>>7It depends on whether you are talking about Lay Catholicism or Catholicism according to the Church.
In Lay Catholicism, it can be anything you want. The pictures of Mary that you keep on your refrigerator with a magnet is looking down, watching over all and can grant miracles, or maybe just relay a message to god for you, it depends on who you ask. When you die, you will go be an angel and can spy on the living and have mass orgies and all kinds of fun stuff. The religion is only limited by the span of your imagination while sitting in a pew with a hang over on Sunday morning.
I don't know what the official Church idea is, but as long as you're up to date on your tithe, they don't appear to care what you believe.