Concerning the confessor Father Pimen (Zavada, +1962) of Kuban:
Father Pimen Leontevich Zavada was a Kuban Cossack and served in church as a deacon. After 1927, the Soviet authorities had him arrested for being faithful to the True-Orthodox Church (TOC), and sentenced him to prison for 10 years. Here, he and Father Alexis were secretly ordained being told:
“Go forth into the world and serve in secret places: continue the true Orthodox Faith, while we will be shot this very night. I don’t know who performed the ordination”. After his release, he lived like a “wild wolf” – without documents. When he returned from prison, he found out that his wife had re-married and he had no home to go to, so he proceeded to wander. His family disowned him, saying: “Don’t spoil our careers”.
At one time, Fr. Pimen was in hiding in my niece’s husband’s house, Michael Demetrievich Gladko, on a farm in the Krasnodarsk region. He was very religious and hospitable. Once, a wandering, faithful catacombnik came asking for some food: Misha allowed her to remain and live in the house. This wanderer, Pelagia, was acquainted with Fr. Pimen. And so, Fr. Pimen also dropped in on the farm and began to live with Misha secretly. Later, Fr. Pimen left them and created a dug-out at the cemetery, erected an altar and began praying in it. True Orthodox Christians also visited to pray with him. He had no bed or food supplies in the dugout – except a stove and a narrow bunk. Many told him: “Father Pimen – the bunk is too narrow!” To which he replied: “That’s good: as soon as I turn and fall off the bunk, I can start praying to God. If I make it more comfortable, I will oversleep and miss my prayers”.
He didn’t recognize the “Soviet Church” and didn’t bless others to go to their open temples.
He visited the village and chopped firewood and fixed leaking roofs for poor widows, for which he never accepted any payment. When he was asked how they can thank him for his work, he would respond: “You can bring me some lunch”. He ate only once a day. He revealed: "Sometimes I would receive this 2 or 3 days in a row, but then no one would bring me anything for 2 or 3 days. Being weakened, I would then go to Misha and ask for some food. God bless him – he never refused and always fed me."
Fr. Pimen always wore a cassock with a cross on his chest. Once, he had to go to town and while walking on the footpath, a passing militia man grabbed his cross and screamed: “That’s outdated – take it off!”
But Fr. Pimen grabbed his shoulder-strap and responded: “This is also outdated, and yet you are wearing them!” (He was referring to the shoulder-straps worn by the military during the Tsar’s reign which were banned by the Soviets after the revolution - only to be re-instated by the military in the 1940’s). The militia man slunk away with shame into the crowd, but the priest went about his business.
He was very strict in fulfilling God’s Law and taught and demanded fairness from everyone.
He requested that he be buried in his dugout where he lived. He became ill from a ruptured hernia and suffered terribly. Misha offered to have him hospitalized, but he responded: “I will not go to the godless to ask for help – whatever God sends I will accept!”
He died from appendicitis. He said:
“There is no need for an operation. I am a priest and not allowed to come into contact with a lay person. Let Father Alexis dress me when I die”.
Father Pimen passed away in the home of Michael Gladko. As requested, Misha buried him in his dugout and placed a cross on it. He died in 1962. The funeral service was conducted by Father Alexis Kozyaev. All the widows lamented over his passing – everyone that he helped, and they all revered him as a good pastor. Misha and my mother always kept the lamp lit at his grave. Later, many people revealed that they had seen lit candles at Fr. Pimen's grave and heard singing - even though there was nobody there.
After the death of Father Pimen, his congregation went over to Father Alexis Kozyaev; and after his death on the 16th of December 1968, they went to Father Nikita (Lekhan +1985) from Kharkov.
Recollections of A.M.
(Translated by Seraphim Larin)