YAKIMA, Wash. (OSV News) ─ Last November, the Catholic Extension Society shared the heart-warming story about a priest who delivered twin babies outside St. Paul Cathedral in Yakima, Washington. A year later the twin boys are thriving.
As Father Jesús Mariscal was leaving the rectory on his way to purchase doughnuts for a marriage preparation meeting, he saw a woman in distress in front of a statue of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception.
She cried out to him, "I need help! I'm having a baby!"
He called 911, and through the guidance of the emergency operator, he delivered not one, but, to his complete shock, two baby boys. The second child was not breathing when he was born, and Father Mariscal resuscitated him.
The woman and twin boys were taken to the hospital. Father Mariscal was able to visit them at the hospital. The mother left the hospital a few hours after being admitted.
The priest, who is parochial vicar at the Yakima cathedral, has remained in contact with the boys' family. Sadly, their mother is battling addiction and is not well enough to care for them.
But the father, Lucius Moran, has been raising his growing boys, Theodore and Timothy, for a year now.
In an interview with the Catholic Extension Society posted on its website, www.catholicextension.org, Moran said he knew that the mother of the boys was pregnant with twins, but she had gone missing, and he was unable to locate her. He did not find out about their birth until several days later. They were 10 weeks premature, and they had a long stay in the neonatal intensive care unit. Theodore underwent two blood transfusions.
Moran is thankful that Father Mariscal was there to bring his children into the world.
"He honestly, in my opinion, saved my boys," Moran said. "I don't think they would be here if it wasn't for Father Jesús."
The twin boys aren't the only ones who were saved. Before they were born, Moran had been fighting addiction. "These boys and this whole experience has helped me overcome that," he said.
Moran appreciates that Father Mariscal continues to check in on the family.
Besides the twins, Moran is also raising a toddler and a little girl. He has joined the PREPARES program, offered by Catholic Charities Serving Central Washington. This free program serves parents and their young children by providing essential supplies such as clothing and diapers, organized play groups, and trained volunteers who offer support and encouragement.
The church also connected Moran to a stranger who donated a van and the first six months of auto insurance for the vehicle.
Moran is intent on raising his twin boys to be good people.
"I hope they become very productive, good members of the community," he said. "It's definitely unique how and where they were born, that's for sure. In front of the statue of Mary, at St. Paul Cathedral, and delivered by Father Jesús -- like Father 'Jesus.' … It's definitely a blessing."
Originally from Zacatecas, Mexico, Father Mariscal was ordained in July 2018 at age 37 for the Yakima Diocese. Catholic Extension, a Chicago-based nonprofit, supported Father Mariscal's seminary education. Each year, it supports 400 seminarians on their path to the priesthood.
Since 1905, Catholic Extension has supported Catholic faith communities in the nation's poorest regions.
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