We're asking for your help on behalf of Dr. John Bergsma and his family.

For over 20 years now, John Bergsma has worked tirelessly to help Catholics across the country understand the deeply biblical roots of our Catholic Faith. Through his role as a professor of theology at Franciscan University, his countless in-person and online presentations, and his numerous books, John has done more than nearly any other layperson this century to help Catholics encounter Christ in Scripture.

Now he needs our help...

In July of 2024, John and Dawn’s son, Francis—one of eight children in the Bergsma family—was diagnosed with brain cancer and has been battling it ever since. On July 19th, 2024, Francis underwent a life-saving surgery that successfully removed 90% of the glioblastoma.

But he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

Although the surgery was largely successful, and Francis was sent home under hospice care, he has been in and out of the hospital ever since.

Now a new tumor has developed on Francis’s brainstem.

This tumor has affected many of his basic motor functions, and as a result, his left arm is limp and walking has become extremely challenging.

Due to his height and weight, only his dad and his brother are able to help him get around the house. Because of this, John has been waking up every two hours throughout the night to help Francis get up to use the bathroom.

In their desire to pursue all possible options to help Francis beat the odds, John and Dawn have already invested over $120,000 in medical expenses not covered by insurance.

And any ongoing care for Francis is expected to cost an additional $20,000 per month.

As you can imagine, this has devastated the Bergsma family’s finances. They’ve even had to tap into special savings that they had put aside for the care of their son Niklaas—a nonverbal autistic with severe global delays.

Until now, John has done everything in his power to meet the challenge of these ongoing medical expenses by himself. He has worked himself to the bone, maintaining his full-time role as a professor, his work as an author, and a demanding schedule of public and online appearances.

Despite his best efforts, the burden of these medical expenses is more than he can bear on his own.

That's why we're asking for your help.

We want to raise $350,000 by the end of March to help the Bergsma family.

This amount will help:

John has done so much to help us encounter Christ in the Scriptures. Together, let’s help him encounter Christ in the faces of his brothers and sisters by both prayerfully and financially supporting him in his time of need.

I know John will be grateful for whatever financial support you are able to give. Please also pray for the intercession of Blessed Álvaro del Portillo for Francis’s healing.

Thank you.