Pope Shenouda III
. This is acceptable; it is a Biblical teaching and taken from the spirit of the Psalms which St. Paul the Apostle talked about, saying: “Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm” (1Cor.14: 26), “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph.5: 19) and “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Col.3: 16). As long as we address angels, nature, people, ourselves and devils in our prayers, according to the teaching of the Divine Inspiration, then it is not wrong to address our mother the Virgin whilst we pray and this is not considered prayer.