Father had suffered from acute leukemia for just a few months. He underwent his first round of chemotherapy in November, and his second after New Year’s, which he was unable to endure. 

It all started in early autumn. They thought it was just the flu, and Father waved off the suggestion of going to the doctors because he was very busy with his ministry and his family. He had no time to be sick, he would say. The disease was discovered accidentally, as often happens with people who are very busy. 

He didn’t tell his family right away. Matushka Olga actually found out everything from the doctors, and they decided not to tell the children. 

The doctors gave him little chance of survival, but Father was a great optimist. He wouldn’t even consider the worst possibility, believing he would be among the happy survivors. But God had other plans, and called His servant to Himself. 

Fr. Mikhail was distinguished by his resilient disposition. Even when he fell ill with cancer of the blood and was admitted to the hospital in November 2015, he didn’t despair, but continued to joke and preach the faith to everyone he met. 

Father had been completely responsible for all the family’s needs. It was a big blow when he died, not only because they lost their loved one, but because they simply didn’t know what to do, how to take care of things, and just how to go on living. Everything had rested on Father’s shoulders. Matushka used to call him “our captain.” When the captain died, their family ship was left without a head. 

Matushka hasn’t been able to work following the death of her husband because she has to take care of the children and the household. She actually stopped working when Fr. Mikhail got sick in order to take care of her ailing husband. At first, it was very hard for her to recover from the blow dealt to their family. 

Then the youngest daughter Masha also got sick. She was little, and the loss of her father was very painful and traumatic for her. Now she stays with her mother at all times.

In addition to taking care of her children, Matushka Olga is a social volunteer with the elderly, teaching them how to paint, and she has two elderly women who are dependent upon her.

With eight children, the family has huge expenses. Little Masha still requires a lot of attention and is often sick, and the eldest daughter is renting an apartment while in college. Matushka is always in the car, taking the kids to school and the elderly women for treatments. She spends a lot of money on gas, and her car is in need of repairs after an accident. The middle son, Peter, has epilepsy, and most of the medicine must be purchased at full price. 

One of the elderly women needs a wheelchair so she can be taken out for walks, as she has stopped walking on her own. The other one has problems with her spine, but the family is unable to provide her with the necessary treatment. 

They have been renovating their apartment for the past 5 years, but there aren’t enough funds to complete the job. At the moment, the balcony is falling apart, the floor tiles in the kitchen are crumbling, and they need a new door. The older children also need laptops for distance learning, but the school doesn’t provide them and the family has no money for computers. 

They have to figure out how to handle all these problems on their own.

The future priest Mikhail Yurievich Akhlamov was born on June 14, 1970, to a family of soviet scientists. Like millions of other soviet people at that time, his parents were far from the Church. Mikhail was baptized later, when he himself realized that without it, it’s impossible to accept the fullness and depth of the faith. 

He met his future wife Olga in college, and on January 20, 1992, after several years of a difficult friendship, a festive wedding was held. 

From that moment on, Mikhail felt a special responsibility for his family. Seeing his deep spiritual dispensation and love for people, his spiritual father proposed that he be ordained, which the future priest refused, saying this step was too great a responsibility for him. 

Years later, God led him to His altar. Having served as a deacon for 15 years, Fr. Michael was ordained a priest in 2012.

Fr. Michael spent a lot of time at the parish, and Matushka understood that it was hard for her husband to be torn between his ministry and his family, and she was sympathetic to her husband’s constant absence and busyness. But Father was able to make up for this time away from his family with great care for his 8 children and his wife. 

While still serving as a deacon, he proved himself a kind and responsive cleric. He organized a scout group in the parish and constantly took the children on trips. Father was the greatest joy for his children and brought up his sons strictly, while coddling his daughters. 

As a priest, Fr. Mikhail often repeated the words of the Savior, both at home and in the parish: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” and he always pitied and had mercy upon everyone.

Священник: Fr. Mikhail Akhlamov
Матушка: Akhlamova Olga Viktorovna
Дети:
Akhlamov Alexander Mikhailovich 10/26/1993
Akhlamova Anna Mikhailovna 05/30/1995
Akhlamov Petr Mikhailovich 06/25/1997
Akhlamova Ksenia Mikhailovna 01/10/1999
Akhlamov Sergey Mikhailovich 05.11.2001
Ahlamova Tatyana Mikhailovna 01/20/2005
Ahlamova Anastasia Mikhailovna 04/27/2007
Ahlamova Maria Mikhailovna 09/13/2011
Место жительства: Moscow st. Maryinsky park d 17 k2 kv 113