ALL is well with the world again: Baby Jesus is back in his manger.
A steady flow of children visited the outdoor crib in Waterford city throughout Thursday afternoon after a replica baby Jesus statue arrived to replace the snatched figurine.
Shutters have been erected and the crib will now be locked at night time, security signage warns that the nativity scene is under 24-hour surveillance -- and baby Jesus II is bolted firmly in place.
FAS workers had sculpted a 12-pound baby Jesus statue for the crib outside Waterford city's cathedral. However, he vanished in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Hours after an appeal was put out, the statue was found, but it was badly damaged.
The FAS worker who created the sculpture, a Turkish man, had kept the original mould so he was able to make a replacement.
Fr Gerry Langford said he was "amazed" by the number of calls he had received from around the country from people who were willing to cover the cost of the statue.