Catholic theology
Catholic belief holds that the church exists both on earth and in heaven simultaneously, and thus the Virgin Mary and the saints are alive and part of the living church. Prayers and devotions to Mary and the saints are common practices in Catholic life. These devotions are not worship, since only God is worshiped. The church teaches that the saints "do not cease to intercede with the Father for us. ... So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped."
Cult (religious practice)
In the Catholic Church, outward religious practice in "cultus" is the technical term for Roman Catholic devotions or veneration extended to a particular saint, not to the worship of God. Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox Church make a major distinction between "latria", the worship that is offered to God alone, and "dulia", which is veneration offered to the saints, including the veneration of Mary, whose veneration is often referred to as "hyperdulia".