Please send the ludi for the First Experience of 1997-1998. I need a PDF copy of the set produced by Elizabeth Amato. She had them retyped and formatted for A4 size paper and then bound. I have her revised ludi for the Third and Fourth Experiences of that year and for all the experiences of the previous and subsequent years. I would like to make a complete set from her books. Please send them here. 

Write your own memorial dedication to Reggie

You are invited to submit your own memorial dedication to Reggie for publication in the fifth and final volume of the series Latinitatis corpus. That volume will include the tours Reggie gave in and around Rome. 

Some of you have already published memorial dedications to Reggie, and are welcome to obtain permission from the original publisher to republish them here. 

I’ll include my several personal reflections:
“Getting Hooked” describes how I came to write with Reggie.
“Why I write with Reggie” explains the leisure I have been given and put to good use.
“Remembering Reginald Foster” is my reflection on his passing. 
All three are currently available on this web-page.

Write about your experience with the ludi

You are invited to express the value studying Latin with the Ludi provided to you. When people confront their first ludus, they may be put off right away, so I would like to include witnesses to the value of persevering with completing the ludi. Please describe how the ludi are different than workbook exercises, how you approached them, how they benefit you. Read a fuller description of the volume here.

I have begun to list the names of people who have contributed ludi to this volume (list). Please check your name and submit corrections to me at this address. It would be helpful to identify your professional affiliation as well.

About 400 ludi have been prepared for publication, and at least the same number are yet to be cleaned up. I use a Wacom tablet and a stylus to erase the answers and marks people wrote on their ludi, one letter at a time!

Os: The immediate mouth of Cicero in his letters

This third volume has stalled at the publisher for over a year now. The audio component is a recording of Reggie reciting the 51 letters of Cicero which were chosen for our second volume. The printed component provides the transcribed text of these letters with our translation as complete letters. It demonstrates how to integrate full, authentic sentences from Cicero into every level of Latin instruction from the first day by presenting 160 imagined dialogues between an instructor and student. It also includes several of Reggie’s descriptions of his own teaching method written in Latin and provided also in English. A remarkable instroduction written by Tobias Joho illustrates Reggie’s grouping of words together in the overall architecture of a sentence. A fuller description of the volume is available here. 

Ossa Ostensa: A Proven system for demystifying Latin, book 1 and book 2

Laura Pooley has published her second volume of this series developed from her study of all 5 experiences with Reggie during a single calendar year. This second volume corresponds to the Third Experience. In it she provides numerous original Latin texts from both classical and ecclesiastical authors to illustrate each Encounter. Both volumes are available in both printed and eBook format. The publisher’s pages are available here for Book I and Book II.

Study Latin in English in August, Online and in Person

An online course of Beginning and Intermediate Latin (First and Third Experiences) will be offered weekdays from 31 July to 11 August 2023.

An in person course of Intermediate and Advanced Latin (Third and Fourth Experiences) will be offered weekdays from 14 to 25 August 2023, at the Study Centre, Ealing Abbey, London, UK.

Reading the letters of Cicero from the second volume of our series, Ossium Carnes Multae: The Bones’ Meats Abundant, will be offered in person from 14 to 25 August 2023, at the Study Centre, Ealing Abbey, London, UK. Information for all summer courses available here.

Latin in English in Rome

Latin in English in Rome is a year-long, 30 credit course taught using the system developed by Reggie and conducted by Daniel McCarthy. Lessons are held on the Aventine hill in the heart of ancient Rome, at the Primatial Abbey Sant’Anselmo. You may request to reside in house or provide your own accommodation. We meet for 2 hours daily throughout the year. Instruction is taken from Ossa Latinitatis Sola. We shall complete three ludi weekly for the first semester and part of the second semester before changing to two ludi weekly. A fuller description is available here.

Studies of Latin prayers are now available in the US

Studies on the Latin prayers of the liturgy are now distributed in the US by cuapress.edu.

Appreciating the Collect: An Irenic Methodology, ed. J.G. Leachman – D.P. McCarthy, St. Michael’s Abbey Press, Farnborough, England 2008 (link).

Transition in the Easter Vigil: Becoming Christians. Paschali in vigilia Christiani nominis fieri, ed. D.P. McCarthy – J.G. Leachman, St. Michael’s Abbey Press, Farnborough, England 2011 (link). 

Moore, G., Vatican II and the Collects for Ordinary Time: A Study in the Roman Missal (1975), ed. G. Carey, series ed. J.G. Leachman – D.P. McCarthy, St. Michael’s Abbey Press, Farnborough England ²2021 (link).

