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Views from the Choir Loft

Introductory Latin Courses • Veterum Sapientia Institute

Fr. David Friel · January 9, 2022

T WOULD come as a surprise to many, but one of the strongest endorsements ever given to the Church’s use of Latin was written as recently as 1962. That year, Pope John XXIII issued the Apostolic Constitution Veterum sapientia (VS), available in Latin or (if one dares) English.

Among the many extraordinary things it says, VS asserts that Latin must be given, in the life of the Church, “a primary place” among the variety of vernacular languages. It praises the fittingness of Latin for ecclesiastical purposes, noting that it is universal, immutable, and—importantly—non-vernacular. The Holy Father describes himself as “fully determined to restore this language [Latin] to its position of honor” and pledges to do all that he can “to promote its study and use.”

In its concluding directives, VS stipulates that knowledge of Latin should be considered a prerequisite for seminarians and that professors of the sacred sciences in seminaries and universities should either “speak Latin” or “gradually be replaced.”

To be sure, the vision of Veterum sapientia is miles from where we generally find ourselves today. But there is at least one wonderful organization working to fulfill the mission of immersing Catholic seminarians, priests, religious, and interested laymen in Latin and Greek (VS has a section on the value of Greek, too): the Veterum Sapientia Institute (VSI).

This institute achieves its goal in several ways, including maintaining a YouTube channel (here) and offering online courses (catalog).

VSI also offers a series of summer conferences. The main conference, Veterum Sapientia (24-30 July 2022), is for ecclesiastics with at least some background in Latin. Ab Initio (10-16 July 2022) is a conference for ecclesiastics who are complete beginners to the language, and Vinculum (22-28 May 2022) is a conference for Catholic laity with some background in Latin.

If you’ve been looking for the opportunity to brush up on your ancient languages, you’re in luck. There is still time to join some of the introductory courses on offer this spring.

Omnis lingua confiteatur, quia Dominus Jesus Christus in gloria est Dei Patris! (Phil. 2:11)

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 24, 2022

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    Hymn by Cardinal Newman
    During the season of Septuagesima, we will be using this hymn by Cardinal Newman, which employs both Latin and English. (Readers probably know that Cardinal Newman was one of the world's experts when it comes to Lingua Latina.) The final verse contains a beautiful soprano descant. Father Louis Bouyer—famous theologian, close friend of Pope Paul VI, and architect of post-conciliar reforms—wrote thus vis-à-vis the elimination of Septuagesima: “I prefer to say nothing, or very little, about the new calendar, the handiwork of a trio of maniacs who suppressed (with no good reason) Septuagesima and the Octave of Pentecost and who scattered three quarters of the Saints higgledy-piddledy, all based on notions of their own devising!”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Introit • Candlemas (2 February)
    “Candlemas” • Our choir sang on February 2nd, and here's a live recording of the beautiful INTROIT: Suscépimus Deus. We had very little time to rehearse, but I think it has some very nice moments. I promise that by the 8th Sunday after Pentecost it will be perfect! (That Introit is repeated on the 8th Sunday after Pentecost.) We still need to improve, but we're definitely on the right track!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplified Antiphons • “Candlemas”
    Anyone who desires simplified antiphons (“psalm tone versions”) for 2 February, the Feast of the Purification—which is also known as “Candlemas” or the Feast of the Presentation—may freely download them. The texts of the antiphons are quite beautiful. From “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium” you can hear a live excerpt (Mp3). I'm not a fan of chant in octaves, but we had such limited time to rehearse, it seemed the best choice. After all, everyone should have an opportunity to learn “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium,” which summarizes Candlemas.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Partly on account of these alterations, and partly because I have been unable to ascertain the authorship of many compositions—which have come to me either in manuscript or through other collections—I have thought it right to publish the volume without appending the names of writers to their works. This, however, I confess to be a defect…”

— Benjamin Hall Kennedy (1863)

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