Vinculum Latin Immersion Workshop
for Catholics
Thanks be to God! Aquinas College has dropped their prices, so we have drastically reduced tuition.
Sunday afternoon, May 22 through Saturday morning, May 24, 2022.
Aquinas College, Nashville, TN
Do you want to improve your command of Latin? Has it been a while since you studied Latin and you’d like to reactivate your knowledge? Would you like greater confidence in pronouncing Latin prayers? Vinculum is a week-long workshop for Catholics who want to add a living dimension to their study of Latin. Back by popular demand, Vinculum is the version of our famed Veterum Sapientia that is also open to laity. Our workshop series seeks to respond to John XXIII’s call to revitalize the Latin language in the Catholic Church, which he made in his 1962 Apostolic Constitution Veterum Sapientia (English | Latin) and its Ordinationes (English | Latin).
Taught by VSI faculty and carefully selected guests, Vinculum combines a week-long adventure in the Church’s Latin heritage with an intensive, immersive experience of the language itself.
When & Where
When: May 22-28, 2022
Arriving: Sunday, May 22, 4-6pm
Departing: Saturday, May 28, 10am-12pm
If you have any questions or concerns about arriving late or leaving early, please contact us.
4210 Harding Pike, Nashville, TN 37205
Vinculum’s new home is Siena Hall at Aquinas College, which is owned and operated by the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia Congregation. This four-story 42,000 square foot hall is named after Saint Catherine of Siena, a third-order Dominican and Doctor of the Church, and is large enough to comfortably host our growing student body.
Eligibility
The Vinculum Workshop is open to all Catholics over the age of eighteen. It is advised that they have at least two semesters of college-level Latin. Non-Catholics may also attend on the condition that they have the required Latin experience, are respectful of our Catholic identity, and use Ecclesiastical pronunciation.
Who should attend and what are the benefits?
People who will benefit from participation in Vinculum include:
- Latin teachers who would like to practice speaking in Latin in preparation to use living Latin in their own classrooms.
- Music directors and schola masters who would like to improve their mastery of the Latin to sign better and teach others to sing in the Language of the Church.
- Homeschool parents that have some formal training in Latin and would like to improve so that they may better teach their children.
- Latin Mass attendees who have taken some courses in Latin and would like to “activate” their knowledge to be able to more actively participate in the liturgy.
- Any lay person who has a background in the Classics and who would like to improve their fluency in the language.
- Priests, deacons, seminarians, male and female religious who are not able to attend Veterum Sapientia.
Note: The above is intended to provide typical examples, but is not an exhaustive list. Potential applicants whose experience does not fit any of the categories above are still encouraged to apply. Such applications will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Intermediate-advanced priests, deacons, seminarians, male and female religious are encouraged to attend our Veterum Sapientia workshop (July 24-30, 2022 in Mt. Holly, NC).
Your Daily Experience
As a participant, you’ll work with your instructors in plenary and small-group class sessions for a minimum of six and a maximum of eight classroom hours each day. A typical day will take you through intensive class work in the morning, Mass, a lunch break offering time for rest and meditation, an afternoon session combining language with games and physical activity, followed by a Rosary and after-dinner time for fellowship. Your classroom sessions will be immersive, featuring engaging, supportive exercises in speaking, reading, and writing. These will help you grow in understanding the mechanics of the language and internalize new vocabulary by using it. Classes and instructional activities (e.g. meal preparation, meals, games, walks) will be conducted in Latin appropriate to your level of comprehension and that of your fellow participants. Meal preparation will be something we do together as a learning community in our seminary kitchen, directed by a Chief Cook who is also a Latin-speaker.
Language and Liturgies
The goal of the Vinculum program is to help participants develop their understanding of Latin and their ability to use it. Our clerical faculty will offer us spiritual support in harmony with this goal, viz. daily Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary and opportunities for Adoration.
Faculty
Director, Vice-President, Co-Founder of VS Workshops and 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.
Gregory DiPippo
Marketing Officer
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 13 years, he has been a regular contributor (and for 8 years editor) to the New Liturgical Movement website.
Plus guest speakers to be announced...
Room & Board
Lodging
Siena Hall
Dormatory-style rooms are available in Siena Hall for both double and single occupancy.
Other Options
Participants who prefer hotel or vacation rental accommodations may book rooms for themselves at nearby hotels or use Air B&B or equivalents. You will need your own car to go back and forth to the school. Hotel accommodations are not included in the registration fee and must be paid for separately by participants who choose them.
Meals
Meals will be cooked communally and taken at Siena Hall. The cost of all meals is included in the tuition rate (see below), including beer, wine, and cocktails. We will try to accommodate students with dietary restrictions. You will have the opportunity to explain any such restrictions in a form which you will receive after registering.
Tuition & Financial Aid
VSI is committed to making learning the Language of the Church as widely available as possible. To that end we make every effort to keep our tuition and fees low. Here is the breakdown:
- Application fee: $25 (one time for life for all VSI programs; non-refundable, financial aid does not apply)
- Tuition & Board:
$1000$5201 (refundable according to the schedule below, financial aid applies) - Single Occupancy Room:
$875$9502 (refundable according to the schedule below, financial aid applies) - Double Occupancy Room:
$525$4752 (refundable according to the schedule below, financial aid applies) - Late Fee: $100 (after April 4, non-refundable, financial aid does not apply)
Each student is responsible for their own travel arraignments and expenses to and from the workshop. There may, however, be a limited shuttle service to and from the airport.
- 1 As noted above, meals will be prepared and served in common as part of the learning experience.
- 2 For other lodging options, see above.
Group Discount
Applicants from the same community, diocese, school, or family are eligible for a 10% discount off tuition & board. (Examples: two or more priests from the same parish; two or more religious in the same community; two or more seminarians from the same seminary, etc.) Each person in such a group must apply to study with VSI. This discount will be applied by VSI staff once two or more qualifying students are registered.
Scholarships
VSI offers a limited number of privately-funded scholarships. Priority is given to seminarians, but there are occasionally funds available for other applicants. After please email finaid@veterumsapientia.org for more information.
Payment Plan
To help ease the financial burden on applicants, VSI now offers the following payment plan to all applicants.
- Payment #1 (March 25, 2022): 20% of total
- Payment #2 (Apr 8, 2022): 20% of total
- Payment #3 (April 22, 2022): 20% of total
- Payment #4 (May 6, 2022): 20% of total
- Balance Due: May 20, 2022
Cancellation & Refund Schedule
If you need to cancel after registration, you must notify the organizer IN WRITING in order to receive a refund. The following refund schedule applies to those charges which are noted as refundable above.
- Until April 15, 2022: full refund
- April 16-May 6, 2022: 75% refund
- May 7-19, 2022: 50% refund
- On or after May 20, 2022: no refund
Admissions & Registration
Due to growing demand, VSI has elected to use the Populi learner management system. All applicants will need to first fill out an admissions application. When prompted, please select “Workshops” for the program, and this workshop for the term. Once you have been admitted to VSI, then you will be able to register for your workshop.