cross.

2. Say the Act of Contrition. Ask pardon for your sins and make a firm promise not to commit them again.

Oh my God I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell. But most of all, because I offended you, oh my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

3. Say the first 3 decades of the Rosary.

4. Make the meditation of the day (to be posted each day).

5. Say the last 2 decades of the Rosary.

6. Finish with the Prayer to Our Lady the Undoer of Knots.

Meditation for Day 2

Mary, Beloved Mother, channel of all grace, I return to You today my heart, recognizing that I am a sinner in need of your help. Many times I lose the graces you grant me because of my sins of egoism, pride, rancor and my lack of generosity and humility. I turn to You today, Mary, Undoer of knots, for You to ask your Son Jesus to grant me a pure, divested, humble and trusting heart. I will live today practicing these virtues and offering you this as a sign of my love for You. I entrust into Your hands this knot (...describe) which keeps me from reflecting the glory of God.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Mary offered all the moments of her day to God.

Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots (Closing Prayer)

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of 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 exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in 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 precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone.

Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot...I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.
Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Day 3 — Forgiveness and the loosing of resentment

1. Make the Sign of the Cross.

2. Say the Act of Contrition. Ask pardon for your sins and make a firm promise not to commit them again.

Oh my God I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell. But most of all, because I offended you, oh my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

3. Say the first 3 decades of the Rosary.

4. Make the meditation of the day (to be posted each day).

5. Say the last 2 decades of the Rosary.

6. Finish with the Prayer to Our Lady the Undoer of Knots.

Meditation for Day 3

Our Lady Undoer of Knots Meditating Mother, Queen of heaven, in whose hands the treasures of the King are found, turn your merciful eyes upon me today. I entrust into your holy hands this knot in my life...and allthe rancor and resentment it has caused in me. I ask Your forgiveness, God the Father, for my sin. Help me now to forgive all the persons who consciously or unconsciously provoked this knot. Give me, also, the grace to forgive me for having provoked this knot. Only in this way can You undo it. Before You, dearest Mother, and in the name of Your Son Jesus, my Savior, who has suffered so many offenses, having been granted forgiveness, I now forgive these persons...and myself, forever. Thank you, Mary, Undoer of Knots for undoing the knot of rancor in my heart and the knot which I now present to you. Amen.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Turn to Mary, you who desire grace.

Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots (Closing Prayer)

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of 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 exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in 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 precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone.

Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot...I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.
Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Day 4 — Faith and perseverance through the trial

1. Make the Sign of the Cross.

2. Say the Act of Contrition. Ask pardon for your sins and make a firm promise not to commit them again.

Oh my God I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell. But most of all, because I offended you, oh my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

3. Say the first 3 decades of the Rosary.

4. Make the meditation of the day (to be posted each day).

5. Say the last 2 decades of the Rosary.

6. Finish with the Prayer to Our Lady the Undoer of Knots.

Meditation for Day 4

Our Lady Undoer of Knots Dearest Holy Mother, you are generous with all who seek you, have mercy on me. I entrust into your hands this knot which robs the peace of my heart, paralyzes my soul and keeps me from going to my Lord and serving Him with my life.
Undo this knot in my love...., O mother, and ask Jesus to heal my paralytic faith which gets down hearted with the stones on the road. Along with you, dearest Mother, may I see these stones as friends. Not murmuring against them anymore but giving endless thanks for them, may I smile trustingly in your power.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Mary is the Sun and no one is deprived of her warmth.

Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots (Closing Prayer)

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of 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 exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in 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 precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone.

Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot...I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.
Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Day 5 — Wisdom and the renewing of the Holy Ghost

1. Make the Sign of the Cross.

2. Say the Act of Contrition. Ask pardon for your sins and make a firm promise not to commit them again.

Oh my God I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell. But most of all, because I offended you, oh my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

3. Say the first 3 decades of the Rosary.

4. Make the meditation of the day (to be posted each day).

5. Say the last 2 decades of the Rosary.

6. Finish with the Prayer to Our Lady the Undoer of Knots.

Meditation for Day 5

Our Lady Undoer of Knots Mother, Undoer of Knots, generous and compassionate, I come to You today to once again entrust this knot...in my life to you and to ask the divine wisdom to undo, under the light of the Holy Spirit, this snarl of problems. No one ever saw you angry; to the contrary, your words were so charged with sweetness that the Holy Spirit was manifested on your lips. Take away from me the bitterness, anger and hatred which this knot has caused me. Give me, o dearest Mother, some of the sweetness and wisdom that is all silently reflected in your heart. And just as you were present at Pentecost, ask Jesus to send me a new presence of the Holy Spirit at this moment in my life. Holy Spirit, come upon me!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Mary, with God, is powerful.

Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots (Closing Prayer)

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of 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 exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in 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 precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone.

Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot...I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.
Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Day 6 — Patience and the grace of the sacraments

1. Make the Sign of the Cross.

2. Say the Act of Contrition. Ask pardon for your sins and make a firm promise not to commit them again.

Oh my God I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell. But most of all, because I offended you, oh my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

3. Say the first 3 decades of the Rosary.

4. Make the meditation of the day (to be posted each day).

5. Say the last 2 decades of the Rosary.

6. Finish with the Prayer to Our Lady the Undoer of Knots.

Meditation for Day 6

Our Lady Undoer of Knots Queen of Mercy, I entrust to you this knot in my life...and I ask you to give me a heart that is patient until you undo it. Teach me to persevere in the living word of Jesus, in the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Confession; stay with me and prepare my heart to celebrate with the angels the grace that will be granted to me. Amen! Alleluia!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

You are beautiful, Mary, and there is no stain of sin in You.

Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots (Closing Prayer)

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of 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 exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in 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 precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone.

Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot...I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.
Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Day 7 — Renouncing evil and asking her protection

1. Make the Sign of the Cross.

2. Say the Act of Contrition. Ask pardon for your sins and make a firm promise not to commit them again.

Oh my God I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell. But most of all, because I offended you, oh my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

3. Say the first 3 decades of the Rosary.

4. Make the meditation of the day (to be posted each day).

5. Say the last 2 decades of the Rosary.

6. Finish with the Prayer to Our Lady the Undoer of Knots.

Meditation for Day 7

Our Lady Undoer of Knots Mother Most Pure, I come to You today to beg you to undo this knot in my life...and free me from the snares of Evil. God has granted you great power over all the demons. I renounce all of them today, every connection I have had with them and I proclaim Jesus as my one and only Lord and Savior. Mary, Undoer of Knots, crush the evil one's head and destroy the traps he has set for me by this knot. Thank you, dearest Mother. Most Precious Blood of Jesus, free me!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

You are the glory of Jerusalem, the joy of our people.

Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots (Closing Prayer)

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of 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 exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in 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 precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone.

Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot...I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.
Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Day 8 — Surrender and consecration to Mary

1. Make the Sign of the Cross.

2. Say the Act of Contrition. Ask pardon for your sins and make a firm promise not to commit them again.

Oh my God I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell. But most of all, because I offended you, oh my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

3. Say the first 3 decades of the Rosary.

4. Make the meditation of the day (to be posted each day).

5. Say the last 2 decades of the Rosary.

6. Finish with the Prayer to Our Lady the Undoer of Knots.

Meditation for Day 8

Our Lady Undoer of Knots Virgin Mother of God, overflowing with mercy, have mercy on your child and undo this knot...in my life. I need your visit to my life, like you visited Elizabeth. Bring me Jesus, bring me the Holy Spirit. Teach me to practice the virtues of courage, joyfulness, humility and faith, and, like Elizabeth, to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Make me joyfully rest on your bosom, Mary. I consecrate you as my mother, Queen and friend. I give you my heart and everything I have (my home and family, my material and spiritual goods.) I am yours forever. Put your heart in me so that I can do everything Jesus tells me.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Let us go, therefore, full of trust, to the throne of grace.

Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots (Closing Prayer)

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of 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 exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in 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 precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone.

Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot...I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.
Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Day 9 — Thanksgiving and trust in the answer

1. Make the Sign of the Cross.

2. Say the Act of Contrition. Ask pardon for your sins and make a firm promise not to commit them again.

Oh my God I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell. But most of all, because I offended you, oh my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

3. Say the first 3 decades of the Rosary.

4. Make the meditation of the day (to be posted each day).

5. Say the last 2 decades of the Rosary.

6. Finish with the Prayer to Our Lady the Undoer of Knots.

Meditation for Day 9

Our Lady Undoer of Knots Most Holy Mary, our Advocate, Undoer of Knots, I come today to thank you for undoing this knot in my life...You know very well the suffering it has caused me. Thank you for coming, Mother, with your long fingers of mercy to dry the tears in my eyes; you receive me in your arms and make it possible for me to receive once again the divine grace.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, dearest Mother, I thank you for undoing the knots in my life. Wrap me in your mantle of love, keep me under your protection, enlighten me with your peace! Amen.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots (Closing Prayer)

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of 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 exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in 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 precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone.

Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot...I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.
Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Want to explore even more novenas? Check out the Pocket Guide to Novenas—20 powerful prayers, including the Mary, Undoer of Knots Novena, with guidance, sacred art, and inspirational stories to help you pray without ceasing.

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The closing prayers

After the meditation and petition of the day, close the devotion with the concluding prayers:

On the ninth day, having prayed all nine, close the novena with thanksgiving — whether or not the knot is yet undone — and, if you can, an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be for the intentions of the Holy Father. Leave the outcome in Our Lady's hands: she unties the knots in God's time, not ours.

How to pray this novena

A novena is simply nine days of prayer, and this one asks nothing complicated. Choose a fixed hour of the day and keep it for nine days running, so that the devotion does not slip. Each day, make the Sign of the Cross, name one particular knot — the one tangle you most need untied — and hold to that same intention through all nine days rather than changing it. Say the opening prayer, then the meditation and petition proper to the day, then the closing prayers. If you wish the fuller form, add the Rosary as noted above.

There is no fixed date on which this novena must begin; unlike the novenas tied to a feast, it may be started on any day, as soon as the need arises. Many like to begin so that the ninth day falls on a Saturday, the day the Church devotes to Our Lady, or on a Marian feast, but this is a pious custom and not a rule.

Pray it, above all, in the right spirit. Our Lady unties the knot as her Son wills, and sometimes the knot He leaves in place is the very means of a soul's sanctification. Bring the tangle to her plainly, ask for it to be undone, and add to the asking the words if it be God's will. The novena is not a technique that forces heaven; it is the trust of a child who puts a hopeless snarl into his Mother's patient hands and lets her work it loose.

The image and the devotion

The story behind the title is worth knowing, because it is the meditation the whole novena turns on. Around the year 1700, in the church of St Peter am Perlach in Augsburg, a painting was hung showing the Blessed Virgin standing upon the crescent moon, crowned with stars, crushing the serpent's head, while she draws a long white ribbon through her hands — untying, knot by knot, a tangle handed up to her by an angel below, and passing the smoothed ribbon on to another angel above. The painting was an offering of thanksgiving: a nobleman named Wolfgang Langenmantel, his marriage all but broken, had prayed for his union before Our Lady, and the marriage was saved. In memory of the marriage "untied" from its knots, the family commissioned the image of Mary loosening the tangled ribbon.

The picture gives visible form to a far older idea. In the second century St Irenaeus of Lyons wrote that "the knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary; what the virgin Eve had bound fast by her unbelief, this the Virgin Mary set free by her faith." Eve tied the knot of sin; Mary, the New Eve, by her fiat began to untie it, giving the world the Redeemer who would loose it altogether. The Augsburg image simply paints that theology: the Mother of God, undoing what human sin has snarled.

For nearly three centuries the devotion remained a mostly local, German affair. What carried it around the globe was the enthusiasm of Pope Francis, who came upon the image during studies in Germany, brought a copy of it home to Argentina, and spread it there and, later, throughout the whole Church, until "Mary, Undoer of Knots" became one of the best-loved Marian titles of the present age. The novena in its familiar nine-day shape belongs to this modern flowering of the devotion — recent in form, ancient in its root.

Variants of the novena

For marriage. By its very origin this is a novena for troubled marriages — it was born of a marriage saved from breaking. Spouses pray it for the untying of the particular knots that have tangled their union: coldness, quarrels, mistrust, the threat of separation. Name the one knot most strangling the marriage and carry it through all nine days, and see also our wider counsel in the Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, long prayed for homes and marriages in distress.

For love. Beyond marriage, the faithful bring to this novena the knots of every kind of love and relationship — a broken friendship, an estranged parent or child, a reconciliation longed for. Here a word of care is needed: pray for the healing of a bond, for peace and charity restored, and for God's will in the matter — never as a charm to bend another person's free heart to your own wishes, which would turn the prayer into superstition rather than trust.

