Father was just 47 when he unexpectedly died at home from an acute form of coronary heart disease. Just the day before, he had received the sad news of the death of his mother. Perhaps it was the grief of this terrible news that caused his fatal heart attack. 

Fr. Vladimir was the main support and the core of his family. His feet really knocked Matushka offer her feet, with a disabled child in arms and a younger daughter who also needs to be raised and prepared for childhood. Whereas Fr. Vladimir and Matushka Elena had faced all hardships together, now everything is on Matushka’s shoulders. 

After the birth of their third son, Volodya, Matushka was unable to work—all their time and efforts went towards their son, and they achieved a lot: Despite the doctors’ pessimistic prognoses, the boy can walk and serve himself a little, but he cannot be left alone because of his intellectual disability and other restrictions. He’s almost 18 years old, but is still like a child. He can’t speak and doesn’t understand many dangers, and needs constant treatments, massages, physical therapy, etc.—all of which requires significant financial resources. He also has to be carried everywhere, which requires great physical strength. 

The oldest son, Yaroslav, has his own family, and the second son, Nikolai, is following in his father’s footsteps, studying at seminary. The youngest child, Ekaterina, is in 9th grade.

The Zalaskovskikh family needs our help. It is only with our support that they will be able to get through these difficult times. 

Vladimir Gennadievich Zalaskhovskikh was born to a simple working family on December 29, 1972, in the city of Asbest in the Sverdlovsk Province. The family wasn’t religious, and so the story of his Baptism is like that of so many others: He was secretly baptized by his believing grandmother, without the knowledge of his parents. Where and when, no one knew, so when he consciously came to faith, he had to fulfill his Baptism with the Sacrament of Chrismation. 

Vladimir met his future wife Elena on the set of a film at the Sverdlovsk film studio where they were both working. They ended up getting married, and Elena was baptized that same year. The future priest took up various jobs to feed his family. Their third son, Vladimir, was born in 2003, and his birth radically changed life for the family. His parents regularly went to church, participated in the Sacraments, and prayed to God to heal their child, but the healing came in a different way:

In 2005, Fr. Vladimir was ordained to the priesthood and sent to the Church of St. Nicholas, where he served the next 15 years until his repose. Thanks to his family’s experience, Father could understand people with disabled children and all who suffered. The Lord gave him the gift of consoling, which is why he was always surrounded by many people who needed advice and a kind word. Someone aptly called him a “cloud of good,” as he was always able to warm suffering souls. 

Fr. Vladimir was always able to encourage parents who were expecting a sick child, helping them love their special child even before birth. This child would become the light of their lives, he would tell them, which gave the future parents the strength to accept their child’s sickness with gratitude and change their attitude to the whole situation, joining the fight for their baby’s health. 

He was the simplest priest. He wasn’t even the head priest, but the people loved him very much, and it felt like he would always be with them. Even as they were burying him, no one could believe that he had really died, and people still call Matushka asking for Fr. Vladimir to come see them. 

Matushka recalls that Father never knew how to rest. He loved the services with all this heart and served them with reverence. He never turned off his phone, and he could leave in the middle of the night to commune people and anoint them with Holy Unction. He never thought about himself and never paid any attention to his own fatigue and illnesses, because he had four children at home who needed him. 

On November 10, he learned of the death of his beloved mother, whom he himself had baptized a year earlier. That night, he also became ill, and he reposed before the doctors could even arrive. The heart that loved and warmed everyone couldn’t stand the grief. 

Matushka says the Lord took him at the most opportune time. Of course, nothing can wash away the grief, and only faith helps her and the children stay afloat. 

Священник: Fr. Vladimir Zalaskovskikh
Матушка: Zalaskovskikh Elena Viktorovna
Дети:
Zalaskovskikh Yaroslav Vladimirovich (11.12.1993)
Zalaskovskikh Nikolai Vladimirovich (12.17.1997)
Zalaskovskikh Vladimir Vladimirovich (21.07.2003)
Zalaskovskikh Ekaterina Vladimirovna (30.11.2005)
Место жительства: Yekaterinburg, st. Krasnoflotsev 24 -12