Translation of numerous speeches made during the Second Vatican Council regarding the arrangement of a church for the celebration of liturgy are available in the following volume: 

McCarthy, D.P., Verbum ac Spiritus: Word and Spirit: On the double role of presiding in the assembly and directing the prayer, St. Michael’s Abbey Press, Farnborough, England 2017 (link).

These volumes are available in the UK directly from the publisher, St. Michael’s Abbey Press, Farnborough, England (link).

Here is my reflection on his passing. I have collected links to Reggie’s works and to writings about him which you can find here. Please send additional links to me by email.

On the 82nd anniversary of his birth, the first since his passing, let me give an account of our project Latinitatis corpus.

Latinitatis corpus

Ossa Latinitatis Corpus: The Mere Bones of Latin has been well received. There is every indication that it is being used in educational programs for teaching the Latin language and so his method should continue to grow. You may read reviews listed at the bottom of this page.

Available in eBook and paperback from the publisher here.

Ossium Carnes Multae: The Bones’ Meats Abundant was and even greater source of pride to Reginaldus, the completion of his dissertation and fruition of a life’s work. You may read the few reviews listed at the bottom of this page. Many journals did not review this series beyond the publication of Ossa with the unfortunate consequence that the unique contribution of this volume is not more broadly known. Request a review copy for publishing a review.

Available as an eBook and paperback from the publisher here.

Book presentation: Ossium. Several people spoke in Latin at the presentation of Ossium: Reginald had prepared a video presentation of the volume. His long-time colleagues from the Vatican Office of Latin Letters also spoke: Fr. Antonio Salvi, OFMCap and Mons. Waldemar Turek. Archbishop Arthur Roche, then soon to be named Prefect of the Vatican Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, also gave a presentation in Latin. A fuller description of the presentation along with a link to watch the video are available on this web-page.

Os Praesens Ciceronis Epistularis: The immediate mouth of Cicero in his letters is in the final stage of preparation. This volume features Reginald’s recitation of the same 51 letters of Cicero as appear in Ossium. The audio component was edited by Patricius M. Owens for as great a clarity as our humble recordings would yield. The audio with the printed component were submitted to the publisher, but I am currently making a few last editorial changes in the printed text soon to be completed. Description here. 

Ossibus Ludi Exercendis: Games for Exercising the Bones is in development. I have collected approximately 1,200 unique ludi which we anticipate publishing in two if not three bound and oversized volumes. A significant number of these ludi need editing to remove hand written answers. These are ready for editing after submitting the final draft of Os. Description here.

Ossibus revisenda migrantibus: As Bones Roam About, Things – Places – Events to be revisited is a compilation of all the booklets Reginaldus prepared for his famous tours. These have been compiled but have yet to be further considered. Description here.

New Workbook using Reginald’s method

A workbook for teachers and self-teachers using Reginald’s method is now available under the title Ossa Ostensa: A Proven System for Demystifying Latin. Book One prepared by Laura Pooley. She took all five of Reggie’s Experiences in one year at the Gregorian University and has prepared this workbook from her experience then and teaching Latin since using Reginald’s method. Each Encounter includes abundant classical and post-classical including ecclesiastical example sentences for teachers to use in the classroom. Volumes corresponding to the Third and Fourth Experiences are in their final stages of editing as well as other helpful teaching material especially for self-learners. Description here.

Available in paperback from the publisher here. 

Reggie on Latin Prayers

Reginaldus wrote a couple of chapters on liturgical prayers for volumes we published at St. Michael’s Abbey Press, Farnborough, England. Those volumes are now distributed in the USA by Catholic University of America Press. An explanation of the volumes is available in the current catalogue available on page 48 here,

and fuller descriptions of the volumes are available on the following web-pages:

R.T. Foster, “Collectarum latinitas”, in Appreciating the Collect, description here.

Hardback from CUA Press here.

R.T. Foster, “Presentation of the Selected Orations of the Easter Vigil”, in Transition in the Easter Vigil,description here.

Hardback from CUA Press here.

Vatican II and Church Architecture

Reginald corrected my English versions of hundreds of Latin texts from speeches made during the Second Vatican Council and minutes of committees involved in the work of the council. These texts were chosen for their relevance to church architecture. The volume is now available from the publisher and soon to be available through CUA Press: Verbum ac Spiritus. Word and Spirit: On the double role of presiding in the assembly and directing the prayer, description here.

