Dominique Rivera, the wife of NYPD officer Jason Rivera, revealed at amemorial massat St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Saturday morning that she is pregnant with her late love’s child.
While reading a speech detailing the grief she has experienced since the loss of “my husband, partner, friend and most importantly my soulmate,” Dominique then shared the happy news, stating, “One of the things I’m learning is that God works in mysterious ways.”
“Though sorrow and pain, there can also be a rebirth. I am blessed to say that Jason and I will be expecting our miracle this spring,” the mom-to-be continued.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Jason Rivera’s memorial service.Jason Rivera.Jason Rivera’s memorial service.PHOTO: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, PoolJason Rivera.PHOTO: AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura
Jason Rivera’s memorial service.Jason Rivera.
Jason Rivera’s memorial service.
Jason Rivera.
Jason Rivera’s memorial service.PHOTO: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, PoolJason Rivera.PHOTO: AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura
Amid loud applause from those in the church with her, Dominique continued, “Although Jason won’t be here in physical form to see and experience our miracle, I know he will always be here in spirit watching, protecting and loving us.”
She added, “To my unborn child, my hope is with time, guidance, and love they, too, will get to know their father, and as a family, we will vow to never forget Jason’s tremendous legacy of success and ultimate sacrifice.”
Jasonand his partner, Wilbert Mora, were fatally shotwhile responding to a domestic dispute in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood in January 2022.
Wilbert Mora; Jason Rivera.NYPD News/Twitter
Want to get the biggest stories fromPEOPLEevery weekday?Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.
Jason died that day, while Mora succumbed to his wounds four days after the shooting. Both men were posthumously promoted to detective after their deaths.
Jason, who was appointed to the NYPD in November 2020, was assigned to the 32nd Precinct in May 2021, while Mora entered the police academy in October 2018 and was assigned to the city’s 32nd Precinct in Harlem in November 2019, online records show.
Dominique Rivera.Sipa via AP Images
Dominique also saidduring the memorial serviceover the weekend that the past year has been “unbearable.”
“Although I can understand that for most of you life went on, it feels like time has stopped for me,” she said. “I have thought about all of the plans we made, what our lives would be like now that we are married. Thinking about the day we’d be able to make dinner for each other or wait on each other to see who comes home first. Taking yearly vacations and soaking up all the love that newlyweds feel.”
source: people.com
