Foundational Latin Fluency for
Ecclesiastical and Liturgical Life
The Certificate of Basic Ecclesiastical Latin Language Proficiency is designed for students seeking a foundational mastery of Ecclesiastical Latin through immersive instruction rooted in the living tradition of the Church. This program prepares students to read, comprehend, and use Latin with fluency, particularly in ecclesiastical and liturgical contexts.
This certificate is awarded upon successful completion of the Core Curriculum detailed below. Each course is taken consecutively, one per semester. Students with previous experience of Latin are welcome to request a placement exam to assess their proficiency in speaking the language, in order to enter directly into a higher level class.
Core Curriculum
Each course in this program carries 2 academic credits and meets online twice weekly for 50-minute sessions.
Courses offered:
- Latin 101 – Fundamentals of the Latin Language- Level 1
- Latin 102 – Fundamentals of the Latin Language- Level 2
- Latin 103 – Fundamentals of the Latin Language- Level 3
- Latin 104 – Fundamentals of the Latin Language- Level 4
- Latin 201 – Latin Composition
- Latin 202 – Intermediate Ecclesiastical Latin Readings
Program Outcomes
Upon completion of this certificate, students will:
- Demonstrate a basic and active command of spoken and written Ecclesiastical Latin
- Comprehend and interpret foundational texts of the Church in their original Latin
- Be prepared for further study in advanced Latin, theology, or ecclesiastical disciplines
A Distinctive Approach
This program offers a immersive experience in Latin as a living language, preparing students to read the great texts of the tradition and participate in its ongoing transmission. Our methodology is grounded in active language acquisition rather than passive translation, enabling students to internalize Latin just as they would a modern language.
The Certificate serves as a foundation for those who wish to continue to the Pontifical Diploma in Ecclesiastical Latin (DLE) or who need Latin proficiency for theological studies, liturgical understanding, or teaching in classical education settings.
Rooted in Tradition, Alive in Practice
You'll speak, read, and write Latin daily, just as students in antiquity and the Church's own scholars once did. Courses follow the direct method pioneered by Hans Ørberg, where immersion and active use foster deep internalization.
Latin for the Church and the World
This major includes direct engagement with ecclesiastical texts—theology, liturgy, catechisms, and councils—in their original Latin. Learn how Latin has shaped Christian civilization, and be formed to serve the Church's intellectual and liturgical mission.
Faculty Who Live the Language
All Latin courses are taught by VSI's experienced instructors, who themselves operate in Latin as a spoken language. You'll learn from Catholic scholars committed to transmitting the Latin tradition in its fullness.
Contact/Questions
For any questions, please contact Monica Charles, VSI Registrar and Director of Student Services.
Meet Our Faculty
Dr. Nancy Llewellyn, PhD (UCLA)
Co-Founder, Veterum Sapientia Institute
Magistra - Introductory Latin
Magistra Annula is Associate Professor of Latin at Belmont Abbey College, coming to North Carolina after a decade at Wyoming Catholic College. She teaches Latin at the Charlotte Diocese’s new St. Joseph College Seminary in addition to her work at Belmont. Earlier in her career she studied with Fr. Reginald Foster and at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome. Returning to her native California, Nancy founded SALVI in 1997 and served on its board until 2019, directing SALVI workshops (Rusticationes) around the country and abroad. She holds her PhD (2006) from UCLA.
Fr. Dylan Schrader, PhD
Magister - Scholastic Theology
Pater Pelagius is a priest of the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri, ordained in 2010. He holds a PhD in systematic theology from the Catholic University of America and is the translator of several Scholastic works, including On the Motive of the Incarnation, the first volume in CUA’s Early Modern Catholic Sources series, and Book 2 of Thomas Aquinas’s Commentary on the Sentences, edited by the Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine. Fr. Schrader is the author of The Shortcut to Scholastic Latin, published by the Paideia Institute Press. He has attended every Veterum Sapientia conference since its inception.
Magister Tod Post, MA
Magister
Mr. Post holds a B.A. in philosophy from St. John’s Seminary College in Camarillo, CA and an M.A. in Medieval Studies from the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto. His areas of study and interest include codicology and palaeography and creating medieval and classical inks and writing materials. He particularly enjoys working in his garden surrounded by plants from the classical world such as papyrus, acanthus, figs, olives and grapes which also gives him an opportunity to practice his botanical Latin. He is a lifelong resident of southern California where he has been teaching and promoting Latin since 2004 and where he resides with his wife and six children.
Magister Gregory DiPippo
Director of Academic Development, Assistant to the Dean, Magister - Introductory Latin
Magister Gregorius was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island, where he attended a high school which offered an excellent Latin program. He attended McGill University in Montreal, where he studied Classical Languages and Literature, and the Augustinian Patristic Institute in Rome, where he studied the Fathers of the Church. For 23 years, he worked as a tour guide in Rome, and for the last 15 years, he has been a regular contributor (and for 10 years editor) to the New Liturgical Movement website.
