PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, September 4, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – A Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher and his wife found out she was pregnant 24 hours after agreeing on Divine Mercy Sunday to adopt a newborn baby.
The heartwarming story of Pirates right-hander Trevor Williams and his wife, Jackie, was revealed to the world via Williams’ social media accounts, calling attention to God’s sense of humor and grace.
“On Divine Mercy Sunday, Jojo’s birth mother told us that she wanted Jackie and I to be the adoptive parents of her daughter,” Williams announced on Instagram. “The very next day Jackie and I found out God has a great sense of humor by showering us with the grace of another child.”
“Baby boy is due in January ��Holy Family, pray for us,” added Williams.
The Pirates starting pitcher and his wife already had a young son, Issac, who will now within the space of a few months gain a younger sister and brother in rapid succession.
Their newborn daughter, Josephine Marie, was born July 5, just before the All-Star break.
Trevor and Jackie Williams began to work toward adopting a child after the conclusion of the Pirates’ 2018 season. They were matched with Jojo’s birth mom and the deal was sealed on Divine Mercy Sunday.
“We just wanted the first baby available,” Williams told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “She was the first birth mom that said she wanted us. It’s been awesome. It’s been a really good relationship with the birth mom and the entire birth family.”
“On 7/5, our daughter Josephine Marie Williams was born,” tweeted the proud Dad shortly after her birth.
“Through the gift of adoption & the selfless love of her birth mom, Jojo has blessed our family,” said Williams. “We are overjoyed and can’t imagine our family without her. We ask for prayers for our family and for Jojo’s birth family.”
On 7/5, our daughter Josephine Marie Williams was born. Through the gift of adoption & the selfless love of her birth mom, Jojo has blessed our family. We are overjoyed and can’t imagine our family without her. We ask for prayers for our family and for Jojo’s birth family. �� pic.twitter.com/NKJ8ddP0hQ
— Trevor Williams (@MeLlamoTrevor) July 8, 2019
The vibrant Catholic faith of the Williams family has come across loud and clear for a long time via their social media accounts.
“Please pray for my family and me, this Lent and always,” Williams wrote on Instagram as Lent began this year. Williams included an image of an icon, inscribed, “Protecting Veil of the Theotokos,” the centennial Icon of St. Mary Orthodox Church, Southside Pittsburgh.
At the outset of Lent the previous year, Williams posted a picture of the Vatcian’s Pieta – Mary holding the body of her son Jesus after he was taken down from the Cross.
“Less memes and more prayer, sacrifice, and charity,” Williams said. “See you in 40 days. Have a fruitful Lent.”
“I know that baseball is not the most important thing in the world,” the major league pitcher said in a Knights of Columbus video. “I take my job very seriously, and I do have bad days where I feel really down because I let my team down and I let myself down.”
“But at the end of the day I know the sun comes up tomorrow morning,” he added with a smile.
Watch video here.
“My faith, to me, is more than just going to Mass on Sundays,” Williams said.
Williams said he keeps a Saint Benedict crucifix in his locker and that before pitching a game he prays “Jesus, I trust in you.”
In the video, Williams explains that his tattoos are a way to evangelize. On his left upper arm is a huge depiction of St. Michael the Archangel. On his right arm is a raven, a reference to St. Benedict of Nursia, who is credited with having played an important role in the development of liturgical worship and in the preservation of Western civilization.
On the inside of his left wrist is AMDG, the Jesuit motto “Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam,” Latin for “for the greater glory of God.” Williams explained that each time he goes to pitch, he sees that and is reminded to “do everything for the greater glory of God.”
“As a Catholic man,” Williams noted, “I want to be visible and be present.”