The nativity infant arrived early at, appropriately, Holy Child Jesus Church, a Roman Catholic parish in New York. More specifically, during the manger builder’s lunch break, according to The Guardian and other media outlets today:
Father Christopher Ryan Heanue, one of the priests at the church in the borough of Queens, said he and others placed a clean towel around the baby while waiting for paramedics to arrive.
“The beautiful thing is that this woman found in this church – which is supposed to be a home for those in need – this home for her child,” Heanue said, referring to the person he assumed left the baby there.
“A young couple in our parish would love to adopt this child and keep this gift in our community. It would make a great Christmas miracle,” Heanue said.
The baby was healthy, The Guardian reported, and police are searching for those who left the newborn (four to five hours old, and weighing five pounds, according to CBSNews.com and the parish Facebook page) boy. From the CBS report:
New York has a so-called safe haven law that says a newborn can be dropped off anonymously at a church, hospital, police or fire station without fear of prosecution. But the law, known as the Abandoned Infant Protection Act, requires that the child be left with someone or for authorities to be called immediately.
Police said that didn’t happen in this case, which led investigators to begin searching for the person who dropped the child at the church.