Miracle of the Talking Virgin and the Baby Who Heard Her

WAS SHE REALLY TALKING to Our Lady? It certainly looks that way in this 2002 photograph snapped by her mother.

This riveting photograph has traveled the world in newspapers and e-mails read by millions of people - and no wonder: Baby Anna DiMaggio, of LaPlace, not only appears to be talking with the statue of Mary in her family's garden, her father, Andrew DiMaggio, says she WAS talking to the Virgin ... and the Virgin was talking back.

"My wife, Amy, been taking pictures of Anna in her new dress when the batteries in the digital camera went dead," Andrew told the Herald-Guide just days ago.

"After I changed the batteries, Amy turned around to take more pictures, and there was Anna with her hands out, talking to our statue of the Blessed Mother. Anna would babble at the statue for a moment and then stop as if Mary was talking directly to her -and we believe Mary was indeed conversing with our daughter.

"This lasted a couple of minutes, and then Anna went back to playing. Since then, the picture has been forwared around the world and we still get letters and emails about the picture.

The photo was taken in September 2002, and Anna is now 5. But still loves to see our statue of the Blessed Mother and she will not even eat a snack without saying Grace before meals or the Hail Mary."

And what did the statue say to the toddler? That's between baby Anna and Mary. And so far, says her father, she's never said.