By Gigi Duncan
Jan 4, 2026 / 18:00 pm
Catholic college athletes attending the SEEK 2026 conference in Columbus, Ohio, considered how holiness is built: Not through spotlight moments, but through quiet sacrifice, daily fidelity, and offering what little they have to God.
Some 26,000 attendees have gathered through Jan. 5 in Columbus, Denver, and Fort Worth, Texas for the conference organized by FOCUS, a Catholic group that sends missionaries to college campuses and parishes to invite students and young adults to a relationship with Jesus Christ.
The message about holiness anchored a Varsity Catholic event, a branch of FOCUS ministry for college athletes. The session featured Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams and recently retired Atlanta Braves pitcher J.J. Niekro, who shared personal stories of faith, perseverance, and the ways small sacrifices shape both athletics and spiritual life.
The event was sponsored by NOVUS, a Catholic athletic brand founded by brothers Garrett and Nick Bernardo, both of whom played baseball at the University of Maine. The company encourages athletes to push throughout their trials and “claim their crown,” inspired by James 1:12: the promise of a crown for those who remain faithful to God.
Unseen holiness
Williams, the primary speaker, reflected on the Gospel account of the widow’s offering from Mark 12:41-44, in which a poor widow gives two small coins while the wealthy contribute from their surplus.
“Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury,” Williams read. “Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small copper coins, worth a penny. Calling His disciples to Himself, He said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all the others. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.’”
He urged athletes to see their daily sacrifices as similar offerings — small, consistent acts of faith that may go unnoticed but have profound spiritual value. Drawing on his baseball experience, he compared Christian sacrifice to the often-overlooked fundamental of bunting, a play that advances the team without fanfare.
“Bunting is the ‘hardest easy’ thing to do on a baseball field,” Williams said. “As soon as that 95-mile-per-hour fastball comes at your face, every instinct says, ‘Bail.’ But if you set your angle and commit, you’ll get that bunt down.”
Williams connected that principle to daily prayer, fasting, and other small sacrifices. “You’re telling me all I have to do is wake up 15 to 20 minutes earlier and pray? That’s hard — but it’s pretty easy,” he told the audience. “As athletes, we understand sacrifice with training, practice, and busy schedules. But when we sacrifice for the Lord, we don’t always see an immediate return. That’s why it’s harder.”
He also highlighted saints who exemplified quiet heroism, including Blessed Miguel Pro, a Jesuit priest martyred in Mexico, and St. Carlo Acutis, a teenager who combined ordinary interests with extraordinary devotion.
“ Saint Carlo loved video games,” Williams said, “but he made small sacrifices so he could pray and go to Mass. Small acts of love and sacrifice were offered by him daily.”
Williams emphasized that holiness often unfolds in unseen ways, much like the sacrifice bunt.
“No bunt I ever laid down was on ESPN highlights,” he said. “The game just moved on. But the runner advanced, and someone else got the RBI. There’s heroism in hidden moments!”
Priorities of faith
(Story continues below)
Niekro, who introduced Williams, shared a personal witness shaped by loss and faith. The son of Astros Hall of Famer Joe Niekro and nephew of Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro, he reflected on losing his father, uncle, and grandfather within months during his childhood.
“At a very young age, I was stripped of all the major father figures in my life,” Niekro said. “What I kept returning to was my Catholic faith — especially Ignatian spirituality.”
After years of injuries and surgeries, Niekro retired from professional baseball in August. He credited his faith for giving him perspective on life and priorities. “My model for life became very simple,” he said. “Wake up and love Christ.”
He recalled a moment shared with his uncle, who was sick at the time, that reshaped his understanding of success.
“He looked me in the eyes and said, ‘JJ, I would trade my entire Hall of Fame career to spend one more hour with my family,’” Niekro said.
Reflecting on Williams and Niekro’s talks, Garrett Bernardo said the event underscored the importance of helping athletes root their identity in Christ rather than in statistics or performance.
‘Don’t miss the sign’
“One of the biggest challenges to collegiate athletes is identity,” Bernardo said. “There’s a real temptation to believe that your performance determines who you are. But when you’re rooted in something constant — like knowing you’re a son or daughter of Christ — that provides great peace.”
Bernardo said bringing normally busy athletes together during SEEK offered a rare opportunity for encouragement and reflection. “When you can get everyone in a room together, share a message, and inspire one another, it’s really powerful,” he shared. “This experience has fueled me as a former college athlete, and I know it’s going to fuel them as well.”
For Williams, he expressed his hope for the students present that they would remember the widow’s offering and the metaphor of the “two pennies.”
“When you’re empty, let your prayer be simple,” he said. “Lord, all I have is two pennies. You have to do the rest.”
“Don’t miss the sign,” he added. “Just execute the bunt.”
