Hampton Roads Latin Day

I am vice president of a group, the Tidewater Classical Symposium (click the next link to find us on Facebook). Our mission is to promote Latin and the Classics in the Tidewater area of Southeastern Virginia, which is also called Hampton Roads.

One of our projects is to put on "Hampton Roads Latin Day" for our region's students. We work in conjunction with the Classics department of Christopher Newport University, headed by Jana Adamitis, which graciously hosts the event. The 9th annual event took place today, and I am happy to say it was well-attended by an diverse, intelligent, and enthusiastic contingent of our region's middle- and high school students.

Christopher Newport University, February 7, 2015

Most events took place at CNU's Forbes Hall.

Forrbes Hall at Christopher Newport University

There were a variety of events, including games, a workshop on the influence of the Classics on Mockingjay, Greek Dancing, a showing of the Latin-language movie Barnabus et Bella, academic and art contests,  presentations by a local archaeologist, and much more. 

Two student members of CNU's Classics Club prepare to show "Barnabus et Bella"

A scary minotaur from the art competition

One highlight was the keynote speaker, Professor Rebecca Benefiel of Washington and Lee University. She gave a lively presentation on "Pompeii: Voices of the Romans," which focused on how to read ancient inscriptions found in Pompeii.

Professor Rebecca Benefiel of Washington and Lee University with slides of Pompeii

Another highlight was a special exhibit on African-American Classicists graciously loaned to CNU by Michele Valerie Ronnick of Wayne State University in Detroit. February is Black History Month so the exhibit was both interesting and timely.

Exhibit of African-American Classicists in the background as archaeologist Paul Presenza prepares to speak

Students admire the exhibit on African American Classicists

All in all it was a worthwhile day. We all look forward to the event again next year.

Conventiculum Dickinsoniense, Summer 2014, Fifth Day (Latin)

Die quinto (Iulii 12) Saturni die

cum Tirones de vestimentis dicere discerent, ego et meus grex fabellam scaenicam praemeditabamur. dialogus est tam bene expolitus et iucundus ut, si fabellae Latinae in "Broadway" in Novo Eboraco agerentur, nostrum mitterem. in his pagellis fabellam nostram ipsi legatis si velitis.

omnes perlegimus de loco Vergilii in quo Dido Aenean accusat et Aeneas reginam relinquit.

Grex Musica, "Vickie Vaughn Band," mihi valde placuit!

Vickie Vaughn Band

post prandium perambulavi Collegium Dickinsoniense. ante bibliothecum festum musicum generis musici, "Blue Grass." carmina gregis musicae, nomine "Vickie Vaughn Band," me valde delectaverunt.

postea sermonem cum "Vickie Vaughn" ipsa habebam. habemus amicum communem, nomine Ricky Braddy, cantatorem. Ricky olim canebat in emissione televisifica, nomine "American Idol," sed non erat victor huius certaminis. iuvenis Ricky paulisper fuerat discipulus meus in Carolina Septentrionali. et Ricky et Vickie fuerunt discipuli in eadem schola musicae. quam parvus locus est orbis terrarum in quo habitamus!

haec festa musicae fiunt quotannis

postquam novam amicam (Vickie) inveni, ad sessiones nostras reveni. de modis docendis colloquium habuimus, dein sessionem in qua imagines a nobis describebantur.

fabulam de testudine et cuniculo narravi

in ultima sessione hodierna colloquium de itineribus habebatur. index verborum nobis traditus est. dixi pauca de marito meo, qui erat nauta submarinus in Bello Frigido. multa itinera sub aequoribus fecit. multa arcana fecit; non licet ei (etiam nunc) de his rebus loqui. mihi tamen librum, nomine "Blind Man's Bluff," tradidit. liber est historia navigationum submarinarum in Bello Frigido. post librum legendum, pro certo scio maritum esse et fortissimum et insanum. patriam amat, et ego eum!

Conventiculum Dickinsoniense, Summer 2014, Fourth Day

Die Quarto (Iulii 11) Veneris die:

hodie Tirones de cibo loquebantur cum Peritiores fabellas scaenicas componere pergeremus.  grex meus finem dialogi expoliendi paene confecimus. ad Alannum dialogum per interrete misi. Alannus promisit se ultima verba dialogi expoliturum esse, et chartis diologi luce expressis se quoque rediturum ut noster grex versus scriptos haberet ut praemeditaremur.

in altera sessione, Tirones exercitiis ludisque fruebantur. Peritiores aenigmata antiqua legebamus et solvebamus. postea in gregibus aenigmata nova composuimus. grex meus duo aenigmata composuimus.

