Our Lady Undoer of Knots: Mary Who Untangles Our Troubles
A long ribbon full of knots, and the patient hands of a mother working each one loose — Mary helping us with the tangles of life.
Every family has knots — worries, mistakes, troubles that feel impossible to untangle. And here is a mother, patiently working each one loose.
Our Lady Undoer of Knots is a beloved image of Mary holding a long ribbon, calmly undoing its knots one by one. The knots are our problems; her hands are the help of a mother who never gives up.
It’s a devotion full of hope for tired families. Our hand-painted Miniature Saint Statues collection includes an Our Lady Undoer of Knots figure to keep that hope in view.
Where the Devotion Comes From
The image comes from an old painting in Augsburg, Germany, more than 300 years old. In it, Mary stands among angels, untying the knots of a long white ribbon handed up to her.
The devotion was loved quietly for centuries and then spread widely — Pope Francis himself helped make it known around the world. Today families everywhere bring Mary their hardest tangles and ask her to undo them.
“His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’”
— John 2:5
What the Knots Mean
Each knot stands for something tangled in our lives — a worry, a broken friendship, a habit we can’t break, a problem with no clear answer. The image says: hand it to Mary, and let her work it loose.
For a child, that’s a comforting picture of prayer. When something feels too hard to fix, they can “give the knot to Mary” and trust that a patient mother in heaven is helping, even when they can’t see how.
Teaching Kids to Hand Over Their Knots
This devotion turns prayer into something a child can do. When they’re upset or stuck, you can help them name the “knot” and ask Mary to undo it — a simple, hopeful habit.
It also teaches patience. Mary undoes knots gently, one at a time. Children learn that God’s help is real even when answers come slowly, and that they can keep trusting while they wait.
A Note for Parents
Name the knot. Help your child put words to what’s troubling them, then hand it to Mary in prayer.
Teach patience. Mary undoes knots one at a time; some answers come slowly, and that’s okay.
Point to Jesus. Mary’s own words are “Do whatever he tells you” — she always leads us to her Son.
Keep her in view. An Our Lady Undoer of Knots figure from our Miniature Saint Statues collection sets a patient mother where your family prays.
Bringing Our Lady Undoer of Knots Home
Every home has tangles, and this image meets them with hope. A figure of Mary undoing knots on a shelf reminds the whole family that no problem is too big to bring to her.
For a shelf or family altar, look for the Our Lady Undoer of Knots figure in our hand-painted Miniature Saint Statues collection. And for the little ones, our plush collection offers soft, huggable companions to hold while they pray.
A Prayer to Our Lady Undoer of Knots
Mary, Undoer of Knots,
we bring you the tangles of our family —
our worries, our troubles, our mistakes.
Take them in your gentle hands
and undo them, one by one,
as you lead us closer to your Son.
Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for us. Amen.
Our Lady Undoer of Knots gives families a place to put their hardest troubles. No tangle is hopeless in her hands — she works each one loose and hands it, smoothed and free, to Jesus.
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Mary, Undoer of Knots, untangle the troubles of every family, and lead us in peace to your Son.
- Anna
For more ways to live the faith together at home, visit the It’s Fun to Be Catholic blog.
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