A newborn boy was left in a Queens church’s nativity scene.
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He wasn’t wrapped in swaddling clothes but he was lying in a manger, so new to the world that his umbilical cord was still attached.
‘The baby was brand new, ‘ Heanue said. “It’s a lovely baby boy”, the Rev. Christopher Heanue told the NY Post. According to Catholic tradition, the crèche remains empty until Christmas Eve, when the baby Jesus is revealed.
When the maintenance man returned to the church about 1:10 p.m., he heard a baby crying. Father Christopher Heanue said the baby was placed in the nativity scene, near the altar.
New York’s Safe Haven law says a person can leave their baby, up to 30 days old, with any responsible person at a suitable location.
The baby, weighing 5lb and 2oz was transported to Jamaica Hospital where he is listed in good condition, and authorities are searching for the child’s mother.
“I’m moved because Pope Francis has called this a year of mercy and what a better way to be merciful and find a home in need”, the priest said.
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Numerous church’s members already have asked about adopting the child, he said.
