Newborn ‘Miracle Baby’ Found Abandoned in Church Nativity
A church custodian found a newborn baby—with the umbilical cord still attached—in the church’s nativity, according to reports.
Now, the community of Holy Child Jesus Church is rallying around the child, who was found wrapped in towels next to the Virgin Mary, says Jose Moran, the man who found the child.
“I think it’s beautiful,” Parish Priest Christopher Heanue tells the New York Times. “A church is a home for those in need, and she felt, in this stable—a place where Jesus will find His home—a home for her child.”
The New York Daily News reports at least one parishioner has offered to adopt the child, who has been nicknamed “Baby Jesus.”
Even Moran’s wife asked him why he didn’t bring home the “Miracle baby.”
According to child welfare documents, churches are considered safe havens to leave infants. However, the parent must be present to hand the child over to church personnel when leaving the baby.
Though the mother has yet to be identified, many in the community are praying for her and the child.
“We can’t imagine the desperation she must have gone through, but placing the baby in the manger where Jesus is born … she wanted him to be close to Christ,” Brooklyn-Queens Diocese spokeswoman Rocio Fidalgo tells the Daily News. “We may never meet her, but our prayers are with her.”
