Reginald Foster (Latinist)
Reginald Foster | |
---|---|
Born | Reginald Thomas Foster November 14, 1939 |
Died | December 25, 2020 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | (aged 81)
Occupation(s) | Priest, Latinist |
Reginald Thomas Foster
Life and career
Foster grew up in a family of
In 1962, Foster went to Rome to study. In 1970, at the recommendation of
Foster lived in Rome in an ascetic manner, sleeping on the floor under a thin blanket, giving away all gifts except books. Instead of wearing the clerical garb, which he believed no longer corresponded to the dress of poor people, he instead donned blue pants and shirts from
In addition to his full-time work as a Papal secretary, Foster also served as a priest, tutored students, and had a weekly program on
In 2008 Foster collapsed in class and had to be hospitalized; he was flown back to the United States, where he received further treatment in a nursing home in
Foster died in Milwaukee on December 25, 2020, at the age of 81.[2][9] He had tested positive for COVID-19.[10]
Latin
Foster was an expert in
Foster was a strict teacher,
Foster's pedagogy was entirely unorthodox. He eschewed the memorization of paradigms—to the point of forbidding students from memorizing lists of grammatical forms and vocabulary; rather, his method consisted of incrementally mastering the structure and vocabulary of the language by breaking down grammar into tiny, discrete concepts that could be immediately grasped and recognized by most students with little additional explanation. Examples included how to say "and" in Latin, or the second-person plural perfect form of a certain class of verbs and its meaning. Then, using chrestomathies of diverse Latin texts compiled by himself, Foster invited students to search for and identify the grammatical form under consideration. In this way, students were exposed, from day one, to genuine Latin literature rather than dry paradigms and tedious, rudimentary constructions. Finally, each lesson was reinforced through protracted homework assignments that often require many hours to complete.[citation needed]
Foster condemned what he saw as a decline in Latin teaching;
Media reception
Foster's position gave him more freedom to speak out than most priests, and he was sought out by journalists. He once responded to a question about Latin as a "sacred language": "In the first century every prostitute in Rome spoke it fluently—and much better than most people in the Roman Curia", and he was misquoted by the
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Kuhner, John Byron (March 2017). "The Vatican's Latinist". The New Criterion.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ a b c Fraser, Christian (January 28, 2007). "Latinist laments 'dying language'". BBC. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
- ^ a b "Famous Latinist fired from Gregorian University, announces new school". Catholic News Agency. October 18, 2006. Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
- ^ Thavis, John (September 18, 2009). "Recovering Milwaukee priest leaves hole in Latin office in the Vatican". Catholic Herald. Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
- ^ "Vatican gives Latin online boost". BBC News. May 10, 2008.
- ^ a b Breitenbucher, Cathy (October 15, 2009). "'Don't waste a moment being upset'". Catholic Herald. Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
- ^ McCarthy, Daniel (February 10, 2017). "Latin Summer 2017 with Reginald Foster". The Latin Language.org. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
- ^ "A Natale la scomparsa del latinista padre Reginald Foster". Vatican News (in Italian). December 26, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ Torres, Ricardo (December 27, 2020). "Reginald Foster, 81, maintained Milwaukee roots while serving four popes as Vatican's foremost Latin authority". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ Levy, Clifford J. (May 29, 2004). "Forget 'Hic, Haec, Hoc.' Try 'O Tempora! O Lingua!'". The New York Times. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
- ^ Parsons, Claudia (July 21, 2004). "Passion for Latin thrives in Rome". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 4, 2004.
- ^ "Roman Rebound: So you thought that irksome language was dead?". The Economist. December 18, 2003.
- ISBN 9780813228327.
- ^ a b Lyman, Eric J. (April 22, 2005) [April 21, 2005]. "Vatican's Latin expert no stuffy academic". USA Today.
- ^ Lowe, Mike (November 22, 2010). "Vatican relies on Milwaukee man for his expertise in Latin". Milwaukee: WITI (TV) Fox 6. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011.
- ^ Levy, Clifford J. (May 29, 2004). "The Saturday Profile: Forget 'Hic, Haec, Hoc.' Try 'O Tempora! O Lingua!'". The New York Times.
- ^ Sheridan, Michael (May 9, 1994). "Last rites for a dying language". The Independent.
Sources
- Walker, Katie (December 25, 2020). "The Pope's Latin teacher". The Oldie.
- ISBN 9780374159771.
- Foster, Reginald (December 27, 2008). Latin 'would make Pope speak less'. Today (audio, 6 mins). BBC News.