About…

Greetings, and welcome to my personal blog. I am known for my extensive experience, skill, and training in pastoral care for people of all ages especially in times of trauma or loss. It’s truly a passion and joy for me to serve others in this way.

In my past, I have served as a youth missioner with Native youth in South Dakota, a hospital and hospice chaplain in Virginia, as well as a volunteer law enforcement chaplain for two agencies starting in 2008. I currently enjoy assisting the local Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program as Chair of their Public Advisory Group where, along with advising and assisting the program director and staff at his local hospital, I also occasionally teach interns and resident chaplains about spiritual care for all ages. Graduates from CPE programs tend to go on to serve as pastors in multiple denominations including the ELCA or as professional or volunteer chaplains in varied settings. Reflecting this expertise in my law enforcement chaplaincy, I was awarded the prestigious National Sheriff’s Association Medal of Merit in 2018. 

As a Minister of Word and Sacrament, I have served as Pastor at Messiah-Mechanicsville (11+ years), Associate Pastor at Christ-Fredericksburg (nearly 7 years), and Dean of the Richmond Conference (approximately 2 years). I have also served as Vice Pastor for Christ-Richmond and and as an acting Vice Pastor in my role as Dean at Lakeside-Littleton, NC. I have demonstrated, strong skills in evangelism, congregational development, and community service.

Previously, I have served in the past with the City of Alexandria Police as a law enforcement officer, and I am a veteran of the Army National Guard and Reserve where I primarily served as a tactical intelligence officer with the famous “Dandy Fifth” of the 175th Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division located in Baltimore.

I have long had a heart for ecumenical and interfaith relationships, serving as a representative of the Virginia Synod (ELCA) on the Virginia LARCUM (Lutheran-Anglican-Roman Catholic-United Methodist) Committee and Virginia Lutheran-Episcopal Committee since 2020. I have also served the Virginia Synod on its past Gun Task Force and Tapestry Team. I helped EnCircle (formally Lutheran Family Services) as a past board member for nine years, and he has been asked to be part of several committees assisting Virginia Special Olympics and L’Arche Metro-Richmond serving people with intellectual disabilities and varied physical abilities as well as their families over the years. I continue to treasure my time as a volunteer with the Ecumenical Community of Taizé in France (several months in 1994-1995) which profoundly influenced all my later ministry efforts and spiritual life. 

In education, I earned a BA in English (with Distinction) from the Virginia Military Institute. While there, I was selected to participate in the Virginia Program at Oxford, a six week program where one studies English Renaissance History and Literature using the English system of daily tutorials and lectures at St. Anne’s College, Oxford University.

For graduate studies, I was awarded a Master of Divinity degree from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond and concurrently a Master of Science in Criminal Justice degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. My graduate dual-thesis focused on fostering resilience in adolescents. During a required Lutheran year at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, now part of United Lutheran Seminary, my classes focused on Lutheran studies, rural ministry, and mission development. Once a pastor, I went on to earn the “Master” level credential for law enforcement chaplaincy through the International Conference of Police Chaplains in 2024. This represents a minimum of five years service and 350 hours of training in spiritual care issues, emergency response for citizens, and the ongoing care of first responders and their families. 

For fun, I enjoy travel, as well as attending regional theater, VCU basketball games and minor league baseball games with my wife. I enjoyed hosting a regionally popular theology on tap event and related podcast with friends called Three Priests Walk in a Bar, where we often explore unorthodox subjects as well as the daily life of being church. I find peace through silent prayer and meditation, walks with my beloved dog, or simple hikes at Virginia state or our national parks. I blog and reads for both my professional development and pleasure. 

© 2025 The Rev. Louis Florio. All text and images not held under copyright by Word Press or another entity may not be used without permission of the author.