These nuns are not representative of Catholicism; in fact, they're not representative of any form of Christianity. I'm appalled at their lack of compassion. This type of missionary action is the exact opposite of what is promoted by the Catholic Church. This might have been accepted in the year 1000, but not by any means in the year 2005.
Liberator, these "sects" of Catholicism that blame the Jewish people as a whole are an insignificant minority. Yes, it is true that the Jewish chief priests and scribes were the ones who called for Christ's death, but does that make the entire Jewish race guilty? Of course not. And, if you are a Christian, you have to realize that Christ had to die to grant salvation, so "blaming" anyone for something that had to happen is pretty absurd in and of itself.
I understand your confusion about the Catholic teaching regarding Mary; it's something a lot of non-Catholics don't really understand. Catholics don't actually "pray" to Mary or any of the saints. Instead, we ask for them to intercede for us with God. You see, a saint is someone who lived a life of virtue and holiness, and who earned the reward of heaven as a result of this. Those of us here on Earth ask for the saints' prayers and intercessions. This is where you get the idea of patron saints; certain saints are associated with certain activities, professions, countries, or diseases, so asking one of them for their intercession when undergoing a particular problem is almost like having someone there to help you through a difficult time.
Regarding Mary, the Catholic Church doesn't treat her as a "mere" mortal woman. She is the Mother of God, called the "Theokotos" in the Orthodox Church. According to two important Catholic traditions about Mary, those of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, Mary was conceived without the original sin that stains the rest of humanity as recognition of her future role as the bearer of the Son of God, and at the end of her life, she was assumed body and soul into heaven, a symbol of our own eventual reunions of body and soul at the end of time. Also, as exemplified by Christ giving Mary into John's care as he hung on the cross to be his mother, Mary is a mother to all of humanity. Seen through this light, asking for her intercession and prayer is a very powerful thing indeed.
Please note: I'm not trying to prostelyze here; I'm simply informing Liberator and others about Catholic doctrines and teachings that they might be unfamiliar with. I also want to re-emphasize that the actions of those nuns are in absolutely no way representative of the actions of Catholic missionaries or of Church doctrine; in fact, they are going against important principles of both.
