Scheme, I agree that some churches are like that, but honestly, the impression I've always gotten from Catholics is that they pray to Mary and other "Saints" as intercessors to GOD, which are not needed...GOD can hear YOU pray, so why do you have to go through someone else or confess your sins to another mere mortal?...

to me, Catholicism is a religion where people follow blindly, most Catholics I've met know nothing about their religion, they follow "traditions" just because and have no idea why they do what they do and couldn't ever explain to me why they prayed to Mary...to me, speaking to GOD is a personal thing so what is the oint of having memoriZed prayers?...prayer is from your heart to GOD's ears, something memoriZed rather pointless...and as Christians we are SUPPOSED to spread our religion