I’m a life-long Catholic, (pre-Vat.2, and post-Vat.2), and I don’t recall ever being taught I had to pray to Mary to be ‘saved’! Where did you learn that? I went to Catholic school, and never, ever was told/taught that. I did learn all the special prayers for her to pray for me, for her guidance and intercession. But never was I told I was saved by her by doing so.
Now I do think many people went overboard, and got sort of carried away with that. However, I had always understood that special requests or prayers addressed to Mary, the saints, angels, were meant only for purposes of guidance, for help w/a problem, etc...
In fact, in our big old (Catholic)family Bible, there is a glossary where they address this. They say that prayers to these individuals are only meant for help and guidance in doing the work of the Lord, but never to replace or interfere with the worship that rightly goes to God himself!
In other words, these individuals are only role-models to admire and emulate! They overcame personal sins and problems in their own lives, and continued to repent and to for those sins, and to inspire others to do so. These people by their own admission in their own lifetimes, that they looked to the Lord and strove to follow and emulate him. To worship or pray to them instead of God or Christ was not what they wanted!
One illustration of this was St. Francis of Assisi telling people who were trying to “canonize” him. They were referring to him as special, as a saint before he had even died! He very but firmly, told them not to make him into a saint, because “he could still father children”! In other words, he was still alive, was still human w/temptations he had to struggle with every day, and could still fall down! I read this several years ago, in an article in the “Liguorian” magazine.
That's why I chose St. Martha as my patron saint - I too have a tendency to be 'busy with many things', and since she overcame that fault, I appreciate her help with my efforts to overcome it too.