The future priest Alexei Alexandrovich Leontiev was born on October 12, 1977, in the village of Korobitsino, Leningrad Province. In 1995, he started at the newly opened Barnual Spiritual School. His father was very against it at first, but over time he came to accept his son’s decision. 

In the spring of 1999, he was drafted into the Russian army, serving until 2001, after which he started studying at the Belgorod Theological Seminary. 

In 2002, he met Julia, his future spouse, with whom he spent the rest of his life, through thick and thin. The internet and cell phones were still not very popular then, and so they corresponded by letter for three years. Matushka has carefully kept all of them. 

They got married in the summer of 2005. Alexei would serve in the altar and also helped build the St. Macarius Church in Gorno-Altaysk. On March 5, 2006, he was ordained to the diaconate for the Holy Transfiguration Church in the same city. On December 31, he was ordained to the priesthood and sent to the Holy Dormition Church in the village of Choya. 

Fr. Alexei arrived to find an unfinished church, with only the walls erected, and the first Liturgy was celebrated under the open sky. He realized that he would have to be not just a pastor, but also a church builder. Within a year, they’d already erected a small chapel, and in 2015, they started serving in the large church while continuing the construction. 

There was an old Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the neighboring village too, and this became the second church where Father and Matushka lived. Fr. Alexei restored this church as well. They always gave their first thought to churches, spiritual revival, and the enlightenment of the people. 

Father had great love for his parishes, and his wife, Matushka Julia, always helped him with everything, singing on the kliros, running the Sunday School, and so on. So they labored together, without any rest or idle pastimes. 

The couple always prayed for children, especially Matushka. Finally, after ten years, their prayers were heard, and their daughter Anna was born. Two years later, they had a son, Simeon. And again two years later, they had another son, Timothy. It was a great happiness, sent to them through long prayers and difficult childbirths. Fr. Alexei loved his children very much. 

On August 1, Fr. Alexei began to feel unwell after Liturgy. By the next morning, he had a fever. He tested positive for COVID and at doctors’ recommendations, started treatment at home. He had a fever for four days, and on August 5, they called the ambulance. They weren’t overly concerned about his condition, thinking he was healthy and would probably recover. But then came the news of the death of his beloved mother due to COVID, and from that moment on, his body seemed to stop fighting, although Fr. Alexei told his wife he would fight and get better, since their three small children were waiting for him at home. 

He continued to get worse, and on the night of August 31, Fr. Alexei passed away. 

He was kind and only slightly strict. He was a zealous priest. He had love in his heart, which was felt by all those around him. 

Matushka takes care of the family farm, including a cow so the children can have fresh milk and other dairy products. The children need to be fed, clothed, and educated. They live with Matushka Julia’s mother, as they don’t have a place of their own, and she helps with the kids, though she herself is a retiree. 

This family especially needs our help now! Without the help of caring people, the family is unlikely to survive.

Священник: Priest Alexei Leontiev
Матушка: Leontieva Yulia
Дети:
Leontieva Anna 09.07.2015
Leontiev Simeon 14.09.2017
Leontiev Timofey 05.03.2020
Место жительства: The family lives in the village of Mayma, Altai Republic.