Is the entire Catholic Church one big church? ;)

In all seriousness, I applaud this and feel that it is a brave thing to allow others to scrutinize your religion. I first thought this thread was a joke, but I'm happy to see that you are serious about sharing your faith. Good for you. I guess I have a question, and I hope it, as well as all others I might ask, are taken as genuine and not as derogatory.

Considering the Bible's prohibition against idolatry and injunctions to pray directly to our Heavenly Father, how do Catholics justify praying to saints and venerating their likeness in statues?

To be fair, I am fairly well educated on most prominent religions, and I know at least some Catholics' answers to this question. However, I am interested in your thoughts.