A young priest recently helped a distressed homeless woman bring two young lives into the world. Father Jesús Mariscal is the parochial vicar at St. Paul Cathedral in Yakima, Washington. He stepped out of the rectory in September for what he thought would be a quick trip to buy doughnuts for a marriage preparation meeting with an engaged couple. As he walked past the statue of the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, located on the cathedral grounds, he noticed a homeless woman in distress standing near it. She was screaming frantically, “I need help! I’m having a baby!” Father Mariscal couldn’t believe it at first. But he looked closely and saw blood at her feet. She cried out, “I’m having it now! I’m having it now!” He called 911 and helped the woman lie down. He put his phone on speaker and placed it on the ground so he could follow the 911 operator’s instructions. Within seconds the woman gave birth to a baby boy. Father Mariscal handed the crying boy to the woman. “I’m having another!” she shouted to the shocked priest. Father Mariscal helped deliver the second boy. He told the 911 operator the child was still in the amniotic sac, the protective membrane that surrounds a child in the womb. Father Mariscal saw the baby moving inside it. The 911 operator told him to break it open. This proved more difficult than expected. With precious time evaporating and no tools at his disposal, the priest was finally able to burst the sac with his hands, only to find the tiny infant wasn’t breathing. His umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. The operator told Father Mariscal to lay the child on his side and gently tap him on the back. After a few terrifying moments, the baby started to cry, announcing his arrival into the world. The morning air was chilly, so he ran inside to get towels. Finally, the paramedics arrived. Father Mariscal texted the couple he was supposed to meet for marriage preparation. “I’m sorry I’m late for our appointment. I was just helping a lady deliver twins,” he wrote. Assuming it was a joke to excuse his tardiness, they responded: “LOL Father. You don’t have to lie.” The woman and twin boys were taken to the hospital. The babies were born prematurely, at 30 weeks. The priest has visited them in the hospital, and they are doing well. He does not know the exact nature of the mother’s situation in life. She left the hospital a few hours after being admitted, and as far as anyone knows she has not yet returned. “It’s a beautiful story on one side, but heart-breaking on the other,” said the priest, whose own beloved mother passed away earlier in the year.
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