Our Clergy

Clergy - Past & Present

Fr. Dustin Lyon, Priest

When I graduated from high school, I wanted to study archaeology and religion. This had been my passion since 4th grade when I saw Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

So, in the summer of 2001, I moved from my small hometown in Iowa to the big city of Minneapolis to study at the University of Minnesota.

Two weeks after moving into the dorms, the unthinkable happened: 9/11.

Like every other American, my world turned upside down in an instant. We were all afraid.

Like many people, I turned to my faith to help me through it. I found a church in Minneapolis of the Protestant denomination I grew up in, but, instead of comfort, I found more confusion.

This church was nothing like the one I grew up in even though it was in the same denomination as my childhood community. This congregation had a completely different understanding of who Jesus was and how to understand the Bible.

I thought to myself, “If two churches in the same denomination don’t hold the same faith, then what happened to the church founded by Christ and entrusted to the Apostles? What happened to that faith?”

It took me years of searching and spending some time in Greece on archaeological excavations, but I finally found my answer.

The church started by Christ, the one organized by the Apostles, the one which conquered the Roman Empire was still alive and well. Though, today, we know it as the Orthodox Church.

It was here, in the Orthodox Church, that I drew near to Christ. It was here that learned the life-saving message of scripture. It was here that I came to understand the truth of scripture.

This life-changing revelation had led me to dedicate my life to Christ as a priest in order to spread the faith of Christ, the one handed he down to the apostles, here in Duluth, Minnesota.

I invite you to come and explore the that same Good News at Twelve Holy Apostles.

Fr. Vincent (David) Benson, Deacon

Becoming an Orthodox Christian has been one of the great blessings of my life. I am a graduate of the Holy Cross Diaconate Program; I was ordained on the feast of St Mary of Egypt, April 1st, 2023. For ten years before that, I was the protopsaltis here at Twelve Holy Apostles. When I am not liturgizing, I like to look for and listen to and learn about birds.

I studied at Gustavus Adolphus College, Yale Divinity School, and the University of Minnesota. I am the former executive director of the Damiano Center—a Duluth nonprofit that serves homeless and other low-income guests. I work now as a consultant, editor, and coach.

My wife, Diakonissa Pamela, and I have two grown sons, Jonas and Lars.

Our Hierarchs

Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America
Archbishop Elpidophoros

Greek Orthodox
Metropolis of Chicago
Metropolitan Nathanael

Metropolitan Nathanael
of Chicago

Listen to an interview with Metropolitan Nathanael on Ancient Faith Radio!

The Very Reverend Archimandrite Nathanael Symeonides was born in Thessaloniki, Greece (1978). He is the third child of Irene and Vasilios Symeonides. He is graduate of Hellenic College (BA, 2000) and of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (MDiv, 2003). He earned an STM (2003) and a ThD (2007) in Bioethics from Boston University. Fr. Nathanael has also studied the history and ethics of public health at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. He is a guest professor of Christian ethics and bioethics at Fordham University, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, and Saint Vladimir Theological School. He has authored numerous articles in theology and bioethics.

Fr. Nathanael was ordained a Deacon (2003) and a Presbyter (2010) by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America. His ecclesial and pastoral work includes service as the Deacon to Metropolitan Methodios (2003-2006); Deacon to the Archbishop (2006-2010); Pastor of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, NY (2010-2013). During his time as a parish priest, Fr. Nathanael developed an urban ministry, Orthodox Professionals in Action (OPA), which harnessed the gifts and talents of over 400 young professionals of Manhattan, offering them opportunities to create meaningful change in the lives of those most vulnerable in society. Fr. Nathanael has also served the pastoral needs of the Holy Resurrection Church of Brookville, NY and the Saints Constantine and Helen Cathedral of Brooklyn, NY.

In September of 2013 he was appointed Director of the Office of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. In his present position, Fr. Nathanael manages and directs the relationships between the Archdiocese and numerous religious organizations, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and Permanent Missions to the United Nations. As the Director of the Department, Fr. Nathanael is best known for promoting cooperation and inclusivity. Most recently, he convened a colloquium entitled, Orthodoxy and Humanitarianism: Ideas and Action in the Contemporary World, which provided experts from around the world the opportunity to meet and consider ways in which the Church may help respond to humanitarian crises and promote sustainable development in post-crisis regions.

Fr. Nathanael is a brother of the historic monastic community of St. George Epanosifis in Crete, Greece.

Former Clergy

Since the founding of the parish many faithful priests have served as pastors of Twelve Holy Apostles. Many of them have passed on. May their memory be eternal! Others have moved on to serve new parishes. We wish them God's blessings upon their priestly ministry and their families. In thanksgiving to our Lord God, we greatly appreciate all the spiritual fathers who have served us.