Rev. Dr. Mary Tororeiy, PhD ‘15: Living Out LSTC’s Commitment to Peace and Justice

Rev. Dr. Mary Tororeiy, PhD ’15, is weaving her ministry into the fabric of community life as rector of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Lompoc, California. Her days are filled with parish administration, pastoral care, preaching, and teaching, all underpinned by a spirit of collaboration with local churches and ministries to meet the needs of the city.

For Dr. Tororeiy, her time at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago LSTC was transformative. “LSTC enriched my ministry in profound ways,” she reflects. “I gained tools for faithful preaching and teaching. I was already ordained when I joined LSTC, but I am eternally grateful that it made me a Bible scholar.”

This foundation has been essential in helping her navigate the complexities of her vocation. “I am a big believer in God’s love for all people, and this is my understanding of what my vocation entails—to be a conduit of that love,” she says. That conviction has been reaffirmed through her work in communities where God’s presence is made tangible in everyday acts of service and care.

Dr. Tororeiy is a passionate advocate for ecumenical ministry, urging current LSTC students to embrace its challenges and rewards. “Stay on it,” she advises. “God is ecumenical in nature. The various theologies we espouse are just expressions of our faiths. At the core of who we truly are is an all-embracing God.”

Her memories of LSTC remain vivid, tied to the intellectual and spiritual growth she experienced. She fondly recalls studying the Book of Revelation with Dr. Barbara Rossing, Romans with Dr. Ray Pickett, the Pentateuch with Dr. Klaus Peter Adam, and protest literature with Dr. Esther Menn. These moments, she says, shaped her ministry’s focus on peace and justice.

Dr. Tororeiy’s current ministry reflects the ethos of LSTC’s mission to engage in transformative work. “My role as a parish priest involves teaching and leading the congregation in responding to the needs around us and the world,” she explains. This includes hosting dialogues on race, providing financial support to ministries in Gaza, and embarking on an ambitious project to build low-income housing on the church campus in partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and the Mayor of Los Angeles.

As she looks back on her journey, Dr. Tororeiy hopes to inspire those discerning a call to seminary. “I hope they know that they don’t have to have it all figured out,” she says. “It is a journey—a journey of listening and growing.”

Through her ministry, Dr. Tororeiy embodies the values instilled at LSTC, showing how faith, scholarship, and action can unite to create lasting impact.