The theme of the second conference, held on the campus of Nashotah House from June 24-25, 2021, was "Parish Asceticism." The Christian tradition takes for granted that baptized believers will engage in some form of bodily training for the purpose of godliness (cf. 1 Tim. 4:7-8). The Apostle Paul said, "I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men" (Acts 24:16). That is, he engaged in asceticism for the purpose of being in relationship with God and with all humankind, motivated certainly by Jesus' admonition to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 22:37-40). Moreover, the "phenomenon of asceticism is indeed a subject of perennial and universal interest" (John Behr). Oftentimes, however, the language of "asceticism" conjures images of emaciated monks and nuns who fled to the desert to engage in a kind of harsh asceticism that today would appear to be rooted more in psychological disorder than the love of God. But such an understanding is distorted and a caricature of good and proper Christian asceticism. Thus, the 2021 Breck Conference explored the main elements of Christian monasticism to present its varied and rich history, attempting to recover this tradition as an essential element in today's Church, and not only for monks but for all baptized Christians. For it is in the crucible of the parish where all Christians become ascetics. The conference consisted of five plenary talks by three speakers and included much time for informal discussion and interaction. The speakers included Rev. Dr. Luigi Gioia Associate Priest at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, London, and Research Associate of the Von H
