Fr. George Zhigalov reposed on April 14, 2018.

Fr. George’s widow, Matushka Natalia, lives in the small town of Ocher in the Perm Region, in a private house with a small plot with her five biological and four adopted children.

Their subsidiary farm consists entirely of 10 chickens. Matushka has no helpers—she is alone with the children and also works in a kindergarten, earning a tiny salary, but they are happy with it, because in Russia it’s nearly impossible to find work in the same town where you live.

Life in the north is dramatically different from life in the big, shiny capitals. There is no real work, but only poor wages and alcoholism. Vodka has destroyed not a few families in those parts. Thus, a large number of so-called social orphans are left without parental care.

After the death of Fr. George, Matushka adopted four more children. She couldn’t ignore their plight. She couldn’t bear to see them in an orphanage with no family, so she took them in.

Unfortunately, the children in the orphanages often don’t turn out very well. Never knowing any familial warmth, they often follow in the footsteps of their dysfunctional parents.

Matushka Natalia’s huge family is a huge financial strain, requiring great internal strength. The state pensions and compensations aren’t enough. The children are growing and they need new clothes and new school supplies, and extra money has to go towards tutors and clubs. Matushka Natalia is solely responsible for all the cares of this large family.

They don’t even dare dream about trips and vacations. The children help and support their mother in everything, doing lots of work around the house and on the farm. They are her only support and hope, giving her life meaning, but the family is in need of financial support.

The future priest George Zhigalov was born on October 29, 1976.

Something was always missing in his family. George’s mother showed no interest in faith, and his own interest in religion came about by accident. After 9th grade, he got sick and wound up in the hospital. There he came across a Church calendar someone had brought, and he thoroughly studied it out of boredom.

This simple reading so affected the young man that as soon as he was discharged from the hospital, he immediately headed for the nearest church to be baptized. He was 15 years old.

Immediately after his Baptism, George began to go to church and serve in the altar. He also got interested in reading spiritual literature and started thinking about monasticism fairly soon. He even wrote a letter to Fr. John (Krestiankin), laying out all his thoughts, but the Elder’s reply somewhat cooled the ardor of this young seeker of spirituality. “First join the army, and there the Lord will guide you,” wrote Fr. John.

Returning from the army, he went to the church that had become like a home, where there was a lot of work for him, and the question of monasticism faded into the background on its own.

On July 15, 2001, George became a priest. Exactly 5 years later, Fr. George was appointed to the Church of the Archangel Michael in Ocher, where he served until the end of his days.

Due to a lack of clergy, Fr. George actually served in four parishes at the same time. And for more than 3 years, he led the diocesan missionary department that he had created from scratch himself. Then he was appointed dean of the Uspensky Deanery.

But above all, he was a pastor. He was very kind and helpful and never refused to talk to anyone. Sometimes people would come to him for Confession at 1:00 AM, and he would get up and walk with them to the church, not returning until morning.

At the same time, Father avoided giving advice. If someone turned to him for a resolution to some difficult situation, he never said, “Do this or that.” He always suggested that they pause, pray, and give the Lord the chance to act.

He raised eight children with Matushka Natalia: five biological and three adopted. Thanks to the care of their parents, the children graduated from school and received an education. The three adopted children are already grown, but after the death of Fr. George, Matushka Natalia took four more children under her wing.

They had many plans, but not all of them were destined to come true. On February 26, 2018, Fr. George got sick. He was misdiagnosed at first and received the wrong treatment. When his diagnosis finally became clear, it was already too late. He spent nearly a month in the ICU, unsuccessfully.

On April 14, 2018, Fr. George died of viral pneumonia.

Священник: Fr. George Zhigalov
Матушка: Matushka Natalia Zhigalova
Место жительства: The city of Ocher, Perm diocese, Russia.