By India McCarty
Seventh grader Sophia Forchas is making “miraculous” progress after being shot in the head during Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis last month.
“Sophia is winning! Your Prayers are working,” her family said in a statement released through Hennepin Healthcare. “On behalf of our entire family, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone near and far, for the continued prayers, the outpouring of love, and the tremendous support for our precious Sophia.”
Related: How Media Violence Influences Mass Shootings
The statement continued, “We’re thrilled to share that Sophia continues to make steady progress, showing promising signs of neurological recovery…Though she still has a long journey ahead, filled with extensive therapy, her resilience continues to inspire hope at every step. Sophia is strong, brave, and unwavering in her fight toward healing. We ask that you continue to pray for her as she walks this road to recovery.”
“It is by God’s will that she has come this far. We are eternally grateful to our loving Father, who hears and answers prayers,” the statement concluded. “Please continue to pray. Pray for peace and when you pray, move your feet. Let us worship God together and walk forward in Faith, Hope, and Love. Together we can create a better tomorrow.”
Sophia was shot Aug. 27, when an assailant fired shots through the windows of the church during morning Mass. The attacker killed two children — 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski — and injured 21 others, including 18 children. The shooter later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A GoFundMe has already raised over $1 million for Sophia’s care. The description on the fundraiser’s page shared that her younger brother was also in the church at the time of the shooting.
“Though he was physically unharmed, the trauma of witnessing such a terrifying event — and knowing his sister was critically injured — is something no child should ever experience,” the page shared. “Furthermore, her mother, a Pediatric Critical Care nurse, arrived at work to help during the tragedy, before knowing it was her children’s school that was attacked, and that her daughter was critically injured.”
Father Timothy Sas of St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church told ABC News, “Sophia’s mother was called into work, and only to find out when she arrived that her daughter was one of the victims, unfortunately. No priest is ever prepared enough to offer consolation for a moment like this.”
Please continue to pray for Sophia and the Forchas family as she continues this recovery process.
Read Next: 8 Ways Christian Celebrities Are Praying in the Wake of Multiple Mass Shootings
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +1Share:
– Content: +4