Archpriest Sergei Pukhkoy, the rector of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the city of Novokuznetsk, reposed on March 2, 2020, leaving Matushka Tatiana and their three children in a very difficult financial situation. They have no savings, and in fact, they have debts and loans that Matushka is still paying back.

Father’s death was unexpected. He was always full of energy and had lots of plans for the future and never complained about his health.

It was the eve of Great Lent when Fr. Sergei was urgently rushed to the hospital with acute bronchitis on February 29, 2020. No one could have expected such a sickness to take the life of such a healthy man, but the Lord deemed otherwise.

Matushka visited Father in the hospital on Forgiveness Sunday, March 1. They asked each other’s forgiveness, and Father gave her his blessing, for the last time in this life, as it turned out. That night, they received the terrible news that Father had died.

Fr. Sergei celebrated Pascha in Heaven together with the saints.

However, the family was left without its breadwinner. The eldest son began his own life and decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a priest. The second son, who is studying law in Moscow, is fully supported by Matushka Tatiana, who pays for his housing, food, and transportation. There is also young Dasha who is in first grade this year.

Matushka also takes care of her elderly, mostly immobile parents, who are constantly in need of her help. They have no one but her.

She works in a kindergarten now so she can at least put some kind of food on the table. Her salary is very small, and it all goes towards her loans and her eldest son. She can’t even buy clothes and shoes for her daughter, while the clothes they had or have received from other people are wearing out.

This family will need our support for a long time to come, and we hope that with God’s help, they will survive this grievous loss. We mustn’t forget them.

Sergei Borisovich Pukhkoy was born in the city of Novokuznetsk in the Kemerovo Province on November 12, 1974. He followed in his parents’ footsteps and became a civil engineer, and his parents never thought his life could turn out any other way—family tradition was very important for them.

But much of it simply didn’t suit him when it came to choosing his path in life. His heart wanted more, as if someone was calling him to another service.

It wasn’t easy to depart from this beaten path. The pressure from his parents and society was very strong, but he couldn’t find any peace in such a measured and organized life. Although his mother took her son’s new choice calmly, it took his father a very long time to accept anything religious. He had many arguments with his son, and only after many years did his worldview change, after which he was baptized and even helped build a new church.

Calling him through doubts, hesitations, and the joy of experiencing Divine grace, the Lord finally fully penetrated the heart of the future pastor, and Sergei was baptized in 1992.

It was then, while studying for a secular degree, that Sergei made the firm decision to serve God. It became the only thing he cared about, revealing to him the meaning of life and his future path. An engineering career no longer seemed appealing or meaningful, and it became clear to him that all the knowledge of the world is nothing compared to the knowledge of God.

On August 11, 1995, Sergei married his beloved Tatiana Shemenova, who became his faithful companion right up until his death. The Lord blessed their marriage with peace and harmony and two sons and a daughter.

In 1996, he was ordained to the priesthood. In 2003, he was assigned as rector of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, which Father built himself with his knowledge of engineering. He served there for 19 years until his death.

During his ministry, Matushka worked as a seamstress, devoting all her talents to the good of the Church, sewing everything they needed.

Fr. Sergei is buried in the Novokuznetsk cemetery next to his father.

Священник: Archpriest Sergei Pukhkoy
Матушка: Matushka Tatiana Pukhkoy
Место жительства: Novokuznetsk city, Russia.