Twelve Holy Apostles Orthodox Church - Duluth, Minnesota

03/18/2026

Wednesday Night Change

The Presanctified Liturgy, as many of you know, is a communion service. The basic structure is our evening service, Vespers, with communion added to the end.

As its name suggests, the Body of Christ that is distributed at the Presanctified Liturgy is consecrated (made the Body of Christ) at an earlier Divine Liturgy; hence it is PRE-sanctified. Typically, this is done the Sunday before. 

However, due to the prediction of 9" of snow and 40 mph winds, we canceled Liturgy for safety. This means we do not have a presanctified Body to distribute. 

So, instead of the Presanctified Liturgy this Wednesday, we will hold the 3rd Salutations, which we weren't able to do last Friday. After which we will enjoy a Lenten meal and a presentation by Ben Pechek, continuing this year's theme for our Lenten talks: pilgrimage.

Please note, because Wednesday is a Salutations service and not the Presanctified Liturgy, there is no need for a complete, no-food or water fast. 

On Friday, we will continue our normal schedule with the 4th Salutations service.

03/16/2026

"The Gospel must be proclaimed boldly and without compromise. Yet when people come wounded, searching, or repentant, they must be received with tenderness and mercy."

Fresco of St. Francis Assisi in the church of Panagia Kera in Kritsa, Crete   Lions and Lambs: Reflections on Courage and Mercy in Hierarchical Ministry Some experiences change the way we […]

03/14/2026

❄️ SERVICE CANCELLATION ❄️

Due to the Winter Storm Warning in effect for our area through Sunday evening — forecasting 4–10 inches of snow and winds gusting up to 40 mph — all services tomorrow, Sunday, March 15 are CANCELLED. This includes Matins, Divine Liturgy, and Pan-Orthodox Vespers.

Please stay safe and warm, and keep one another in your prayers!

This Wednesday, March 18, we will gather for the Akathist Service with the Salutations to the Theotokos (that we missed last night), followed by our potluck and presentation. We hope to see you all there!

Christ is in our midst! 🙏

03/13/2026

❄️ SERVICE CANCELLATION ❄️

Due to last night's winter storm and 9–11 inches of snow on the ground, tonight's Salutations service (3/13/26) at Twelve Holy Apostles is CANCELED. Roads are still in rough shape and we want everyone to stay safe.

We are also watching the forecast for another potential 4 inches of snow Saturday night into Sunday morning. We'll post an update tomorrow about Sunday's services, so stay tuned.

Please stay safe, keep warm, and keep each other in your prayers! 🙏

03/11/2026

Looking for a mid-week, mid-Lent boost? Why not join us for our Presanctified service, 5:30 pm?

Twelve Apostles is hosting this week. After the service, we'll have a Lenten meal with a presentation by Dean and Patra about their pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.

03/10/2026

We turn to religion because we need to.

We turn to it because life, if we are honest, can be brutal. People get sick — really sick — and they don’t get better. Marriages fracture. Children suffer things they should never have to suffer. Wars grind on. Depression settles in like a fog that doesn’t lift. Jobs disappear. Bodies fail.

The world is broken, but if I can find the right frame — the right story, the right practice, the right community — I can bear it. I can rise above it.

This is a very old idea. The body drags us down; the spirit lifts us up. True salvation is escape — from the physical, from the temporary, from the flesh — into the pure realm of thought, or soul, or light ... heaven. And this idea is so woven into Western culture that it has infected Christianity without most people noticing.

But here is where we have to be honest. Because what I have just described — as real and as valuable as it is — is not quite Christianity.
In the fourteenth century, a monk named Gregory Palamas ... said: no. And he said it with everything he had.

What is on offer in Christianity, he insisted, is not a new perspective. It is not a coping mechanism. It is not God sending a gift from a distance. It is God genuinely giving himself — his own life, his own light, flooding into ours and changing us from the inside out. Not a change in how we see. A change in what we are.

This is not a new perspective on a broken world. This is the broken world being healed.

Second Sunday of Lent — Gregory Palamas

03/04/2026

Do you ever feel like the week pulls you in every direction — and you just need a moment to breathe and reconnect?
Tonight, you're invited to do exactly that.

Join us for the Presanctified Liturgy — an ancient evening service that has helped people find stillness, meaning, and community for centuries. Whether you've been coming for years or you've never stepped inside an Orthodox church, there's a place at the table for you.

🕯️ Tonight | 5:30 PM
📍 St. George's

After the service, we'll share a meal together and have an open conversation about faith — no pressure, no prerequisites, just real people asking real questions.
Come as you are. Leave with something more.

See you tonight.

03/03/2026

✝️ On Sunday we celebrated the Sunday of Orthodoxy at Twelve Holy Apostles!

On this first Sunday of Great Lent, we joined Christians around the world in proclaiming the triumph of holy icons — and the triumph of the Faith itself.

We processed with our sacred icons as generations of Orthodox Christians have done before us, a living witness to the truth that has been handed down through the ages.

“This is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.” — 1 John 5:4

Blessed First Sunday of Lent to all! ☦️

03/02/2026

The Sunday of Orthodox

03/02/2026

🕊️ What a beautiful February at Twelve Holy Apostles!

We are overjoyed to share that Hannah was baptized — welcome into the faith! 🙏

And a very special welcome to our newest catechumens: Anthony, Zach, Hannah Dane, Chris, and Juniper! We are so blessed to walk alongside you as you begin this journey into the life of the Church.

These moments remind us why we gather, why we worship, and why community matters. May God's grace surround each of you every step of the way.
Welcome to the family. ❤️✝️

03/01/2026

Bring your icons to the service today!

02/28/2026