I just wanted to give a little up date on my situation. I talked to my dad (a southern baptist pastor) for about a hour and a half about me wanting to join the Catholic Church. His biggest reason against it was Mary. I cleared up a lot of confusion about her. Then we talked about the Bible for the rest of the time. I told him we worship the same Jesus as he does just in the historic way with the fullness of Christianity instead of the relatively new baptist way. To my surprise he said he still loved me and respected my decision. Talk about a burden off my chest! i would like to ask if its all really about Jesus, why do Catholic put so much attention on Mary? My father kept saying that is all about Jesus, why do you need someone to talk to God for you when you can do it yourself. What is the advantage to talking to other saints instead of just doing it yourself? Thanks for the support, I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s comments.
Mary is a sticking point for almost all persons coming into the Faith from another Christian group. There are a number of great threads on Mary and her role on this forum and while I am far from an expert on Marian doctrine I will try to give you some of the fruits of my study and thought on the matter.
First of all, I am of the opinion that there are some that take devotion to her too far. There are, unfortunately Catholics who you never hear the word “Jesus” come out of their mouth unless the words “blessed is the fruit of thy womb” come before it. I have looked into this and I have had a number of priests, one deacon, one religious sister, multiple catechists, and even a Dominican Friar tell me that they agree with me. For new Catholics or those coming to terms with Saints, particularly Mary, I think the best way to treat her is as a great saint who did God’s will and because of her saying yes to God, allowed Jesus to be both true God, and true man. In order to be a worthy vessel to carry and raise our Blessed Lord, she was given the gift of being born without sin by God the Father.
I see her role in our spiritual lives as a leading us to her Son. The Rosary is a great example of this. When I was coming into the Church, I thought the Rosary was a set of prayers to Mary. It isn’t really. It is a meditation on Jesus Christ through the various mysteries that are discussed in the Rosary. You may be saying Hail Marys, but you are supposed to be contemplating things having to do with Christ, e.g. His Passion, Resurrection, etc.
Ironically, some of the best writing on Mary and her role in our Faith I have found comes from an Orthodox website. There are tons of Catholic resources but I like the way this website breaks down the info. Don’t worry about it being an Orthodox website. This is fine as we believe everything they do on Mary. They believe everything we do on Mary with the exception of the Immaculate Conception. Check this link out and it might help you:
orthodox-apologetics.blogspot.com/2010/07/mary-according-to-bible.html
In the Jewish tradition, if you look at the customs in the Davidic kingdom there was the concept of the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother did not have supreme power, her son was King and he was the supreme ruler. However, tradition and custom dictated that if the Queen Mother were to make a request of her son, he would not refuse her. Those who wished to garner special favors from the King often went through her to make their requests. We see the relationship between Mary and Jesus Christ in similar fashion. He is after all in the line of King David and the rightful heir to the his throne. Catholics believe that if Mary prays for us to her son, he will not refuse her wishes. Thus, she serves as a powerful advocate for us.
Finally, remember that you are not in anyway required to pray to the saints or ask for their intercession as part of the Faith. It may be hard to avoid as if you are praying in a group at a Catholic function, it is quite common for someone to mix in a Hail Mary or prayer to another saint. However, the point is still the same in that you can and should absolutely go straight to Jesus and even God the Father with your prayers. Think of prayers to Mary as asking a friend to pray for you, except this friend is blood relative with Jesus Christ!
I hope that helps somewhat and that it makes some kind of sense. I’m really tired and can tell I am starting to run on a bit… God Bless!
Jason
). However, I did seek his intercession when I went to make my first confession. His letters helped me greatly then, and they continue to do so.
and not engage people who I know don’t agree with my decision. 
If someone can point me to a thread or reference, I would appreciate it.
). Either way, you are not on the hook for anything at this point. Basically until you get close to Lent, you aren’t committed to anything at all.