Reginaldus Thomas Foster

Fr. Reginaldus Thomas Foster was a Discalced Carmelite priest from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

An image of Reginaldus Thomas Foster

For forty years a papal Latinist and professor of the Latin language, he is renowned for his unique pedagogical method and presentation of the living Latin language. His long experience of the Latin language and dedication to teaching have made his clear presentation of Latin the standard method of teaching the language directly and without jargon or confusing terminology. In 2010 the University of Notre Dame in Indiana recognized ReginaldusLegum Doctorhonoris causa for his contribution to the field of Latin studies. He passed into eternity on Christmas morning 2020 (see more here), but his teaching method continues to be used both in Rome and in London, and the remaining books of his series Latinitatis Corpus continue to be published.

Videos about Reginaldus

A video of Reginald that appeared on Milwaukee Fox news channel 6 is found on YouTube here.

Brook Silva-Braga interviews Reginald on CBS This Morning (6 January 2018) link.

Another video of his work in Rome is narrated in Latin and German also on YouTube here.

Reginald teaching in the classroom

Reginald shies away from video registration in the classroom in order to protect the learning experience. He calls upon students to translate Latin texts and if they are aware of being video-recorded it simply changes the learning experience. This is why there are precious few recordings of Reginald teaching. I include a few of them here which have already been made public.

Festschrift in honour of Reginaldus

The volume Quasi Labor Intus: Ambiguity in the Latin Language, ed. W.M. Short – C. McNamara – M. Fontaine was published as a Festschrift in honour of Reginald. You may read more here. and purchase the book directly from the publisher, the Paideia Institute, here.

Articles about Reginaldus

2020. Kuhner, John Byron, “New Harvests From Old Seeds: Keep Writing, Keep Teaching, Keep Working”, In Medias Res (13 January 2020) link. The article h as a link to the following: S.M. Stephenson, “Eclogae emendatissimae ex scriptis temporum omnium Latinis”, link.

2018. Kuhner, John Byron, “De Via Docendi Fosteriana (Latine): De modis ac principiis docendi adhibitis a Reginaldo Foster”,  In Medias Res (Jan 24, 2019) link, with video of lecture given at “Living Latin in New York City” (February 2018).

2015. Grafton, Anthony, “Latin Lives”, The nation 300:7 (2015) 27 link.

2004. Levy, Clifford J., “The Saturday Profile; Forget ‘Hic, Haec, Hoc.’ Try ‘O Tempora! O Lingua!’ “, The New York Times (May 29, 2004) link.

2001. Smith, Benjamin, “Magister Sapiens: Living Latin: The Lord Gave the Word, but Father Foster Inflects It — Vatican Translator Draws Scores Of Disciples to Rome”, Wall Street Journal, Europe (27 August 2001).

1999. Mooney, Carolyn J., “With gossip and history, a Carmelite monk breathes life into Latin”, The Chronicle of Higher Education (18 June 1999).

1995. McElvoy, Ann, “Latin Lover: Father Reginald Foster, The Times, London (18 February 1995).

1994. Stille, Alexander, “Latin Fanatic: A Profile of Father Reginald Foster”, The American Scholar, 63: 4 (Autumn 1994) 497-526, link.

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