Editing Gloria Dei Church (section)

== Transition to Episcopal Church ==

During the 18th century, the Swedish Lutheran congregations of the Delaware Valley gradually transitioned to affiliation with the Anglican Church and its American successor, the Episcopal Church. Several factors drove this change. As the original Swedish-speaking population assimilated into English colonial society, the Swedish language faded from use, and younger generations increasingly identified with their English-speaking neighbors rather than a distant Swedish homeland. The Church of Sweden found it increasingly difficult to supply ministers to the American congregations. And many Swedish colonists had intermarried with English families, creating connections to the established Anglican church of colonial Pennsylvania.<ref name="johnson">{{cite book |last=Johnson |first=Amandus |title=The Swedish Settlements on the Delaware 1638-1664 |year=1911 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

The formal transition occurred over several decades during the late 18th century. By the time of the American Revolution, Gloria Dei was functioning essentially as an Anglican parish, though it retained elements of its Swedish Lutheran heritage. After American independence, the Episcopal Church emerged as the successor to the colonial Anglican establishment, and Gloria Dei joined the new denomination. The church continues as an Episcopal parish today, part of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. Despite this denominational change, Gloria Dei has carefully preserved its Swedish colonial identity, maintaining the historic building, cemetery, and traditions that connect it to the earliest European settlers of the Philadelphia region.<ref name="gloriadei"/>