Do Catholics Worship Mary?

Direct answer . . . No

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We honor Mary as the greatest of the saints, but she is not God. No other human person offers as vital and direct a link in the coming of Christ. Consider the words of honor which Gabriel, as a messenger of God, spoke to Mary: "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you... you have found favor with God." (Luke 1:28,30) Read more about how Catholic honor for Mary (and the saints) is in accord with Scripture.

 

Don't Catholics Make Up Things about Mary to Make Her Seem More Important?

No again . . .

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First of all, we don't get to make things up; our doctrines all have basis in Sacred Scripture and Tradition. Secondly, anything we believe that seems to distinguish Mary is never done by her or for her - everything is through and for Christ. "What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ." (Catechism, paragraph 487)

• Mary is the mother of Jesus, who is God; that makes Mary the Mother of God. She is not divine, nor is she the mother of divinity or of the triune God. More . . .

• Jesus made Mary sinless from the moment of her conception in the womb because of the singular role she was to play in salvation.  We call this "The Immaculate Conception". More . . .

• We believe that Mary, because of her sinless state, was assumed bodily into heaven. We call this "The Assumption".  More . . .

• We believe that Mary is Ever Virgin; she was a virgin before and after the birth of Jesus. More . . .

 

Ready to Learn More?

A particularly useful article is The Key to Understanding Mary. And, as always, the Catechism is a sure source for Catholic teaching; references to Mary are laced throughout the text, but a good place to start is paragraph 484.