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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Marian devotion | Mary Undoer of Knots | power of prayer
Three years ago, I went on a retreat with the women at our parish. In our retreat bag, I discovered a brochure detailing devotion to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots. I was unfamiliar with this title of Mary and discovered that the late Pope Francis promoted this devotion. Praying to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots A little while later, my husband and I were going through a difficult period in our marriage. Not sure where else to turn, I remembered the devotion and began to pray the prayer printed on the brochure: Virgin Mary, Mother who never refuses to come to the help of your children in need, Mother whose hands never stop working for the welfare of your children, moved as they are by the loving mercy and kindness that exists in your Immaculate heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life. Oh Mother! You know the difficulties, sorrow, and pain that I’ve had because of them. O loving Mother, I place the ribbon of my life and this knot (mention request here) into your loving hands, hands which can undo even the most difficult knot. Most holy Mother, come to my aid and intercede for me before God with your prayers. I cast this knot into your hands (mention request again) and bed you to undo it, in the name of your son, Jesus, Christ, and for the glory of God, once and for all. Our Lady Undoer of Knots, pray for us!
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Marian devotion | family prayer | pray the rosary
Mom! ... Mommy! ... Mama! If your house is anything like mine, you are called upon many times a day. My kids never tire of calling out, “Mom” for a variety of reasons. I find it funny when people say they are “tired” of saying the Hail Mary, especially as part of the Rosary: It’s so repetitive. Calling on our mother is innate. God wired us to cry out for our mothers, to seek comfort from them, and to depend on them throughout our lives. This includes not only our earthly mothers but also our heavenly Mother, Mary. "Mom, what’s for dinner?" The variety of statements that follow our “Mom” title can be: "Mom, I need x, y, z for school … did you fill out that paperwork for camp … where is my (fill in the blank) ... I am sad … I need help with (school subject )... can you untie this knot … what’s for dinner?
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Marian devotion | catholic mom | online book club
CatholicMom.com announces the Book Club selection for May 2025: Real Life with Mary by Kelsey Gillespy. We're excited to announce that our May 2025 Book Club selection is a book honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary! Kelsey Gillespy, in her new book, Real Life with Mary: Growing in Virtue to Magnify the Lord, encourages moms to grow in friendship with Mary and learn from her how to walk the daily path to holiness.
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Marian devotion | Memorare | family prayer
I’m a convert, so my journey with the Blessed Mother started late in life. At the beginning of that journey, I read everything about the faith I could find. I was overwhelmed for the most part but determined. When our boys were little, I learned to pray the Rosary when they took their naps. Most of the time I fell asleep during the prayer, but I did learn it. The arrival of our daughter brought fear into my prayers. My mother and I didn't get along. My fears of being the mother that she was to my own daughter began to overtake me. I reached out to the Blessed Mother. This began my practice of Hail Mary-ing my way through everything. If I was afraid, I would immediately start the prayer; if I was overwhelmed, angry, happy, or sad—whatever was happening in my life—I would whisper a Hail Mary.
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Catholic Faith | Marian devotion | Nativity of Mary
Last year, the staff at the Father Peyton Center organized and celebrated a small and beautiful surprise birthday party for me. We were all together in the same space. It was a wonderful time—there was cake, donuts, and drinks; everyone was relaxing and laughing. In addition, I got all sorts of messages from around the world. When we celebrate birthdays, we offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the gift of the life of the person whose birthday we celebrate. We tell God that we don't take the gift of that person's life lightly, that we are grateful for it, and that we deeply value it.
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Marian devotion | how to pray the rosary | pray the rosary | strength and hope
October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary, a gift given to us by the Virgin Mary, the most perfect spouse of the Holy Spirit. Because she is the source of this spiritual inspiration, we reserve October 7th for the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. As Catholics, we celebrate all month because one day just isn’t enough! The Rosary is awesome, and there are many arguments for its reverence. In celebration of Mary, here are five reasons I love the Rosary.
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