I am incredibly happy to share with you all the news that I have been fully approved by the Diocese of Pennsylvania for ordination as a priest. The ordination service is scheduled for 10am on Saturday, December 2, and it will take place at Gloria Dei. I hope you will plan to attend – and come celebrate at the reception afterwards!

Leading up to this point, several people have asked me about the significance of this ordination, and about how this differs from my previous ordination as a deacon. In the Episcopal Church, we recognize four distinct orders of ministry. Deacons are called to a ministry of service – particularly for those who are poor or vulnerable – and to assist priests and bishops with administering the sacraments of the church. I was ordained as a deacon earlier this year, and we believe that the diaconal call to service is foundational for all ordained ministry.

In addition to serving those in need, a priest is called to be a pastor, caring for the well-being of a community. Priests are also able to preside over the sacraments, and to give blessings and declare pardons in the name of God and of the church. This is the ministry to which I believe I am called, and I hope to serve as a faithful and loving pastor to the many communities connected to Gloria Dei.

If you are able to come to the ordination service, you will also have the chance to meet the Rt. Reverend Daniel Gutiérrez, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. As a bishop, he is the chief pastor and priest for all the Episcopal churches in our region, and he has the power and responsibility to ordain people as deacons and priests.

So, deacons priests, and bishops are the three types of ordained ministers in the Episcopal Church. But, as I said earlier, we believe that there are four order of ministry. The fourth order is comprised of all the non-ordained members of the church. Every follower of Jesus is also a minister of the church, called to be a witness in this world to the love and grace of God, and to join in God’s work of healing and redemption. So, even as I prepare for ordination, I want to emphasize that this will not make me a better or more special person. Rather, in being ordained, I commit to serving and supporting you as you continue to discover and live into God’s call on your lives.

Lucia Fest is a colorful, musical pageant, featuring singers and a procession of children wearing crowns of live candles, representative of St. Lucia, the bearer of light during the dark Swedish winters. It is a unique opportunity to witness this authentic holiday tradition, performed in a 300-year-old church built by Swedish settlers.

A Scandinavian Christmas bazaar - St. Eric's Fair - will be open before and after each showtime, with imported goods available for purchase.

Shows are Saturday & Sunday 2:00, 3:30, 5:00.

The National Park Service is in the process of developing a treatment plan for our grounds. We will be hosting a half-day workshop during which NPS and their contractors can inform us about the process and we can give them input. We are hoping to have a wide representation from both the Gloria Dei congregation and our extended communities. A light supper will be provided.

Would you be interested in brainstorming, discussing, planning and participating in Gloria Dei missions?  

We plan to meet on the first Wednesday of every month at 9:00 on Zoom. 

If another day/time works better for you, or if you would like an email of the zoom link, please contact Jill Duink (jillddd@hotmail.com).  

Meeting ID: 897 2826 6283   Passcode: 098374 

Join Zoom Meeting: Click here to join the Zoom.

Share your abundance!

This November Gloria Dei will collect and donate to local food banks, including Snyder Avenue Church and others. 

Please bring your healthy, yummy, non-perishable items on Sunday mornings. We are looking forward to delivering carloads of goodness. 

Any questions, contact Jill Duink at jillddd@hotmail.com

Join us for a refreshed version of our popular service. Don't worry, it isn't entirely different! Paul Fejko will still be performing on our beautiful Hook & Hastings organ. Keep an eye out for some interesting guest guitarists, a drum circle, poems, and discussions that we hope will inspire you throughout the rest of the week. The program will be led by our sextons, Jim & Paula Minacci, who want to create a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere that everyone will enjoy. 

Jazz & Joe takes a hiatus in November & December. We look forward to seeing you on January 25th!

On Mondays at 9:00am, Megan Bartlett will lead a ten minute prayer, following the Morning Devotion service in the Book of Common Prayer. We lift up to God our personal and parish needs, and pray for our new rector, Dr. Christopher Micklewright.

Click here to join the Zoom meeting.

or use:

Meeting ID: 909 012 0129    Passcode: 1U029q 

If you have the BCP,  turn to page 137.

If you don't have a paper copy, this is the link to Morning Devotion as a PDF.. 

