Blessings friends!

I’m Fr. Bliss Spillar IV, ObSA—a poet priest, local pastor, and spiritual companion with a background in theology, spiritual formation, and contemplative spirituality. For nearly twenty years, I’ve served in both interdenominational and Anglican contexts, walking alongside others as we attend to the presence of God in the ordinary and the mysterious. My vocation is shaped by a deep attentiveness to beauty, silence, and the slow work of love.

I’m an ordained priest in the Diocese of St. Anthony and an Oblate in the Order of St. Anthony—a dispersed community rooted in prayer, hospitality, and the healing presence of Christ. I serve as the Senior Pastor of All Souls Charlottesville, a liturgical, sacramental church drawn to the ancient rhythms of the faith and committed to generous hospitality and life-giving attentiveness to the Spirit. R. S. Thomas once described himself as “a vicar of large things in a small parish,” and I carry that vision closely—believing that even the smallest altar can bear witness to the vastness of God’s love.

For over a decade, I’ve served as a spiritual companion in conversation and in practice, creating sacred space for others to listen for the movements of the Spirit, to discern God’s invitations in everyday life, and to grow in loving communion with God, neighbor, and self. I’ve received education and training in contemplative spirituality and prayer, Ignatian spirituality, spiritual formation, and discernment. The practices I engage with—and the resources I create—are rooted in the Great Tradition of the Church, the contemplative rhythms of Celtic Christianity, the discernment wisdom of Ignatian spirituality, and the gentle, grounded spaciousness of the contemplative life.

I’m also the founder of The Tending Table—a creative initiative rooted in art, poetry, and sacred attentiveness. Through retreats, conversations, and crafted resources, I try to offer spaces of stillness, restoration, and deeper communion with God and one another. Whether it’s through a shared meal, a poem, or a prayerful pause, my work tends the soul’s longing for connection, meaning, and mercy.

I live in Charlottesville, Virginia, with my wife, Shelby, who is the founder of Tupelo Floral Design Company, and our two daughters. I’ve been writing poetry since I was a child, and when I’m not pastoring or creating, you’ll often find me outside, exploring art and music, reading, watching films, or playing the occasional round of golf.