Testimonials

Testimonials from our students follow:

Tym Marsh – Summer 2018 – Advanced Latin with Daniel McCarthy

I would like to take this opportunity to say that I very much enjoyed my second summer course at the Benedictine Institute. It was two weeks well spent and has taken my knowledge of Latin a useful step forward – it also underlined how far I have to go! I am impressed by the rigour of the teaching you provide and I hope that is something you maintain; I believe it sets you apart from many institutions that teach latin. I returned home last night and my head is full of ideas and I have a great deal to do to assimilate what I have been taught and to get all my notes in order – but that will be an enjoyable task. I am already looking forward to my visit to Ealing again next summer!

Father Richard Peers – Summer 2018 – Beginning Latin with Laura Pooley

How to Learn Latin: the Reginald Foster Method at Ealing Abbey

I am profoundly grateful for my experience of the Beginners’ Latin at Ealing. The quality of teaching was superb, the materials supplied of the highest possible standard. The teaching method is quite different to any language teaching I have seen or experienced previously. I learnt more in a fortnight of learning than I have learnt over several years in the past. This is serious learning at its best, with people from around the world. It was particularly helpful to begin reading real Latin from the very first day and to be required to do the work of analysing these texts. As well as improving my Latin I have learnt much about pedagogy and the experience of being a student. It is not entertainment that make the lessons interesting but the joy of making progress – even when my brain was aching.
     The course staff are gracious and welcoming and there is a strong sense of camaraderie among the students. The location is extremely pleasant and, although in west London, sufficiently far from distractions to encourage concentration on the work at hand.
     There are no charts of verbs and endings and no chanting of meaningless syllables. These are learnt by heart by the process of reading and imbibing the texts. The reading out loud is of Latin written by the great authors in the language. Translations from English into Latin and ‘reversing’ words further re-inforce the learning.
     Time disappears each day in the sheer excitement of learning, there really isn’t a moment of boredom.
     I cannot recommend these courses highly enough for anyone wanting to move beyond recognising a few Latin words and phrases to really understanding the texts. I am already excited about returning next year, and afterwards.
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