Hardback available from the publisher here.

A study of the Latin texts of The Collects for Ordinary Time by Gerard Moore is available from CUA Press and Farnborough Abbey, description here.

Hardback available from the publisher here.

Teaching

We continue to teach the Latin Language using Reginald’s method during our two-week summer session 15-26 August 2022 held in person and perhaps online at Ealing, London in the UK, and we offer online or in person private tuition (tutoring) throughout the year by appointment.

Summer course description here.

Private tuition (tutoring) description here.

Latin and Greek in English in Rome

You are welcome to study Latin and/or Greek in English in Rome for one semester or for the full academic year from early October throughout May. You may request guest accommodation at Sant’Anselmo, on the crest of the Aventine hill, where you can live, eat, study and pray in Latin and Italian with the resident monastic community and students of the Athenaeum. The Latin course follows the method developed by Reginald Foster teaching Latin in Rome for over 40 years.  Read more information here 

and another account here. 

Information on the Greek course is available here

and another account here. 

You may enjoy reading my reflections on teaching Latin in Rome: “An Elephant Underwater – Learning the Latin Language” available here.

Training Translators of Latin Liturgical Texts

The Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments sponsors a program for Training Translators of Latin Liturgical Texts which is held at Sant’Anselmo. The first session concerns more the language and its English expression, whereas the second nuralgic difficulties in translating liturgical texts along with instructions from the Congregation and procedures for working with and submitting vernacular translations to the congregation. If you would like to join us, please request your bishop to recommend you to the Congregation for this program. You may read more here.

RIP Dom James Leachman

I shall end on a sad personal note. Some of you may know my colleague and good friend Fr James Leachman, OSB, monk of Ealing Abbey, London. James passed away this past summer due to Covid and previous health complications. Please spare a prayer for James and all who were close to him. You may read an obituary of him here.

Scan your ludi and send them to Daniel McCarthy at this email address.
OR send them in the post to one of the address given at the bottom of this page.

We shall acknowledge the names of people who donate ludi, so send your ludi, please, and be included among those who have donated.

Below is a list of the ludi we have received to date. 

If your ludi are not mentioned on this list, please send them to us so that we may include them in the volume.

If your collection of ludi is mentioned below, please check in the right-hand column below to see if we need a clean copy. If so, please scan your ludi and send them to me. Your ludi will help us present a clean copy of Reggie’s original typewritten texts. 

The ludi 1996-1999 were retyped. Do you have the originals as typed by Reggie?

Some series are missing one or more ludi, as indicated to the far right. Check to see if you can furnish these individual ludi, please.

The ludi we have are arranged by year in the left-hand column, then by experience. After a hyphen — the number of ludi is indicated followed by the condition of the ludi. Finally we list the numbers of the individual missing ludi. 

Many of these early ludi are heavily marked up. Please send clean versions if you have them.

YEAR EXPERIENCE — LUDI  CONDITION. MISSING LUDUS NUMBER

1982-1983 Experience I — 31 ludi in good shape. Missing ludus 13.

1983-1984 Experience III — 35 ludi in good shape.

1984-1985 Experience IV — 31 ludi in good shape.

1985-1986 ?? Experience IV — 12 ludi in good shape. Missing ludus 10.

1985-1986 Experience V — 7 ludi in good shape. Missing ludus 5.

1986 SUMMER INTRO — 4 ludi in good shape.

1986 SUMMER LUDI — 14 ludi in good shape.

1987-1988 Experience III — 35 ludi. Please send a clean copy.

1988? SUMMER IUNORVM — 1 ludus. Please send a clean copy of 4 and ludi 1-3, 5+.

1988? SUMMER IUN+SEN — 3 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 1-5.

1988? SUMMER SENIORVM — 2 ludi. Please send a clean copy of 1 and ludi 4+.

1990 SUMMER IVNIORVM — 2 ludi in good shape.

1990 SUMMER SENIORVM — 2 ludi in good shape.

1990 SUMMER IVN+SEN — 8 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 1-2.

1990-1991 Experience I — 2 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 1-21, 23-25, 27+.

1990-1991 Experience III — 2 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 1-3, 5-15, 17+.

1990-1991 Experience IV — 2 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 1-3, 5-16, 18+.

1991 SUMMER IVNIORVM — 7 ludi in good shape.

1992 SUMMER SENIORVM — 6 ludi. Please send a clean copy.

1992-1993 Experience I — 35 ludi. Please send a clean copy. Missing 2, 5, 8, 32-34.