Short version. When the full form with the Rosary is too much for a given day, the novena may be kept in its shorter shape: the opening prayer, the day's meditation and petition, and the closing prayers alone. What matters is the daily perseverance and the one steady intention, not the length.

Printable version. Because so many ask for a sheet to keep beside them, the whole text — opening prayer, the nine days, and the closing prayers — is given above in full, so it may be copied and printed. The Iter Fidei app also carries the complete novena with the daily prayers and audio, so it can be prayed from a phone day by day without a printed page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Mary Undoer of Knots novena?

It is a nine-day devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Undoer of Knots, asking her to untangle a situation in life that has become hopelessly knotted — a marriage, a quarrel, a sin, an anxiety. Each day has its own meditation and petition, framed around an old image of Our Lady patiently loosening the knots of a tangled ribbon. The image dates to about 1700 in Augsburg, and the theology to St Irenaeus in the second century; the novena in its present form is modern, spread especially by Pope Francis. It is orthodox and carries the Imprimatur.

How do you pray the Mary Undoer of Knots novena?

Pray it once a day for nine consecutive days at a fixed hour. Make the Sign of the Cross, name one particular knot, and keep that same intention through all nine days. Say the opening prayer, then the meditation and petition proper to the day, then the closing prayers — adding the Rosary if you wish the fuller form. The full text of each part is given above under its own heading. Pray in submission, asking that the knot be undone if it be God's will.

When should you pray this novena, and is there a start date?

There is no fixed date. Unlike novenas tied to a feast, this one may be begun on any day, as soon as the need arises, and prayed for the nine days following. Some choose to begin so that the ninth day falls on a Saturday, Our Lady's day, or on a Marian feast, but that is a pious custom, not a requirement.

Is the Mary Undoer of Knots devotion an ancient tradition?

Partly. The image is old — painted around 1700 in Augsburg — and its underlying theology is genuinely ancient, going back to St Irenaeus, who taught that the knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by the obedience of Mary. But the novena in its familiar nine-day form is modern, spread through the Church especially by Pope Francis in recent decades. It should not be presented as a devotion handed down from antiquity; it is a sound, approved, modern devotion resting on an ancient truth.

Can this novena be prayed for a marriage?

Yes — it is, by origin, a novena for marriages. The devotion began with a marriage saved from breaking, whose thanksgiving is the very painting the title comes from. Spouses pray it for the untangling of coldness, quarrels, mistrust, or the threat of separation, naming the one knot most straining the union and carrying it through all nine days.

Does the Mary Undoer of Knots novena really work, and is it "unfailing"?

No sound devotion binds God or guarantees the exact favour asked; to pray as though the words were a mechanism that "never fails" would be superstition, which the Church condemns. What the novena obtains without fail is the grace of trust — it places a hopeless tangle in the hands of the Mother of God and waits upon her Son, content to receive either the knot untied or the better thing He chooses to give. Sometimes the knot He leaves is itself the means of a soul's growth. Pray it plainly, and add if it be God's will.

Is there a printable PDF or short version of the novena?

The complete text — the opening prayer, all nine days, and the closing prayers — is given in full above, so it may be copied, printed, or kept beside you, and it can be shortened simply by praying the day's meditation and petition without the Rosary. The Iter Fidei app also carries the whole novena with daily prayers, audio, and day-by-day reminders, so it can be prayed from a phone through all nine days without a printed sheet.

Should a traditional Catholic pray this novena at all?

Yes, one may pray it with a clear conscience — it is orthodox and approved. But a soul attached strictly to the devotions of 1962 and earlier is under no obligation to adopt a modern novena, and may reasonably prefer an older Marian devotion of unbroken pedigree, such as the Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Either choice is sound; this one simply asks to be prayed as what it truly is — a recent devotion built upon an ancient image and an ancient truth.

The Iter Fidei app carries the Novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots in full — the opening prayer, all nine days, and the closing prayers, in Latin and your own language, with audio and day-by-day reminders. Download it here.

Sources. Holy Scripture; St Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies III (on Mary as the "undoer" of the knot of Eve's disobedience); the approved text of the Novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots, bearing the Imprimatur of the Roman Catholic Church; and the history of the Augsburg image Maria Knotenlöserin (St Peter am Perlach, c. 1700).