Latin Summer School
Summer Programme
Beginning Latin
Intermediate Latin
Advanced Latin
Reading Ovid, Metamorphoses
We use the teaching method of Reginald Foster OCD directly from his book Ossa Latinitatis Sola. This is also reflected in the new series by Laura Pooley, Ossa Ostensa: Book 1. We offer instruction in Latin from the first lesson to the advanced Master’s level programme
Summer Programme
Beginning Latin (LA411)
Online course: 13 – 24 July 2026, weekdays
In Person course: 10 – 21 August 2026, weekdays
Hours: 3 hours with a break
Not for credit – no exams.
Cost: £395
No knowledge of the language is presumed. From the first day you will tackle real Latin from across the centuries and begin to express yourself in Latin. We shall cover:
- All verb times in the indicative
- The active and passive voice
- Command forms
- All noun and adjective groups and most of their usages
Beginning Latin covers the material of the Reggie Foster’s First Latin Experience in Ossa Latinitatis Sola (read more here) and Ossa Ostensa Book 1.
Intermediate Latin (LA611)
Online course: 27 July – 7 August 2026, weekdays
In Person course: 10 – 21 August 2026, weekdays
Hours: 3 hours with a break
Not for credit – no exams.
Cost: £395
Students entering this level will be expected to have a solid grasp of the topics covered in Beginners Latin. You will read a variety of original Latin texts, spanning many centuries, and write in Latin. Among many other matters, we will cover:
- The meaning and usages of the subjunctive mood
- The forms and natural meanings of the four participles
- Various uses if participles including the ablative absolute
This course covers the material of the Third Latin Experience in Ossa Latinitatis Sola (read more here) also presented in the forthcoming book Ossa Ostensa Book 2.
The material presumed for this course is covered in Beginning Latin given above.
Advanced Latin (LA711)
Online course: 29 June -10 July 2026, weekdays
In Person course: 10 – 21 August 2026, weekdays
Hours: 3 hours with a break
Not for credit – no exams.
Cost: £395
Students will encounter Latin literature written by many authors authors from every age. You will learn:
- The accusative with the infinitive used in indirect discourse and object sentences
- The gerund and gerundive and the participle of passive necessity
- conditional sentences: if … , then …
- The 3% use of the sequence of tenses and modal attraction
- Verbs of doubting, fearing and prohibiting
- Oblique complements of verbs and their passive construction
- Specific usages of the dative, genitive, ablative
- Overviews of:
- 14 ways to express purpose
- 10 usages of the relative pronoun
- Positive and negative commands
Students registering will need to have knowledge of both Beginners and Intermediate contents.
This course covers the material of the Fourth Latin Experience in Ossa Latinitatis Sola (read more here) also presented in the forthcoming book Ossa Ostensa Book 3.
Students wishing more instruction are encouraged to enrol also in Reading Cicero’s Letters, LA811.
Reading Ovid Metamorphoses (LA811)
In Person course: 10 – 21 August 2026, weekdays
Hours: 2 hours with a break
Time set to align with Advanced /Proficient course.
Not for credit – no exams.
Cost: £200
Discount fee £175 when this reading course is taken in combination with LA711 Advanced Latin.
The Metamorphoses is widely hailed as Ovid’s greatest work, and from its composition in roughly 8 CE to the present day, it has exerted an unparalleled influence on art, music, and culture. Its 15 books cover over 250 mythic narratives.
Our goal will be to read selections from the Metamorphoses slowly and carefully, seeking a deep understanding of the language and an appreciation of Ovid’s poetic rhythms.
We will work in seminar format, teaching and learning from one another. Texts will be provided. Ovid’s Latin is fairly advanced, so participants should have at least completed the Intermediate (Third Experience) program before joining this seminar. It can be taken in conjunction with the Advanced (Fourth Experience) program.
Reginald Foster
Our method of teaching the Latin language was developed by Fr Reginald Foster, former papal Latinist who tought Latin to many generations in Rome. His forty+ years of helping people to grow steadily and soundly in the knowledge and use and appreciation of Latin have guided him in developing his method of teaching Latin (more here).
Testimonials
Richard Peers, “How to Learn Latin: the Reginald Foster Method at Ealing Abbey” (24 August 2018) accessed online on 13 February 2021 at: link.
Contact:
Ms Clare Cogswell, Registrar
Schedule a visit or write to me at:
Benedictine Institute (at Ealing Abbey)
74 Castlebar Road, Ealing, London W5 2DD, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)20 8194 2320
Contact Clare, the Registrar at this linked email address.
Location on Google Maps is found here.