Reorus Torkillus (1608–1643) was priest of the
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...
and the first
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
clergyman to settle in what would become the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
Biography
Torkillus was born at
Mölndal
Mölndal () is the seat and administrative centre of Mölndal Municipality, located just south of Gothenburg on the west-coast of Sweden. About 40,000 of the municipality's 60,000 inhabitants live in Mölndal proper.
Geography
Mölndal is locate ...
, near
Gothenburg,
Sweden in 1608. He studied for the ministry at
Lidköping
Lidköping () is a locality and the seat of Lidköping Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had about
40 000 inhabitants in 2021.
It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Vänern and sometimes refers to itself as "Lidkö ...
and
Skara
Skara is a locality and the seat of Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 18,580 inhabitants in 2013. Despite its small size, it is one of the oldest cities in Sweden, and has a long educational and ecclesiastical history. O ...
in Sweden. After completing his education, he served as a chaplain and lecturer at the
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
in
Gothenburg.
Torkillus sailed with the second expedition of
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
settlers to
New Sweden
New Sweden ( sv, Nya Sverige) was a Swedish colony along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now the United States from 1638 to 1655, established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great military power. New Sweden f ...
, aboard the ''
Kalmar Nyckel
''Kalmar Nyckel'' (''Key of Kalmar'') was a Swedish ship built by the Dutch famed for carrying Swedish settlers to North America in 1638, to establish the colony of New Sweden. The name Kalmar Nyckel comes from the Swedish city of Kalmar and nyc ...
''. He arrived at
Fort Christina near present-day
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
on April 17, 1640. Initially, Torkillus officiated at church services held in a
blockhouse at Fort Christina. Planning for and construction of the first log churches in the New Sweden settlement was probably begun during his tenure. Torkillus died at Fort Christina in 1643 and was succeeded in his pastorship to the New Sweden colonists by
John Campanius
John Campanius (Swedish: ''Johannes Jonæ Holmiensis Campanius''; August 15, 1601 – September 17, 1683), also known as Johan Campanius and Johannes Campanius, was a Swedish Lutheran priest assigned to the New Sweden colony.
Background
John Cam ...
.
Today
Holy Trinity Church, also known as Old Swedes', is a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
. It was built from local blue granite and Swedish bricks that had been used as ship's ballast on the site of the Fort Christina's burial ground. The church is stated to be the nation's oldest church building still standing as originally built. Lutheran services were held in the Swedish language well into the 18th century.
Old Swedes Episcopal Church, Wilmington, DE
/ref>
References
Further reading
* Johnson, Amandus ''The Swedish Settlements on the Delaware Volume I: Their History and Relation to the Indians, Dutch and English, 1638-1664''. (Philadelphia, PA: The Swedish Colonial Society. 1911)
*McCullough, John W. ''Sacred Reminiscences in the Old Swedes' Church'' (Wilmington, Del.: Printed by Porter & Naff, 184
*Benson, Adolph B. and Naboth Hedin, eds. ''Swedes in America, 1638-1938'' (The Swedish American Tercentenary Association. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. 1938)
Other sources
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17th-century American Lutheran clergy
17th-century Swedish Lutheran priests
Lutheranism in Delaware
People from Gothenburg
People of New Sweden
1608 births
1643 deaths
Swedish emigrants to the United States
Religious leaders from Delaware
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