1992-1993 Experience III — 35 ludi in good shape.

1992-1993 Experience IV — 35 ludi in good shape.

1992-1993 Experience V — 10 ludi. Please send a clean copy.

1993-1994 Experience IV — Please send a clean copy of luldus 1; missing 2-3, 5-14, 18-24, 26+.

1994-1995 Experience I — 33   Please send a clean copy.

1995-1996 Experience III — 33 Please send a clean copy.

1996 SUMMER IVNIORVM TEST — Please send a clean copy.

1996 SUMMER SENIORVM TEST — Please send a clean copy.

1996 SUMMER IVNIORVM — 6 ludi. Please send a clean copy.

1996 SUMMER SENIORVM — 5 ludi. Please send a clean copy. Missing ludus 2.

1998 SUMMER LETTER 1 SCHEDULE  In good shape.

1998 SUMMER TESTS — 4 ludi in good shape.

1998 SUMMER LETTER 2 — In good shape.

1997-1998 CONTRACT — In good shape.

1997-1998 Experience I — 35 ludi in good shape.

1998-1999 Experience III — 22 ludi in good shape. Missing 19-20, 23+.

The ludi 1996-1999 were retyped. Do you have the originals as typed by Reggie?

YEAR EXPERIENCE — LUDI  CONDITION. MISSING LUDUS NUMBER

1996-1997 Experience I — 35 ludi in good shape.

1996-1997 Experience III — 35 ludi in good shape.

1996-1997 Experience IV — 35 ludi in good shape.

1996-1997 Experience V — 10 ludi in good shape.

1997-1998 Experience I — 35 ludi in good shape.

1997-1998 Experience III — 35 ludi in good shape.

1997-1998 Experience IV — 31 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 32+.

1997-1998 Experience V — 18 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 14-16.

1998-1999 Experience I — 35 ludi in good shape.

1998-1999 Experience III — 35 ludi in good shape.

1998-1999 Experience IV — 35 ludi in good shape.

1998-1999 Experience V — 12 ludi in good shape.

These ludi are on the whole in good shape.

YEAR EXPERIENCE — LUDI  CONDITION. MISSING LUDUS NUMBER

1999 SUMMER IVNIORVM — 6 ludi. Do you have a clean copy?

1999 SUMMER SENIORVM — 6 ludi. Do you have a clean copy?

1999-2000 Experience I — 35 ludi in good shape.

1999-2000 Experience III — 35 ludi in good shape.

1999-2000 Experience IV — 23 ludi in good shape.

1999-2000 Experience V — 3 ludi in good shape.

2000-2001 Experience I — 35 ludi in good shape.

2000-2001 Experience III — 35 ludi. Do you have a clean copy?

2000-2001 Experience IV — 29 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 30-35.

2000-2001 Experience V — 4 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 1, 4.

2001 SUMMER IVNIORVM — 6 ludi. Do you have a clean copy? Missing ludi 1, 2.

2001 SUMMER SENIORVM — 7 ludi in good shape.

2001-2002 Experience I — 35 ludi in good shape.

2001-2002 Experience III — 35 ludi in good shape.

2001-2002 Experience IV — 29 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 30-35.

2002 SUMMER LETTER, SCHEDULE — 3 ludi in good shape.

2002 SUMMER TESTS — 8 ludi in good shape.

2002 SUMMER IVNIORVM — 7 ludi in good shape.

2002 SUMMER SENIORVM — 7 ludi in good shape.

2002-2003 Experience I — 35 ludi in good shape.

2002-2003 Experience III — 35 ludi in good shape. Missing ludus 31.

2002-2003 Experience IV — 10 ludi in good shape.

2002-2003 Experience V — 9 ludi in good shape.

2003 SUMMER IVNIORVM — 7 ludi in good shape.

2003 SUMMER SENIORVM — 7 ludi. Do you have a clean copy of ludi 3, 4?

2003-2004 Experience I — 35 ludi in good shape.

2003-2004 Experience III — 35 ludi. Do you have a clean copy of ludi 2, 3, 4?

2003-2004 Experience IV — 10 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 7, 8, 11+.

2003-2004 Experience V — 7 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 1, 7.

2004-2005 Experience V — 6 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 1-2, 4-5, 6+.

2006 SUMMER IVNIORVM — 5 ludi in good shape. Missing ludus 1.

2006-2007 Experience I — 28 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 2, 29+.