Have you ever wandered the graveyard at Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church and wondered about the people buried there? Now is your chance to find out.

The Historic Gloria Dei Preservation Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of our official Old Swedes Self-Guided Graveyard Tours app. This app is available for free and without advertisements in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It can be used on smartphones and tablets.
Featuring interactive maps and over 65 biographical sketches, you will learn something new every time you visit Old Swedes’ Church. 
Plus, throughout the year, enjoy limited edition tours on special topics such as Women’s History Month, World Art Day, National Author’s Day and World Maritime Day.

There’s more. We’re also celebrating our 10 Year Anniversary as a non-profit organization. For $20, join us for a fun evening featuring
graveyard tours, gourmet food, a silent auction and a wine tasting contest.

100% of the proceeds from ticket sales support the preservation and restoration of Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church and its graveyard.

So come out, celebrate our anniversary, and learn how to use our new free app.

This app project was made possible thanks to the support of QVNA and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. We are also grateful to our volunteer board members who worked tirelessly on research, writing, designing and programming the app.

Fall is the perfect time for a wedding in our beautiful historic spaces!  Joanna Jaeger and  Adrian Schraufnagel hosted their October 7th wedding ceremony in our church, followed by a gorgeous reception with vibrant fall colors inside Riverside Hall and catered by 12th Street Catering. 

If you are interested in hosting your wedding or special event at Gloria Dei, please visit our website, linked below or email weddingsatoldswedes@gmail.com.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @riversideweddingsatgloriadei

The Historic Gloria Dei Preservation Corporation held a public event recently in Wilmington, Delaware to tour the Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church and grounds. The Church was built in 1698-1699 by the same people who built our Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church here in Philadelphia in 1699-1700.  The history of the Delaware Old Swedes Historic Site (Oldswedes.org)  dates back to 1638, when Swedish and Finnish settlers arrived on the Kalmar Nyckel and Fogel Grip.  

Brick repair on a nice fall day this month included help from the Church Kids Adventure Club, Friends of Old Swedes, Preservation Trustees, and Reverend Chris.  A special thanks to Mark Roberts who removed all the roots causing the bricks to raise up.  With all this great help, it was a fun and quick repair.

As you may be aware, we launched a new Sunday School program in September for the kids at Gloria Dei. Recognizing that many kids are exhausted by long hours of school throughout their weeks, our program is intentionally designed not to be another class – hence the name: Church Kids Adventure Club. Every other week, Rev. Chris Micklewright and Carol Jenkins have been meeting with kids to talk about faith and to have an adventure. So far, we talked about prayer while having a scavenger hunt in the church and climbing up to the bell tower; we have talked about God’s unlimited welcome while navigating a chalk obstacle course and helping to repair damaged parts of the brick path; and, we have talked about death while exploring the graveyard and searching out all of the different symbols found on the graves. Future adventures are being planned, and our next meeting will be after the worship service on Sunday, November 5.

 7:00pm

Click here to join the Zoom

OR use:  Meeting ID: 856 1499 7430

                Passcode: 706722

OR dial in:  1 929 205 6099 

Our service is comprised of uplifting music, Episcopal worship and spiritual/biblical teachings. While we are always a work in progress, Gloria Dei strives to be a place where all will feel welcome in faith and spirit.

November 5
All Saints' &  23rd Sunday after Pentecost

Revelation 7:9-17
Psalm 34:1-10, 22
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12
Collect: Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

November 12
24th Sunday after Pentecost

Amos 5:18-24
Psalm 70
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Matthew 25:1-13
Collect: O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

November 19
25th Sunday after Pentecost

Zephaniah 1:7,12-18
Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Matthew 25:14-30
Collect: Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

November 26
Last Sunday after Pentecost & Christ the King

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Psalm 95:1-7a
Ephesians 1:15-23
Matthew 25:31-46
Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Some fall flowers in the north park include returning yellow brown eyed susans, a newly planted lilac aromatic aster, and a beautiful coral rose on Water Street.
If you would like to help with the tending of our plants and flowers, you can join the Friends of Old Swedes'.
Contact Cynthia at thiatemp@gmail.com