No they were not! The Jews were the first Christians. Not the Catholics. You follow what you might. I will follow the Bible. I don’t worship Mary. I don’t pray to her. THAT friend is wrong! Take it or leave it. Do so at your own peril. I’m done here.
The Catholic Church was started by the Jews that knew and followed and died for the living Jesus! For hundreds of years after Christ’s death, all Christians were Cathoics and all believed in the intercession of Mary and that the body of christ was literally in the bread and wine. Why did that change?