2006-2007 Experience III — 25 ludi in good shape.

2006-2007 Experience IV — 10 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 8, 9-10.

2006-2007 Experience V — 2 ludi in good shape.

2007 SUMMER LETTER, CONTRACT — 4 pages in good shape.

2007-2008 Experience I — 32 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 33+.

2007-2008 Experience III — 34 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 1, 35.

2007-2008 Experience IV — 2 ludi in good shape. Missing ludi 3+.

2009 SUMMER LETTER, CONTRACT — 4 pages in good shape.

2009 SUMMER IVNIORVM — 2 ludi in good shape.

2009 SUMMER SENIORVM — 2 ludi in good shape.

2011 SUMMER SENIORVM — 5 ludi in good shape.

Send your ludi to Daniel McCarthy (introduction) at this email address.

OR in the post to me at: 

Daniel McCarthy
Badia primaziale Sant’Anselmo
Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, 5
00153, Roma
Italia
web-site

If you send the ludi to me in the post at my monastery in Kansas, please send an email to the effect so that I can ask someone to open the package, scan the ludi and sent them to me in Rome. 

Daniel McCarthy
St. Benedict’s Abbey
1020 N 2nd ST
Atchison, KS 66002-1499
USA
web-site

Please indicate how you would like your name to appear in the acknowledgments.

Thank you. Daniel.

O that Reginaldus noster were to hold in his hand a copy for which he spent his life. This volume completes Reggie’s doctoral studies at the Salesianum interrupted by a forty-year career as papal Latinist when he developed his own method of teaching the Latin language. Reggie was so delighted to talk about this volume as you can see here.

Order eBook and Print

You may order the eBook or print version of the volume directly from the publisher CUA Press here.

The first volume, Ossa Latinitatis Sola, is also available as an eBook or in paperback; order it directly from the publisher CUA Press here.

Reviews – Corrigenda

Review copies may be requested here. If you write a review, please email Daniel McCarthy so that a link to your review may be placed on the web-page of the volume here as has been done for the Ossa volume. If you find any errors in the text, please, they may also be noted on the same web-page.

Amazon orders

Amazon will eventually update its web-page for this volume. Remember when Amazon says the volume is out of stock, you may still be able to order it directly from the publisher.

Orders shipped to Europe will take more time for a supply to be shipped by boat to the European distributor where the orders will be filled and copies of the book sent via postal service to customers.

OSSIUM book presentation online 20 April 2021

Mark your calendar for a book presentation to be held in Rome on 20 April 2021 hopefully available by livestream and in person from 11:45-12:30 local time at Sant’Anselmo on the Aventine hill. The event is scheduled for the day before the 2,774^th anniversary of the founding of Rome. 

Os: conversational companion to the Cicero volume

The final draft of the third volume Os praesens Ciceronis epistularis: The immediate mouth of Cicero in his letters has been submitted to the publisher for final editing.

Audio recitation by Reggie: This is a companion volume to Ossium whose 51 letters by Cicero were recited by Reginald in an audio component of this volume so that you may hear how the words go together in phrases which build the structure of each sentence and letter. This audio volume is accompanied by a printed volume which presents Cicero’s letters along with our English renderings of them so that you may easily read along while listening to the recitations.

Teach like Reggie in the classroom. The printed volume also includes 160 imagined conversations between an instructor and students in a classroom which indicate how you may teach the Latin language using the authentic sentences of Cicero from the very first day of instruction unto the perennial readings of Latin literature (description). If you want to learn how to teach like Reggie, study these dialogues he helped to write.

Reggie describes his own method of teaching Latin. Reggie once described his method of teaching, now presented here in his original Latin and in an English rendering done with the author himself.

Send your ludi

You may still send your ludi for inclusion in the fourth volume; an updated catalogue of ludi received will soon appear on this post here.

Write a Latin dedication to Reginald

Please consider writing a dedication to Reginald in Latin; we shall publish as many as space allows in this the fifth and final volume which will contain the tours Reginald gave in and around Rome. Send your compositions to Daniel McCarthy at this email address. Also include instructions for giving your name and affiliation correctly. For example:

Daniel P. McCarthy
monk of Atchison Kansas
Lecturer, Pontifical Institute of Liturgy
Co-founder, Liturgy Institute London
Guest prof., KU Leuven

Ossa Ostensa

Ossa Ostensa is a companion series by Laura Pooley (bio) who attended all five Experiences of Reggie during one academic year. She presents the way he taught in the classroom along with copious example sentences of both classical and later Latin to illustrate every encounter of the Ossa volume. Her first volume will be published this year by Catholic Education Press, an imprint of CUA Press. Read the description on page 32/34 of the current catalogue available here. Advance ordering may be placed here. 

RIP Reginaldus

Very many links to publications, videos and blogs by Reggie and about him are available at this link here along with links to obituaries, the funeral homily, the communique from the Vatican. You are welcome to submit links to other similar publications to Daniel McCarthy at this email address.

Shipping

We hope you enjoy this volume most representative of the life’s work of Reginald Foster.

Funeral arrangements: On account of the current restrictions due to the pandemic, the funeral Mass and burial will be held privately, with only the Discalced Carmelite community and family members in attendance. A memorial Mass and celebration of Fr. Reginald’s life is expected to be planned at a later time in the year when friends, colleagues and students are again free to travel and to congregate safely in larger crowds.

Fr. Reginald Thomas Foster Obituary

Fr. Reginald Thomas Foster, OCD, 81, member of the Washington Province of Discalced Carmelite Friars and papal Latinist for four popes, died shortly after midnight on Christmas, December 25, at St Anne’s Home in Milwaukee. Fr. Reginald was preceded in death by his parents Gordon and Margaret (Fleischmann) Foster of Milwaukee and by his brother John and his sister Susan (Wolf). He is survived by his nephews Thomas Strobel, Simon Wolf, and Jude Wolf and by many grandnephews and grandnieces, and by the Discalced Carmelite Friars with whom he lived and served for more than 62 years (more than 46 of those years studying or working in Rome).

Fr. Reginald attended St. Francis Minor Seminary in Milwaukee for two years (1953-1955) and three years at St. Joseph’s Minor Seminary in Peterborough, NH (1955-1958) before entering the Discalced Carmelite novitiate at Brookline, MA in August 1958, making first profession of vows on August 15, 1959. He completed philosophy studies at Holy Hill during 1959-1962, before leaving for Rome to study theology at the Teresianum, the Order’s International College. He was ordained priest in Rome on April 17, 1966.

In 1969 (when barely 30 years old) he was recognized for his mastery of Latin, and his doctoral studies interrupted, when he was called upon suddenly to take the position of one of the pope’s two principle Latinists. He worked at the Latin Language office of the Vatican Secretariat of State for forty years. In addition to his full-time translation work there, beginning in 1974 he dedicated himself passionately to teaching Latin every day, including nearly thirty years at the Pontifical Gregorian University where he would offer five year-long courses or “experiences” in Latin each year. In 1985, he instituted a Latin summer school which met daily for eight weeks. In 2009, following a grave illness and heart trouble that nearly killed him, he returned to Wisconsin to convalesce and continued teaching students tirelessly, even while residing at St. Clare’s Terrace and then St. Anne’s Home. In these past months of pandemic, Fr. Reginald faithfully continued his classes several hours daily to students throughout the world by means of video conferencing.

In 2010, the University of Notre Dame awarded him an honorary doctorate for his contribution to Latin studies. And in 2015, with Fr. Daniel McCarthy, OSB, Fr. Reginald co-authored the first of five volumes, Latinitatis Corpus: The Body of Latin (CUA Press), which seeks to present systematically a coherent outline of Fr. Reginald’s unique method of teaching Latin. The forthcoming second volume completes Fr. Reginald’s doctoral studies on the letters of Cicero, previously interrupted by his service in the Vatican.

On account of the current restrictions due to the pandemic, the funeral Mass and burial will be held privately, with only the Discalced Carmelite community and family members in attendance. A memorial Mass and celebration of Fr. Reginald’s life is expected to be planned at a later time in the year when friends, colleagues and students are again free to travel and to congregate safely in larger crowds.

Memorials to the “Discalced Carmelite Friars’ Student Fund” at 1525 Carmel Road, Hubertus, WI 53033 would be appreciated.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Fr. Reginald Thomas Foster OCD, please visit our floral store.

Requiescat in pace, Reginaldus. I received word that this Christmas morning our beloved Reginald Foster has entered his eternal reward. More on Reginald.

News Links

Links to news articles, videos about Reginald or referencing him; publications by and with him and book reviews are found here.

Prayer:

R. Subveníte, Sancti Dei, occúrrite, Angeli Dómini, 
suscipiéntes ánimam eius, 
offeréntes eam in conspéctu Altíssimi. 

V. Suscípiat te Christus, qui vocávit te, 
et in sinum Abrahae Angeli dedúcant te. 

R. Suscipiéntes ánimam ejus,
Offeréntes eam in conspéctu Altíssimi.

V. Réquiem aetérnam dona ei, Dómine, 
et lux perpétua lúceat ei.

R. Offeréntes eam in conspéctu Altìssimi.

Orémus. 

Tibi Dómine, commendámus fámulum tuum Reginaldum.
ut defúnctus saéculo tibi vivat: 
et quae per fragilitátem humánae conversatiónis peccáta commìsit, 
tu vénia misericordìssime pietátis abstérge. 
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.
R. Amen.

Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.

Saints of God, come to his aid! 
Come to meet him, angels of the Lord!
Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.

May Christ, Who called you, take you to Himself;
may angels lead you to Abraham’s side.
Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.

Give him eternal rest, O Lord, 
and may Your light shine upon him forever.
Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.

Let us pray: We commend our brother, Reginaldus, to you, Lord.
Now that he has passed from this life, 
may he live on in Your presence. 
In Your mercy and love, forgive whatever sins he
may have committed through human weakness. 
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

From sequestration Reggie says:

I am fine!

Valutidune optima diurumpor.
I am exploding with the best health.

Dies huius cito transibunt interclusionis – pereant auctores eius omnes ad unum.
The days of this seclusion will pass quickly – ….

Google Duo video chat with Reggie

You may now contact Reggie in sequestration using Google Duo (link) which works with android phones.

FaceTime with Reggie

You may still contact Reggie using FaceTime.

Phone classic

HIs personal mobile phone number is + one (four one four) seven five five – nine six eight six.

Boethius: Songs of Consolation

Reggie is very grateful to have received a CD called (link):

Boethius: Songs of Consolation

Ossium Carnes Multae: The Bones’ Meats Abundant

We are celebrating the printing of the second volume in our series Latinitatis corpus. It should be available some time in February. Receive your print or digital version ASAP from the publisher CUA Press.

Ossium Carnes Multae: The Bones’ Meats Abundant (link) features our understanding of how Cicero expressed himself in his native Latin thought as given in 51 of his some 900 letters to friends and associates.

Os praesens Ciceronis epistularis:
The immediate mouth of Cicero in his letters

This is the conversational and oral compoonent of the same 51 letters of Cicero.

AUDIO COMPONENT:

• Listen to Reggie reading the 51 letters,
• follow along by reading the Latin or the English while you listen.

PRINTED COMPONENT:

• Conversations from Latin literature,
• Classroom conversations show how to teach with Cicero’s letters from the very first day,
• Cicero’s letters in Latin with our translations in full on facing pages.

You may write a birthday wish to Reggie or phone him to congratulate him on printing Cicero, Cicero’s letters that is with our commentaries on how the master expresses himself in Latin. His contact information is found on this page.

We have tentatively scheduled a book presentation in Rome at Sant’Anselmo for 20 April 2021 at 11:45 – 12:30, in anticipation of the 2774th anniversary of the founding of Rome commemorated on the following day, 21 April 2021.

You may pre-order the volume directly from the publisher here, or from Amazon.com here, or in the UK from Amazon.co.uk here or from your favourite bookseller.

Read more about the Cicero book here:

OSSIUM CARNES MULTAE
E MARCI TULLII CICERONIS EPISTULIS
The Bones’ Meats Abundant
from the epistles of Marcus Tullius Cicero

Read more about the audio book here:

OS PRAESENS CICERONIS EPISTULARIS
The Immediate Mouth of Cicero in his Letters

Due to technical and pedagogical difficulties Reginald is unable to continue with the Zoom structure and operation, as you probably noticed this past week and the suffering he was going through.  It was all a tremendous surprise and disappointment for him being used to in-person classes and teaching. The only solution he finds right now is to do the same thing in a similar way using FaceTime, but by individual appointments. He hopes you understand and is willing to teach Latin and give you all he has to offer, but not by Zoom, but rather in FaceTime.

You can reach him at this number to set up times for instruction at the phone number provided on this page.

Aestiva Milvauchiae Latinitas MMXX

ON Facetime

Register: Join the sessions held online via FaceTime by sending an email request to Prof. Dr. Jeanne-Nicole Saint-Laurent at this address. She will help you to communicate with Reggie and can send to you the reading sheets in PDF format, or you can download them below.

Reading sheets: please download these reading sheets along with the calendar. Please have them at hand during class time so that we may read them together. You may print the images on legal size paper for which they were made, or on A4 paper which is slightly larger and so easier to read. The reading sheets may be dowloaded in three parts:
Part 1 is for Juniors, the first session in the afternoon.
Part 2 is for Juniors and Seniors, the second session in the afternoon.
Part 3 is for Seniors, the third session in the afternoon.

For more information I have a whole packet with:

• a Latin presentation of the whole undertaking (download here),
• an English presentation of the Summer program (download here),
• the daily calendar (download here),
• the academic contract (download here).

To inquire, write:

Reginald Thomas Foster
3800 N. 92nd St
Milwaukee, WI 53222-2504
U.S.A
cell: [country code: one] (four one four) seven five five – nine six eight six

Please enjoy reading your copy of Ossa Latinitatis Sola: The Mere Bones of Latin, and bring it with you, because there will be continual references to the teaching presented herein.

In January 2020 you will be able to pre-order the second book Ossium Carnes Multae: The Bones’ Meats Abundant, which will be better than the first which it presupposes. Look for the Spring and Summer catalogue of CUA Press available here.

Reginald’s first published chapter on the principles of the subjunctive, purpose and result clauses, the gerund and gerundive and much more is in Appreciating the Collect.

Reginald’s latest publication consists of his translations of the short texts of the Easter vigil in Transition in the Easter Vigil.

Another Latin Summer 2020 programme at Ealing, London for one week, 12-23 August 2019 is taught from a draft copy of the Ossa Latinitatis Sola book. We also teach from a draft copy of our second book, Ossium Carnes Multae, a course spent simply reading and understanding the letters of Cicero.

I have begun to compile a web-page with a few Latin resources for use in teaching.

Download the parts of the packet by clicking on the images below or the links above. To receive the preliminary assessment for both levels of juniors and seniors you must write a note to Reginald and he will return it in the post.

If you cannot see or play the video, you may view it on our Youtube channel at this link.

OSSIUM CARNES MULTAE
E MARCI TULLII CICERONIS EPISTULIS

The Bones’ Meats Abundant
from the epistles of
Marcus Tullius Cicero

This was recorded so that Reggie would be able to appear during the presentation of the volume at Sant’Anselmo in Rome. This is why he greets us in Rome at the beginning.

The volume will appear in the Spring 2020 catalogue of Catholic University Press published as early as 1 December 2019. You will be able to place an order for when the volume is available later in 2020.

Since recording this message, the volume has changed in one significant way. Part IV of the volume consisted of 160 dialogues each based on either one sentence from one of our selection of 51 letters of Cicero to family and friends, or one of the 500 sentences of Cicero each under 5 or 6 words, also presented in this volume. Because of the length of the volume, however, these dialogues have been removed from this volume and will appear in the third volume:

OS PARAESENS CICERONIS EPISTULARIS
the immediate mouth of Cicero in his letters

That volume includes an audio component of Reggie reciting the Latin text of all 51 letters we selected for these two volumes. It also includes a significant printed text including the full text of the 51 letters and on facing pages the full text of Reggie’s translation corresponding to each letter. The 160 conversations held in English will find a natural home in this speaking volume.

This change freed up some space in the Ossium volume, so we received permission from the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence to reproduce images of 50 of the letters we selected. Their manuscript of the letters ad Atticum dates to the ninth or tenth century, while their manuscript of the letters ad familiareswas copied around 1391 from an older manuscript. In this way paelographers and Latin enthusiasts may feel the living breath of Cicero speaking as they see in the pen strokes the living hand of ninth century monks copying these texts, at least this is the hope one 21st century monk typing a blog post for the internet.

Happy Birthday, Reggie!

Felix esto tibi!

You can see from the expression on Reggie’s face that this volume is the long awaited work he began when pursuing doctoral studies and it is now finally coming to fruition. Reggie explains how he was a teenager when he discovered the marvel of Cicero’s letters and his initial amazement at these letters has remained throughout this life.

The Cicero book has a web-page with the publisher available here. The book will be advertised in the spring catalogue of the Catholic University of America Press, which is due out by this coming December so you can order in advance for when the volume appears later in 2020.

Read more about the Cicero book here:
OSSIUM CARNES MULTAE
E MARCI TULLII CICERONIS EPISTULIS
The Bones’ Meats Abundant
from the epistles of Marcus Tullius Cicero

Read more about the audio book here:
OS PRAESENS CICERONIS EPISTULARIS
The Immediate Mouth of Cicero in his Letters