Free Jimmy Wilgus
An American citizen wrongfully imprisoned in Russia since 2016. Help us bring him home.
Prayers
Prayers by diocesan family only hope for Jimmy Wilgus, 9+ years a Russian prisoner
November 19, 2025 - by Father John Gerald Hillier
On Nov. 7, 2016, Jimmy Wilgus, a son of the Diocese of Metuchen, was abruptly arrested in Moscow, Russia, on false charges. At that time, Jimmy was pressured to sign a document which he was told would ensure his release. Writ ten in Russian, however, the document he signed indicated instead that he was guilty of crimes he did not commit. As of November 2025, Jimmy will begin his 10th year of unjust detention in a Russian labor camp.
Throughout these years, Jimmy Wilgus has paid a tremendous price for crimes he did not commit. In addition to suffering a stroke and becoming physically debilitated, he has served the longest sentence of any American in a Russian prison during the 21st century.
St. Elizabeth St. Brigid prayer reqwuest from Rev. John G. Hillier, Fifth Sunday of Lent. April 6, 2025. Peapack, NJ
Please Pray for the Wilgus Family
Father Hillier has a special request. He asks that you pray for the former parishioners James and Bella Wilgus, and their daughter, Wendy Grace. Please pray most especially for their son, Jimmy, who was abducted in 2016 and has been unjustly imprisoned for almost 10 years at the Mrdovia Labor Camp in Russia. Jimmy was pressured to sign a document when he was first detained of which he was told would ensure his release. Written in Russian, however, the document he signed indicated instead that he was guilty of crimes of which he did not commit.
Please pray the following prayer which Msgr. Puleo and Father Hillier prayed often. They both spoke with Jimmy from his prison and sought to encourage him. Now we need to pray even more fervently!
God of infinite mercy,
look upon Jimmy Wilgus,
your faithful child,
on this day which seems
like every other day.
Sorrow remains his best friend,
which includes among its attributes:
loneliness, mental anguish,
heartache and hints of despair.
Only you, Lord, understand his heart,
his mind and the depths of his soul,
Only you can comprehend
the intensity of the cross he bears.
I bow before you and beg your intercession:
Help with his release
and bring him home safely to his family,
Give Jimmy the strength of character
to accept what he cannot change
and to surrender fully to your providential care.
This prayer we offer through Christ, my Lord,
Amen
A Day of Remembrance
November 7, 2016, is the day Jimmy was arrested in Moscow Russia on trumped-up charges. This Friday, November 7, 2025, Jimmy will be starting his 10th year of being wrongfully detained in a Russian Labor Camp.
The ongoing heartbreak of having our son deprived of his freedom and incarcerated in the worst situation is a constant nightmare. As he suffers, so do those who love him.
The facts are now clear that he was not only sabotaged by the corrupt Russian government but has been ignored and harmed by his own government who have neglected to negotiate his release. Their failure to act has condemned Jimmy to remain in this hell.
Jimmy has now suffered longer than any other American in a Russian prison in the 21st century. Where does justice reside? It appears justice is not only blind, but deaf and silent.
We remain confident that all our prayers have kept Jimmy alive, through physical and emotional suffering. GOD knows he deserves his freedom and hopefully He will bring him home soon. As we continue to keep the faith, we are reminded of a prayer written expressly for Jimmy by Father John Hillier of St. Brigid’s Parish in Peapack-Gladstone, where Jimmy was raised for 43 years:
Jimmy's Request to the President of the United States
As aired on Newsmax's The Record with Greta Van Susteren, June 29, 2023
Americans watched the events closely in Russia this past week. Imagine what it's like on the ground. Imagine what it's like to be me, an American, and Russia tricked into signing a concession, tried behind closed doors, denied basic rights, and imprisoned with failing health, unattended. How can someone be rightfully detained when there's no justice?
Detained? yes. Rightfully? No.
I am unfairly imprisoned. I am wrongfully detained.
What Russia does to Americans should not be tolerated by my government. Unless those of us imprisoned are classified wrongfully detained, the United States government does little to nothing for us. Americans should be offended that a foreign government can imprison their fellow Americans with impunity. I call on President Biden to designate me wrongfully detained and bring me home. The President of the United States is referred to as the most powerful person on Earth. Well, prove it. Put that power to work on behalf of all Americans still detained in Russian prisons. Words are no comfort to people denied freedom. We want action.
Jimmy Wilgus
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Donations are used to purchase the daily provision he needs to stay as healthy as possible and for his phone calls.
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