PHILADELPHIA (May 17, 2000)-- In its 136th commencement year, a Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia will honor the first two graduates in its Latino Concentration -- Luisa Cabello Hansel of Philadelphia and Priscila Curet-Roche of Elkins Park.

Luisa Cabello Hansel is in the midst of a call process to possibly become associate pastor at New Creation Church in Philadelphia's Tioga section, serving there with her husband, Patrick, who is the congregation's current pastor. Luisa's ministry will be sponsored in part by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the 5.2-million-member denomination's Division for Outreach.

Priscila Curet-Roche will begin an internship field work assignment and a candidacy endorsement process prior to receiving a call.

"This momentous occasion recognizes the growing presence of Latinos in the ministry of the church," said the Rev. Nelson Rivera, who teaches systematic theology and Hispanic ministry at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP). "These talented, compassionate women symbolize the changing face of Lutheranism in North America. Several million Latinos reside in the Northeastern United States, more than a million in New Jersey alone, and more and more Latinos are responding to God's call to leadership." Hispanic centers of population in Pennsylvania include Philadelphia, Reading and Allentown, Rivera said.

Both women were among the first seminary students to take courses in the new concentration. Rivera said the course of study is rigorous. "These students study the

works of theologians from the traditional Seminary program," he says, "but we also require them to study the writings of scholars from their own Latin American context. That total background enables them to understand more about the demands that will be placed upon them as leaders. And it prepares them to contribute a great deal to the modern religious context."

Fourteen Latino seminarians are involved in some phase of Seminary study at LTSP. Seven are candidates for the Master of Divinity degree. Two are engaged in a special studies program. The rest are candidates for an advanced-level degree, the Master of Sacred Theology.

A Latino candidate receiving an advanced-level degree, the Master of Sacred Theology, will be the Rev. Francisco Javier Goitia Padilla, pastor of Getsemani Lutheran Church in Dorado, Puerto Rico.

President Philip D. W. Krey of the Seminary said the growth of the Latino Program "is truly exciting for us to observe. It is a sign that our 136-year old School is taking dramatic steps to be part of our society's expanding multi-cultural context. These Latino students are making terrific contributions to our understanding of mission today."

Altogether, 59 seminarians will receive degrees at the Commencement exercises Sunday, May 21 at 3 p.m. The ceremonies will be conducted on the Seminary's campus at 7301 Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia's East Mount Airy section.

A highlight will be the awarding of honorary degrees to the Rev. Dr. Andrew Willis and the Rev. Dr. Randolph Jones, co-founders and co-directors of the Urban Theological Institute (UTI). The 20-year-old UTI is an Afro-centric theological education program of the Seminary which enables leaders to expand their credentials as pastors, educators and outreach coordinators.

Keynote speaker for the commencement will be the Rev. William Shafer, an interim parish pastor who served until recent as the Director of Seminary Services at LTSP. Graduating Seminarian Lisa R. Barnes of Danville, PA, will also give an address on behalf of the commencement honorees. Barnes is graduating with a Master of Divinity Degree with an Urban Concentration.

Founded in 1864, the Seminary is one of eight affiliated with the ELCA. Some 430 seminarians are on the LTSP rolls. While most of the Seminary's students are affiliated with the parent Lutheran denomination, seminarians in recent years have been connected to some 30 denominations overall.