Exempla Aenigmatorum Antiquorum

Exempla Aenigmatorum Antiquorum

Milena Minkova in nostro conclave

Cum pranderemus, amicus, nomine Mica, dixit me Latine etiam melius locuturam esse, si Romae in Accademia Vivario Novo aestivem. praesertim si stipendium ullo modo invenerim, ibo.

post pradium Peritiores nostra aenigmata priore excogitata coram omibus recitavimus. omnes breviter solvere conabantur. scripsi duo aenigmata a grege meo scripta. indicium post aenigmata scripta faciam; nolite legere nisi vultis! sed solutionem cupiatis, id mihi narrate!

Aenigma Primum:

catenam habeo, sed vincta non sum

sellam habeo in qua numquam sedeo

aliquando aquam porto, sed numquam sitio

duobus circulis progredior, si quis me dirigat

Aenigma Secundum:

potens sum ferreum

itinera mea sunt longa sicut ego ipsum

olim vapore plenum fui

nunc fulgore aut oleo Diseliano moveor

modo super terra repo, modo sub terra volo

(indicium: ambo sunt vehicula)

Post pausam in greges minores, Tirones Peritiores commixti, divisi sumus ut locum Vergilii explicaremus. Terentius unicuique gregi paucos versus huius loci designavit. unusquisque grex versus summatim descripsit. licet nobis aliquid dicere de vi, metro, ordine verborum, et perinde. aliquis electus a grege coram omnibus recitavit.

vespere plurimi ad praedium rusticum, nomine Dickinson Farm, iter fecerunt. ibi fiebant ambulatio, sermones de situ et de agricultura, et cena communis vel convivium sub divo.
in praedio non adfui, quod ad cenam cum familiaribus mariti mei invitata sum. ad tabernam Asianam, nomine "Issei Noodle," iimus, dein ad tabernam iucundam, quae cremum gelidum bene notum vendit, erravimus. nomen tabernae est "Leo's."

Familiares mei mariti. Sto ad dextram.

Conventiculum Dickinsoniense, Summer 2014, Third Day

Die tertio (Iulii 10) Iovis die

hodie Tirones de rebus domesticis loquebantur et exercitiis ludisque iterum fruebantur cum Peritiores fabellas scaenicas componere pergerent. heri cum ceteri prandio cenaque pausisque fruerentur, diligenter laborabam. consilia nostri gregis in initium dialogi converti.

verba quae scripseram comites meos delectaverunt. nos simul dialogum nunc mutamus, complemus, et expolimus. dialogus noster est de mure barbaro, qui Latine loqui non potest. nomen est ErasMUS. solus est, sed murem venustam videt per interrete et statim amat.

sed est difficultas. mus venusta est doctissima et amicum Latine loquentem cupit. Erasmus loco interretiali "Google Translate" utitur, at Mus Latina eum non bene intellegit. ad eam per epistulas electronicas carmina Amoris a poetis notissimis scripta mittit. versus Murem Latinam delectant, sed nunc de vita Erasmi legere vult. invitat eum ad Conventiculum Dickinsoniense, quo ipsa iter facit ut melius Latine loqui discat. finis dialogi est hilaris. post Conventiculum fortasse in his paginis dialogum perfectum scribam.

post prandium omnes locum Vergilii de precibus iratis Iarbae et Mercurio mandata Iovis legimus. post pausam locum e libro XIII Aeneidos legimus. hic liber a Maffaeo Vegio (1407-1458) compositus est. optime fluit, et vestigia Vergilii bene secutus est. nihilominus celeriter me taesum est huius poematii, quod rixae in eo omnino deerant. gaudebam autem quod Vegius vitae Aeneae finem laetum nobilemque dedit.

postea imagines ex ephemeridibus (Punch et The Saturday Evening Post) deliniatas et iocosas inspiciebamus. primo conabamur animalia, homines, et alia in imaginibus describere, deinde decernere et exprimere quid imagines de condicione animalium aut hominum indicarent, tandem dicere qua de re imagines nobis esse absurdae viderentur.

quid accidit in picturis? cur imagines sunt hilares?

quid accidit in imaginibus? cur omnes ridemus?

post cenam quidam particeps Conventiculi, nomine Stephanus Farrand, vir eloquens, oratiunculam brevem ab hora octava et dimidia habebat. nomen huius orationis erat, "Ludus et Ictus." paucos post menses in Europa orationem similem habebit.

maritus meus familiares in urbe Carlisle habet. me ad cenam crastinam invitaverunt. libenter consensi. nunc necesse est mihi explicare Terentio Milenaeque cur ad convivium (sub divo) in Fundo Dickinsoniensi crastinum non adveniam. debeo aliquid Tulliae quoque, quod credit se me ad fundum autocineta vecturam esse.

