Sophia Forchas is a 13-year-old student at the Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On August 27, Sophia was with her classmates for the beginning of the school-year worship service. During the service, a demon-possessed assailant opened fire on the students, killing two and injuring thirty. Sophia was grievously wounded. I don’t casually use the words “demon-possessed.” The killer hated Jesus. He drew a picture of himself looking in a mirror with a demon staring back at him.

Doctors were not hopeful about Sophia’s prognosis. A bullet was lodged in her brain. She was placed in a medically induced coma. Fearful that the brain swelling would cause more damage, part of her skull had to be removed. Doctors doubted she would ever fully recover. Yet in late September, a recuperating, smiling Sophia returned home and was reunited with her family and friends.

Her parents praised the incredible medical team at Hennepin County Medical Center and the rehab specialists at Gillette Children’s Hospital in St. Paul. Her father told reporters how her personality was “shining through once more”1 and described how she was walking and swimming now. Then he said, “Each step she takes is a living testament to the boundless grace of God and the miraculous power of prayer.”2

This story of the power of faith and prayer that led to Sophia’s miraculous healing should be inspirational and easy for everyone to celebrate. But we live in a time of tremendous hostility toward Christianity from our secular, cultural, and political elites.

I won’t forget what happened in the hours and days immediately after the murderous attack on the children. Christians all over America, including our team at JDFI, promptly offered our condolences and prayers. Families of the children were grateful to know their brothers and sisters in Christ were on their knees, asking for God’s mercy and healing in the face of such an evil act.

However, many secularists, including government officials, were outraged that Christians’ first instinct was to pray. The not-so-subtle message they delivered was that prayers were useless. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, “Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying . . . they were in a church.”3 Similar comments were made by Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, who was Kamala Harris’ vice-presidential running mate. Governor Newsom of California, who hopes to run for president in 2028, also appeared to deride prayer as useless, posting on X, “These children were literally praying as they got shot at.”4

After this tragedy, the derision often expressed about praying was said with great anger. Former Biden press secretary and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki wrote, “Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers does (sic) not end school shootings . . . prayer does not bring these kids back . . . enough with the thoughts and prayer.”5 Her anger is revealing.

Many on the secular Left clearly do not understand the purpose of prayer. Christians don’t pray to God expecting Him to grant wishes as if He were a mythical genie in a bottle. Prayer is meant to praise God, to seek forgiveness, to thank Him for our blessings, and to ask for His favor and protection in our lives. We pray for help in bad times and, yes, we pray for miracles. Our prayers help us to deal with pain and suffering.

I believe the prayers, even during the shooting, were heard by God. He was at that Minneapolis church, in a very real way, on the day of that evil attack. Think about what transpired: A church is packed with little children and a small number of adults. Nobody inside has a gun. A crazed lunatic, probably a demonically possessed Christ-hater, is outside with three weapons. He mocks God as he begins his attack. It is a miracle that the number of deaths was not much higher.

Part of why this terrible event wasn’t worse is because the Christians in the church that morning did Christ-like things. Christian fathers barricaded the doors so the hater couldn’t get in. Other Christian adults in the room shepherded the children and led them in prayer. Older Christian siblings protected their little brothers and sisters, in some cases lying on top of them to keep them from getting shot.

We often say that when Christ returns, He will not have an R or D next to His name. It is also true that, in today’s political struggle in America, the globalist secular Left is at war with our Judeo-Christian traditions and values.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a liberal Democrat, was perfectly comfortable leading the nation in prayer6 at the beginning of D-Day. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. prayed without ceasing as he led a civil rights movement that broke the back of segregation. He based his whole appeal on the truth that each of us is made in the image of God and have dignity, value, and worth. Either man, if alive today, would be condemned by the secular Left for relying on the God of the Bible.

This hostility to Christian prayer is not an isolated trend. Acts of violence against churches, including arson and desecration involving Satanic symbols, has grown over the last decade. Christians who love Jesus and love America are regularly smeared with the label “Christian nationalist.” We must be vigilant in protecting our religious liberty. Christianity is the most persecuted faith in the world. We must not allow persecution to prevail here. JDFI is dedicated to that task.

But today, we can and should celebrate the good news about one family’s victory over evil and hate. Sophia Forchas and her family, strengthened by prayer and relying on God, are on the road to recovery. God bless you, Sophia, and God bless the United States.

 

Matthew Vester. "Prayers Answered: Annunciation Shooting Survivor Sophia Forchas Finally Comes Home." Catholic World Report, October 24, 2025. https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2025/10/24/prayers-answered-annunciation-shooting-survivor-sophia-forchas-finally-comes-home/

Vester, “Prayers Answered.”

Frey, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey: 'These kids were literally praying'. YouTube video, 1:23. Posted by WCCO - CBS Minnesota, October 24, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6suu4bMBiM

Newsom, Gavin (@GavinNewsom). “These children were literally praying as they got shot at.” X, August 28, 2025. https://x.com/GavinNewsom/status/1961139199484330194

Psaki, Jen (@jrpsaki). “Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers does [sic] not end school shootings. prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school.” X, August 28, 2025. https://x.com/jrpsaki/status/1960730977472237739?lang=en

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. "A 'Mighty Endeavor:' D-Day." Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.fdrlibrary.org/d-day