One day, in the late 1690s, a priest from Saint Peter’s monastery in Augsburg, Germany, visited a painter. He came with a commission, requesting that a unique image of Our Lady in her role of Undoer of Knots be painted. This title, the priest explained, was particularly close to his heart.
Many years ago, when his grandparents were newly married, tension and disagreements split them apart. They were on the point of separating, but first went to a priest and begged for prayers.
The priest took their marriage ribbon (the cord tied about their wrists during their wedding vows, representing the immaterial bond they were entering). Praying for the Blessed Mother to save the marriage, he began unknotting the tangled, faded ribbon.
As he untied it, the ribbon took on a shining brightness, whiter than anything he had ever seen. The tangles in the couple’s relationship immediately vanished and peace returned to their marriage.
And so, the priest explained to the painter, in gratitude to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, he wished to commission a special painting depicting this title.
After the painting was finished and installed in St. Peter am Perlach church, the devotion remained centered in that area of Germany. Pope Francis discovered it there when he was still a priest and brought it back to South America with him, and from there the devotion has spread across the Church.
The “knots” in our own lives—however hopeless or tangled they seem to be—are no match for the skill of Our Lady’s motherly hands. Remind yourself of her powerful help with this lovely statue of Mary, Undoer of Knots, accompanied with a booklet of the history, prayers, and novena unique to this devotion. There’s no knot too tough for Our Lady! Get yours today at The Catholic Company!
