Kolo mou, there is a hymn where the people sing "Through the intercession of the Theotokos, [O] Savior, save us." This is distinctly different from "Most holy Theotokos, save us."
I have never seen anyone do a metania at the mention of her name, though I certainly have seen it before her icons, and the icons of other saints for that matter
I have in a Serbian church and I confronted that person, and tried to explain to her why this was wrong, and brought it to the priest's attention, to avail. Not only did the practice continue but it spread among the faithful.
Look, this is no different than "Trinity" icons depicting God the Father as a very old man, or "Old Man Time" icons depicting Father/Christ as a very old man, that are allowed to subsist in Orthodox churches.
"Look, this is no different than "Trinity" icons depicting God the Father as a very old man, or "Old Man Time" icons depicting Father/Christ as a very old man, that are allowed to subsist in Orthodox churches."
I suppose not, heretical practices like doing metanias at the mere mention of Panagia and using pictures of the Trinity or Christ with old men in them are inappropriate. That the priest did not instruct the old lady is a shame but you and I both know that that was his call. As for the Trinity pictures, well, I'd like to see a couple of them gone from my parish but I was the only "old timer" to want that, so I commissioned, from a Syrianitsa, a Holy Trinity icon which is prominent in the narthex of our church. There's not much else I can do at least for now. I do not believe, however, that chanting "Υπεραγια Θεοτοκε, σοσον ημας", knowing full well what we are talking about, is heretical. Kosta mou, I have been, like you, chanting that all my life and it never occurred to me that I was, or would be thought to be, asking her to do for me what Christ does until a convert asked me about it a few years ago.