Why Do Catholics Pray to Mary & Other Saints?

Learn about the Catholic faith.

Catholics should understand their faith so they can explain important questions to people who want to know why they pray the way they do. Prayer is an important part of the Catholic faith. It is the official position of the Roman Catholic Church that Catholics do not pray to saints or Mary, but rather that Catholics can ask saints or Mary to pray for them.

Mary

Catholics specifically ask for prayers of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, by reciting the Hail Mary. The reasoning behind this is that they believe that Mary can intercede and take prayer requests directly to God. Since she carried God's child, she has a close relationship to him and can help the person praying when he or she is in trouble.

Saints

Catholics also ask other saints to pray for them. Saints are the patrons of all sorts of things including places and activities. A prayer to Saint Anthony, the patron saint of lost and stolen articles, helps the person praying find something that he or she lost. Saints are intercessors just like Mary, which means that they can take a person's problems directly to God.

Why Don't Other Religions Do This?

Some religions look upon Catholicism as going against God or the Bible with its concept of intercessors. They might believe that the Bible does not support intercession by anyone other than Jesus or the Holy Spirit.

References

• David MacD: Why Do Catholics Pray To Mary
• Got Questions: Is Prayer To Saints / Mary Biblical?
• Intercession of Blessed Virgin Mary