Minneapolis, September 8, 2025
GoFundMe
Twelve-year-old Sophia Forchas, a member of St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis, remains in critical condition in the ICU after being shot in the head during the August 27 mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School.
The shooting, which occurred during the first week of school, left two children dead and 17 others injured. The gunman, 23-year-old Robert Westman, fired through the church windows before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A GoFundMe campaign for Sophia has raised over $1 million as of September 7, drawing support from Orthodox Christians and others around the world. The 12-year-old is described as “a bright, kind, and full of life young girl who is now fighting for her life.”
“Sophia was shot in the head in the midst of the most heinous act against children in Minneapolis history,” her parents, Tom and Amy Forchas, wrote in a September 5 update. “She is still in critical condition in the pediatric ICU. Her condition was changing minute to minute.”
In a tragic twist, Sophia’s 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.”
The family has received an outpouring of prayer support from Orthodox communities worldwide. “Sophia is receiving prayers from Oslo to Johannesburg, from Sydney to Santiago, from Vietnam to San Francisco, and from Mt. Athos, Greece to Minneapolis, MN,” her parents wrote.
“We want to empress upon everyone to keep those prayers going. We need everybody to keep praying for Sophia’s recovery,” they continued. “Pray with a vigor that mirrors Christ’s vigorous love for us.”
The funds raised are designated for Sophia’s critical medical care and recovery, trauma counseling for her and her brother, family support services and therapy, and lost wages for the family.
“She is fighting for everybody across the globe! She has a long road of recovery ahead of her,” her parents wrote, noting that test results will determine “what areas of the brain are affected, when and if we can wake her up, and how long this process is projected to be.”
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
