Bernadette was a sickly child of poor parents. Their practice of the Catholic faith was scarcely more than lukewarm. Bernadette could pray the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Creed. She also knew the prayer of the Miraculous Medal: O Mary conceived without sin.
During interrogations Bernadette gave an account of what she saw. It was something white in the shape of a girl. She used the word aquero, a dialect term meaning this thing. It was a pretty young girl with a rosary over her arm. Her white robe was encircled by a blue...