I'm with you on the following directions bit. I might also add that I can't figure out why so many folks want to pray to the Virgin Mary or other Saints that have been declared Saints by living men. Why pray to what were once mere humans when the Living God exists?
Well, orthodox Catholic teaching goes something like this.
You pray to the Saints or the Virgin as they are in Heaven and close to and beloved by God. SInce they are, they can intercede with Him directly on your behalf. On the other hand, there is nothing in orthodox Catholic theology which precludes Catholics from praying directly to God.
Because it's in the Bible?
Revelation 5:8And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
You do not pray to the statues or the people they represent. When praying the rosary for example or to any Saint you are asking for their intercession, meaning that they help you to speak with god. They are not icons but rather models of how to live a good Christian life. And, at least when it comes to Mary the Mother of God, She is known to carry some weight with the big guy. He raised her body to heaven, otherwise known as "The Assumption", and generally agreed upon by all Christian faiths.