Away in a Manger … Newborn Baby Discovered in New York Church’s Baby Jesus Nativity Scene

AWAY IN A MANGER, NO CRIB FOR A BED … CHRISTMAS SEASON MIRACLE … NEW BORN BABY FOUND IN NATIVITY SCENE …

A new born baby was discovered at the Holy Child of Jesus Church in New York in the Nativity scene in the manger. The baby still had the umbilical cord attached and was thought to be only a few hours old. The child was rushed to Jamaica Hospital for treatment, but was said to be healthy and in stable condition. The unknown mother obviously did not follow New York’s “safe haven” law when she abandoned the baby in the manger, but on the bright side, she did not abort it and now one of God’s children has a chance to be adopted and live the rest of its life.

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.

Portland Press Herald:

The custodian on duty at the Holy Child of Jesus Church in New York this week beheld a scene straight out of Scripture. Hearing the sound of a baby’s cry, he found a newborn wrapped in towels lying inside, of all places, the wooden manger of the church’s nativity scene.

The infant, who weighed about 5 pounds, still had his umbilical cord attached. As emergency crews arrived to take him to the Jamaica Hospital in Queens, his eyes remained closed, his slight arms outstretched towards the sky.

“For unto us a child is born,” Rev. Christopher Ryan Heanue announced on the parish’s Facebook page. “Let us pray for this child, for his parents and for whomever will receive him into their home.”

The identity of the baby’s mother is still unknown, though police told the New York Times that a video shows a woman arriving with the baby and departing without him. She likely entered the church between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday, the period in which the custodian left the empty chapel for lunch.

Doctors said the baby had been born just four to five hours before he was found, and police told the Associated Press that he is in good health.

UPDATE I: Mother Who Left Baby in NYC Nativity Manger Won’t Be Charged.

A mother who left her newborn baby in a Christmas manger inside a New York City church will not be prosecuted, authorities said Wednesday.

“After a full review of all the facts and circumstances surrounding the discovery of a newborn infant this past Monday in a creche inside of Holy Child Jesus Church in the Richmond Hill section of Queens County – including locating and interviewing the mother – my office has determined that no criminal prosecution of the child’s mother is warranted,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement.