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Views from the Choir Loft

Dreaming in Latin

Veronica Brandt · July 12, 2014

Don Bosco INDING BEDTIME STORIES THAT ARE edifying for both parents and children can be a bit hit and miss (and miss and miss…) Many times there are stories I enjoyed from my youth that I am happy to read again, but that is a finite list. There are many books I would like to find time to read that would bore my kids to tears, but not this one.

My kids often wake up ready to compare dreams. There is nothing like listening to someone recounting a dream to bring home how ridiculous and pointless they can be. Most times they are much better forgotten.

Don Bosco’s dreams were startlingly thought-provoking. He was not allowed to forget them. His dreams were structured, usually with a guide to lead him and explain things (and to tell him to stop taking notes). They often provided guidance for his work, giving him material for talks and also letting him know the spiritual state of the boys in his care.

The dreams themselves, though useful, were not very comfortable. He was not overly keen to reveal his dreams, sometimes it would take a series of nightmares to convince him to retell a dream. They left him exhausted. Some left him in pain or with a foul stench that stayed for the rest of the day. Sometimes he would avoid sleep altogether.

But the aspect that might interest some readers here was that in the dreams there would be inscriptions or exclamations in Latin. Many were quotes from the Bible. Some came from the liturgy. It showed how this common sacral language could be used to emphasize timeless truths. It also heightened the sense of drama and mystery in the already very dramatic and mysterious dreams.

As the accounts of the dreams came from transcriptions from the talks of St John Bosco to his boys and his religious, he must have used the Latin in his talks, rather than just the vernacular. You could argue that Italian is so close to Latin it wouldn’t make so much difference, but these boys were from rough backgrounds.

Apart from the rhetorical effect of using Latin, maybe the main thing is that he used Latin because the messengers in his dreams used Latin.

A great book with much food for thought on the importance of prayer, the Sacraments, work and temperance, the four last things and especially on raising boys.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Can You Spare 33 Seconds?

Here’s an audio excerpt (33 seconds) of a setting for Kyrie VIII which was recorded live last Sunday at our parish in Los Angeles. The setting (“Missa de Angelis”) is by composer Richard Rice, and you can download the free PDF if you click here and scroll to the bottom. I think Richard’s composition is marvelous. I missed a few notes on the organ, but I’ll get them right next time.

—Jeff Ostrowski
5 April 2021 • When Girls Sing

Covid restrictions here in California are still extremely severe—switching “two weeks to flatten the curve” into “two years to flatten the curve.” Since 2020, we’ve had police breaking into our church to check if everyone is wearing a mask…even when only 5-6 people are present! But we were allowed to have a small percentage of our singers back on Easter Sunday, and here is their live recording of the ancient Catholic hymn for Eastertide: Ad Cenam Agni Providi. The girls were so very excited to sing again—you can hear it in their voices!

—Jeff Ostrowski
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“E.S.” in North Dakota writes: “I just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU for all the hard work you have put—and continue to put—into your wonderful website. In the past two years, my parish has moved from a little house basement into a brand new church and gone from a few families receiving Low Masses twice a month to several families (and many individuals) receiving Mass every Sunday, two Saturdays a month, and every Holy Day. Our priest has been incorporating more and more High Masses and various ceremonies into our lives, which has made my job as a huge newbie choir master very trying and complicated. CCWatershed has been an invaluable resource in helping me get on my feet and know what to do!!! Thank you more than I can express! May God bless you abundantly and assist you in your work and daily lives!”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Young people have entrusted me with their absolute preference for the Extraordinary Form… […] But, above all, how can we understand—how can we not be surprised and deeply shocked—that what was the rule yesterday is prohibited today? Is it not true that prohibiting or suspecting the Extraordinary Form can only be inspired by the demon who desires our suffocation and spiritual death?”

— Cardinal Sarah to Edward Pentin (23 September 2019)

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