Raphael’s new neighbor

I’ve been wanting to put this up on the blog for a while now. A dead baby was found in my area, about 6 months gestation. The Catholic community rallied to get this little boy a casket and have a funeral and a Catholic Burial. The little one is buried within several yards of my own baby, Raphael. People have been bringing flowers, he has an angel statue and some wind chimes. My famiy has sort of promised ourselves that we will make sure Baby Doe gets flowers when we come out to visit Raphael once the notoriety fades away. Here’s the story.

An excerpt:
Posted on Thu, Jun. 09, 2005

R E L A T E D C O N T E N T

Ed Suba Jr./ABJ
A young girl lays a carnation Wednesday next to the tiny casket of Benjamin John, the baby found at the East Reservoir whom no one knew.

Abandoned baby boy may now rest in peace

Strangers moved by the story of a discarded infant come to mourn and to ask why

By David Giffels

The casket was the size of a bassinet, made of plastic with a faux marble finish, light enough to be carried under one arm. It sat on a table before the altar at Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in Green on Wednesday morning, awaiting explanation.

Inside was an anonymous baby boy. His body was discovered by a construction worker in late March, pulled up by a backhoe with the dredgings along the shore of the East Reservoir. The discarded baby was all of about 6 months’ gestation with a string tied around his umbilical cord.

No one knows where he came from. No one knows who he was. No one knows why he was dumped there.

A spray of tiny white roses, purple bellflowers and baby’s breath rested atop the casket. At the altar stood a priest who had admitted the day before that he was struggling for words.

The ceiling fans turned lazy circles. Candles flickered along the walls. A hymn began.

About 60 strangers had come, most for no other reason than they didn’t want this child to be buried alone. That had happened once already.

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