Q. Why do Catholics pray to Saints when they could pray directly to God?
A. I guess because from the beginning we were instructed to pray for one another as in
James 5:16:
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
And John 9:31:
“We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.
Praying to saints is nothing more than asking for their intercession. For an explanation of the Catholic use of the phrase “pray to the Saints” click here.
I am of the firm belief that when you have patron saints and/or devotion to the saints/angels/Mary that when you pray, you never pray alone – they pray with you. This makes each prayer many times more effacacious before the throne of God. They will pray for us until we are right there beside them.