Fr. Pavel Gerasimov reposed on December 9, 2011, leaving his wife, Matushka Eugenia, with three young children.

The disaster occurred suddenly. No one could have expected that such a healthy young man would die from pneumonia.

On December 7, Fr. Pavel was urgently hospitalized. His condition was rapidly deteriorating, and despite the doctors’ best efforts, the infection advanced. On December 9, after receiving Holy Unction and Holy Communion, he reposed in the Lord. Fr. Pavel was only 30 years old.

Matushka was left to take care of three young children, the youngest of whom was not even two years old at the time, and her sick mother, living in a house in the Moscow Oblast that is actually unfit for living.

Matushka Eugenia has gotten by all these years thanks to the help of some kind people and was even able to build a new house, though they are still in need of help and support.

The children are teenagers now and they have to study and get ready for a life of their own. The oldest son is in the cadet corps and the daughters have art and music classes in addition to school, which cost quite a lot.

Matushka’s mother’s condition has gotten a lot worse this year, and her doctors aren’t very hopeful. The family needs a lot of money for her treatment, otherwise she won’t be able to walk.

It’s also expensive to maintain their car and house and pay all the bills. Their income consisting of state pensions and a meager church singer’s salary is, of course, not nearly enough for the family.

The oldest child, Sergei, took the loss of his father very hard. Though he was quite young and healthy, Fr. Pavel died suddenly, which was very difficult for his young son to understand and accept and greatly affected his behavior and obedience. It’s good that his grandfather came to the rescue, otherwise it would have been quite hard for Matushka. It’s easier with the girls.

Fr. Pavel Gerasimov was born on December 15, 1981. His mother died when he was 16. In 1998, he graduated from Podolsk Law College and it was then that he made his first steps towards faith, under the guidance of a priest he knew.

He got married in 2001, and in 2003, he went to seminary. In 2006, he was ordained to the diaconate and sent to the Church of the Conception of St. Anna in the Chekhov District. Eight months later, he was ordained to the priesthood to serve in the same church. In 2009, he was transferred to the Church of St. John the Forerunner as the second priest, and on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Fr. Pavel was appointed rector of the Tikhvin Church in the village of Nerastannoe in the Chekhov District.

Father put a lot of effort into restoring his church. A Sunday School was organized at the parish and missionary activity was established. Fr. Pavel was always full of energy and plans for the future and he wanted to develop mission work in the parishes to spread the preaching of the faith.

He barely thought about any issues at home—it seemed everything would fall into place on its own with time.

It is very difficult for a widow to raise children alone, both financially and psychologically, especially considering that the wound of having lost a loved one does not heal. The pain always remains.