Does the Catholic Church officially teach to “pray” to Mary and the saints?

Hi Lutero,

Does the Catholic Church officially teach to “pray” to Mary and the saints? I read on a Catholic blog that its not official teaching of the CC. :=x

I read the same blog. Apparently you didn’t understand it. He explained that “pray” does not mean “worship”. Its hard for people like you and seven to understand because you don’t understand the spirit of the Word of God. And because you read the Scriptures apart from the culture and Traditions from which it was written. But it is true. “Prayer” does not mean “worship”.

And yes, the Catholic Church officially teaches us to pray to Mary and the Saints:

II. DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN

971 "All generations will call me blessed": "The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship."⁵¹⁵ The Church rightly honors "the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of 'Mother of God,' to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs. . . . This very special devotion . . . differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration."⁵¹⁶ The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an "epitome of the whole Gospel," express this devotion to the Virgin Mary.⁵¹⁷

957 Communion with the saints. "It is not merely by the title of example that we cherish the memory of those in heaven; we seek, rather, that by this devotion to the exercise of fraternal charity the union of the whole Church in the Spirit may be strengthened. Exactly as Christian communion among our fellow pilgrims brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ, from whom as from its fountain and head issues all grace, and the life of the People of God itself":

We worship Christ as God's Son; we love the martyrs as the Lord's disciples and imitators, and rightly so because of their matchless devotion towards their king and master. May we also be their companions and fellow disciples!

Sincerely,

De Maria