Some Protestant faiths have objections to Catholics 'praying' to Mary instead of Jesus, or to shrines. Personally, even thoughn I'm not Catholic, I believe Catholics are Christian.
I don't pray to Mary or to shrines. I pray to God in His three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Asking Mary to pray for me is an entirely different matter - no different than asking a friend to pray to God on my behalf. To suggest that Catholics pray to or worship Mary/statues is a complete misunderstanding of Catholicism. I was not taught to do either, nor do I do so today.