The inspiring legacy of Brian Bergkamp, seminarian who gave his life for another

You probably remember the heartbreaking story of the seminarian who drowned over the summer while rafting.

Tom Hoopes at the National Catholic Register has more on Brian Bergkamp’s life and his impact on those who knew him:

“One thing we want to say up front is the fact that Brian was an ordinary child and young adult,” his mother, Teresa, told me.

“He wasn’t perfect — he had struggles and faults, like the rest of us. He had a desire to serve God and help others, and that is why he chose to become a priest. But God had other plans.”

You get a taste of who Brian Bergkamp was from his Facebook posts. A passionate pro-lifer, his last public post before he died celebrates Kansas defunding Planned Parenthood. Farther down on the page, you find his faith and sense of humor.

He liked sharing memes. One said: “The Church needs to get with the times … said every failed empire for 2,000 years.” Another celebrates his upbringing: “If you sat here as a kid,” it says over a picture of a tractor seat, “you had a good childhood.”

Bergkamp had a good childhood. He was born on Jan. 13, 1992, the third child of seven born to Ned and Teresa Bergkamp of Garden Plain, Kansas, population: 773. He grew up in a small house with one bathroom. “It was kind of crazy,” said Teresa, “a real juggling act.”

“All the children worked outside on the farm,” she said. “Up until 11 years ago, we always dairied. They always got up on weekend mornings with their dad to go milking at 5 in the morning.”

The priesthood loomed large in their third child’s mind. “I think Brian first felt called to the priesthood as a young child, so from early on,” his brother, Deacon Andrew Bergkamp, said. “He always took his faith seriously.”

But he never took himself too seriously.

And there’s this:

Vocations directors warn seminarians that the devil works hard on young men who are headed to the priesthood. Bergkamp was no exception.

“The more I think about it, Satan is only doing this because he can see the true potential I have as a priest — the havoc I will bring to Satan and his desires and the joy and peace I can give the Catholic Church,” wrote Bergkamp.

His next words only make sense because of his death: “At this point in my life, I believe I will become much more than just a priest,” he said, “that I am called to something higher, enabling me to reach out to thousands of Catholics.”

Read it all.