Guess what? There are old books that were specifically written to teach the Latin texts found in the Traditional Divine Office.
Textbooks for Learning the Latin Divine Office
VTF: Medieval and Late Latin Selections
This just in! Newly in the Public Domain in the USA as of 2021, Medieval and Late Latin Selections (for the Use of College Students) by Charles Upson Clark and Josiah Bethea Game. My waiting to share this treasure is finally over!
Fr. Most’s Thoughts on Teaching Latin
"Most Latin teachers will readily admit that Latin is not taught with very great success today. Even after as much as eight years of Latin, students often find it quite an effort to translate fifty lines of Cicero in an hour and even then, they will not always get the sense."
Vintage Textbook Find: A Primer of Medieval Latin
After your first year or year-and-a-half of Latin , particularly if you have used Fr. Most's books, you will be ready for a Latin Reader supplement. An excellent choice for visitors to this site would be Charles Beeson's A Primer of Medieval Latin from 1925 which is now out of copyright and available, scanned and... Continue Reading →
How to Design a Self-Study Church Latin Course
You want to learn Latin. DO IT! Let's get you started today. In order to design a course you will learn from and keep going with, you should match your strategy with the ways you learn best. This whole website is devoted to helping you design a program of study for yourself, but in this... Continue Reading →
In Progress: NEW Recordings for Pattern Practice Exercises (Latin by the Natural Method)
I'm redoing something from the past that doesn't exist today! I'm taking the incomplete tape scripts from Fr. Most's Latin by the Natural Method, translating and completing each exercise, and recording them, making them an audio resource as they were meant to be. After reading each lesson of the textbook, students can then listen to... Continue Reading →
Latin by the Natural Method (Vol. 1), Fr. William Most
Latin by the Natural Method, Vol. 1, by Fr. William Most (1960, 2015 Mediatrix Press) 308pp. This is a wonderful first-year book for learning Ecclesiastical Latin. It's got students reading Latin stories from the very first lesson! Of course many of these, naturally, are taken from Roman legends and history and the Old Testament. But... Continue Reading →
Latin Grammar by Cora Scanlon and Charles Scanlon
Latin Grammar for the Reading of the Missal and the Breviary by Cora Carroll Scanlon, A.M., and Charles L. Scanlon, A.M. (1944, 1976) 334pp. "This Latin grammar is intended for students who are entering seminaries or religious novitiates without previous study of Latin..." says the first sentence of the preface. However, the authors of these... Continue Reading →
A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin by John F. Collins
First off: NOT FOR LATIN NEWBIES! This is a very fast-paced course. If you have no previous Latin experience, you should start with another text. It's called a Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin, and technically it is, but it is not good for use as a primer for learning Latin--so caveat emptor!
Getting Started with Latin by William E. Linney
This is a perfect guide to the very basic first steps of Latin, particularly for the fearful beginner.
