Latin Summer School

Summer Programme
Beginning Latin
Intermediate Latin
Advanced Latin
Proficient Latin for credit
Reading Ovid, Metamorphoses
Reading Leo and Cicero’s letters
Beginning Spoken Latin
Advanced Speaking Latin

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: 7 -18 July 2025, weekdays
In Person course: 11-22 August 2025, 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: 21 July – 1 August 2025, weekdays
In Person course: 11-22 August 2025, weekdays
Hours: 3 hours with a break
Not for credit – no exams.
Cost: £395

• 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 not for credit: (LA711)

Online course: 7 -18 July 2025, weekdays
In Person course: 11-22 August 2025, 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.

Advanced Latin not for credit is taught online weekdays 21 July to 1 August 2025.

Advanced Latin for credit: Proficient Latin for Liturgists: L711
KU Leuven: B-KUL-A07E3A 4 study points

In Person only: 11 – 22 August 2025, weekdays
Hours: 3 hours with a break

Students will encounter Latin literature written by many authors authors from every age with a focus on: biblica, patristica, liturgica, scholastica, magisteria, musica, canonica. During this course students will learn and develop a facility with the following elements of the Latin langauge:

• 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.

Canon Law Students at KU Leuven may take these summer courses or study Latin online throughout the academic term to prepare for two proficiency exams at KU Leuven.

Beginning Spoken Latin: LA511

Dr. Patrick Owens

This course is intended for those who have little or no previous knowledge of the Latin language and for teachers who would like to learn (by participating in education in action) techniques for actively teaching the fundamentals of Latin morphology, syntax, and vocabulary in Latin.

In Person only: 4 – 8 July 2025, weekdays
Hours: 4 hours with breaks
Not for credit – no exams.
Cost: £295

Book: Familia Romana by Hans H. Ørberg.
with references to Ossa Latinitatis (link) by Reginaldus Foster and Daniel McCarthy.

Advanced Speaking Latin: LA551

Dr. Patrick Owens

This course is open to instructors of spoken Latin or students who have completed the advanced course of spoken Latin at Oxford or equivalent.

In Person only: 4 – 8 July 2025, weekdays
Hours: 4 hours with breaks
Not for credit – no exams.
Cost: £295

Reading Ovid Metamorphoses (LA811)

In Person course: 11 –  22 August 2025, weekdays
Hours: 2 hours with a break
Time set to align with Advanced /Proficient course.
Not for credit – no exams.
Cost: £200 (discount available if paying for Adanced / Proficient Latin course)

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.

 

Reading Leo’s and Cicero’s Letters (LA811)

Online course: 1 – 12 September 2025, weekdays
Hours: 2 hours with a break
Not for credit – no exams.
Cost: £200 (register for Adanced / Intermediate Latin course and receive a discount on this course)

Reading Leo’s and Cicero’s Letters offers a patient, detailed reading of letters written by both Pope Leo the Great and the classical statesman Cicero. Unlike his orations, Cicero’s letters have a spontaneous, flowing style and, at times, a touching intimacy. Leo is considered the most classical of church authors and give a counterpoint from a different era to that of Cicero.

Participants should have a well-developed grip on Latin, including the subjunctive. The Intermediate Latin (Third Experience) course would be a good prerequisite.

It will be useful but not essential for participants to have a copy of Reginald Foster’s and Daniel McCarthy’s edition of Cicero’s letters, Ossium Carnes Multae: The Bones’ Meats Abundant.

 

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.