It’s idolatry no matter how one excuses it.
One doesn’t need to pray to (or through) any intermediary, “for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)
I assume that whatever church you go to has no representations of Christ on a crucifix, or a nativity scene during Christmas.
There is a difference between a thing like a crucifix being used for focus, and praying to the object. Even this old lady was quite sure that the figurine wasn’t a saint.