Conventiculum Dickinsoniense, Summer 2014, Second Day (Latin)

Die altero (Iulii 9) Mercurii die

in sessione prima, Tirones exercitiis ludisque iterum fruebantur. nos Peritiores in greges minores divisi fabellas scaenicas nostras componere incepimus. post pausam Tirones de caeli temperie locuti sunt, sed Peritiores de versibus Hubertini Carrarae locuti sumus. hi versus epici de Christophero Columbo scripti sunt. Columbus et nautae parati sunt ad navigandum. Columbus contionem habet; nautis suis confessus est de periculis ad Indos navigandi, sed quoque praemia locupleta meritaque promittit. nautae volunt navigare similes equis in carcere stantibus. Apollo ipse celerius per caelum se movet ut sit nuntius Indicis Columbi et nautarum advenientium. Hubertinus Carrara non est auctor notus, et non est solus auctor, etiam poeta, qui de navigatione Christophori Columbi Latine scripsit. Columbus est non solum novus Aeneas, sed etiam heros Christianus.

cum pranderem, colloquium cum socio, nomine Michaeli, habui. ego, quae in agello in urbe habito, quattuor gallinas habeo. sed Michaelis ruri habitat. alias gallinas (fortasse quoque gallos) colit ut consumat, alias gallinas ut ova producant. habet viginti gallinas quae ova producant, et illa ova non solum consumit sed etiam vendit.

confessa sum me esse holerariam; id est, ego nulla animalia consumo; gallinas meas esse mihi delicias, et me eas numquam consumpturam esse. eum rogavi quid cum gallinis faciat cum senescant. ego et Michaelis bene scimus gallinas veteres pauca ova producere. Michaelis dixit se iugulum gallinarum humaniter caesurum esse. gallinae brevissimo tempore exanimatae cadent. caro gallinarum veterum est dura: ergo Michaelis eas lente et longum tempus coquet.

dixi discipulos meos, ubi de sacrificio Romano legerent, primo abhorruisse. saepe eos rogavi num ipsi caronem consumerent et de origine huius caronis cogitarent. eos non culpo, sed exhortor ut intellegant animalia quae consumant olim vixisse. discipuli putant sacrificia Romanorum esse crudelia, sed re vera Romani humaniter animalia mactaverunt. animalia mactare erat sacrum quod vitam animalium honoravit aestimavitque. discipuli nesciunt num animalia quae consumant humaniter educata et mactata sint annon; sed nolunt videre aut scire aut de his rebus cogitare. culpant mores Romanos sed inspicere suos nolunt. saporem caronis sibi placere, et sibi satis esse, mihi dixerunt.

Michaelis addidit caronem quam discipuli mei consumunt re vera saporem malum habet, sed discipulos esse huius ignaros; habitus in quibus haec animalia educata et mactata sunt esse tam malos ut sapor corrumperetur. omnino consensi.

post prandium, nos omnes locum Vergilii legebamus et explicabamus. erat locus de nuptiis Didonis Aeneaeque. iterum pausam habuimus, deinde tres imagines de medicis medicamentis inspiciebamus et describebamus. deinde in greges separati colloquia brevia de his imaginibus scripsimus; postea dialogos coram omnibus recitavimus; hi dialogi spectatoribus professoribusque placuerunt, ut opinor.

quid hic homo putat et dicit et cur?

quid medicus facit in hac pictura? quid omnes dicunt?

Latin Mass

I attended parochial school in high school. I first learned Latin there, which turned into my college major and my eventual career as a Latin teacher. I even taught in a couple of parochial schools in New England. But, ironically, I had only heard about Latin masses from my father and my grandparents. Due to an accident of birth, I had never seen one, because I grew up after Vatican II in the early 1960s.

That all changed today, when I visited St. Benedict's Chapel right here in Chesapeake, Virginia. St. Benedict's is one of 400 or so Roman Catholic churches in the United States that celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass. This traditional service, although growing steadily in recent decades, is still pretty hard to find, so I was thrilled to learn that St. Benedict's offers all its Masses in Latin, and that it was only a few miles away from my house.

Pictures Courtesy of St. Benedict's Website

So today, I realized a long-term desire and finally got an opportunity to hear and see a Traditional Latin Mass for myself. Here are my general impressions:

It was extraordinarily beautiful. I can see why those who had grown up with it had a difficult time giving it up. The music, with all the Gregorian Chant, and with the call and response singing between the priest and the choir, was peaceful and inspiring. The congregation was dressed up, with the women in skirts and dresses and with beautiful, lacy veils covering their hair. It felt like something out of a movie.

The congregation seemed active, diverse, and healthy. There was a range of ages represented. The service was well-attended, as would be expected before Easter. The diversity of ethnicities reminded me of the huge range of the Roman Catholic Church, and the unifying power and heritage of its Latin language.

Latin Mass has become popular enough that there are bilingual materials in the pews to assist the parishoners in understanding the language of the service, which was all in Latin except for the opening hymn, the closing hymn, the announcements, and the sermon. The main aid was the St. Edmund Campion Missal and Hymnal, which offered translations of various parts of the service.

Being a Classicist, it makes me a little wistful that folks need to rely on translations at all. But perhaps this small resurgence in Latin liturgical worship betokens an increased interest in Latin, and even spoken Latin as a form of communication. It has a long and fascinating tradition, and a beautiful and solemn language.