@maxdancona,
NOWHERE in the CHRISTIAN Bible does it say to pray to Mary and ask her to intercede for you.
The Christian Bible says JESUS is Our Intercessor (Romans 8:34) and that the only way to the Father is through Him (John 14:6).
The Catholics venerate Mary. That is form of idolatry and the Christian Bible does not say to do that.
Catholics go to a priest and ask the priest to pardon their sins. The Christian Bible does not say to do that either. Christians are supposed to pray and ask GOD to forgive their sins.
James 5:16 says "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
There is nothing in this passage about going to your pastor and asking him/her to forgive your sins. That is talking about coming clean and admitting what wrongs you did to your fellow Christians and then praying about that. They pray and ask God to forgive their sins.
Catholics believe in purgatory. There is no such animal. Catholics can't even give a clear definition of what purgatory is.
What Catholics do and believe is
CULTISH.