June 16 to 22, 2019
The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

High school (and college) students interested in learning, improving, or perfecting their Latin through an immersion spoken Latin camp are invited to Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Students will spend very little time in a classroom but will instead be out and about in D.C., learning in precisely the same way that they would if they were studying any modern language via immersion. Serious exposure not only to the Vulgate, but also to the thought of St. Augustine makes this week-long residential camp a unique opportunity to get to know the Latin Bible, St. Augustine, and Washington, D.C., all in one fun setting.

The camp will be directed by Dr. Mark J. Clark, Dr. James Dobreff, and Dr. Thomas Clemmons, who can easily accommodate beginners (incipientes), experts (proficiscentes), and everyone in-between. Activities ranging from playing games and sports to making music and singing songs make the time go by quickly and enjoyably while making learning Latin easy.

Students will stay on campus in one of Catholic University's dormitories, where they will be supervised not only by a team of Catholic University students, but also by Dr. Dobreff, who will be on site.

KEY DETAILS: Cost is $1,000; from 16-22 June; for all other information and documents, see the following link. In proximum, ut speramus!

Name and Acronym: Active Bible Christian Latin Camp (ABC Latin at Catholic)
Mission: The purpose of ABC Latin Camp is two fold: first, to help high schoolers learn, improve, and perfect their Latin through a variety of fun, active exercises; and second, to increase dramatically their familiarity with the Latin Bible.

Parents: Why send your child to ABC Latin Camp? If you’d like for your teenager to have the opportunity to learn Latin really well in a fun, safe, and Christian environment, surrounded by like-minded learners who will become real friends, and taught by expert Latin speakers who know how to teach it in myriad active ways, from treasure hunts in the National Gallery of Art to a variety of games and sports that make practicing Latin fun, all in D.C. at the Catholic University of America, where he or she can also attend daily Mass or go to confession at the Basilica, then the ABC Latin Camp is for you.

Students: Who should attend the ABC Latin Camp? If you study Latin or have ever wanted to learn it, and if you would like to do so in an immersion environment, in which you learn by active practice in a variety of fun and educationally-effective settings (in parks and museums, playing ball and games, singing songs and psalms, putting on plays, etc.), then the ABC Latin Camp is for you. So too, if you’d like to spend a fun-filled and very active week in Washington, D.C., based at Catholic University, where you would have the opportunity to attend Mass, then the ABC Latin Camp is for you. Finally, if you’d like to be able to read the Vulgate with ease and facility, this is the place to get started.

Counselors: ABC Latin Camp counselors are CUA undergraduate students of the highest moral character who combine a refined sense of duty with a prudent sense of how to have fun. Don Bosco promised his boys that he would teach them how to have fun while serving God, and this is the goal of our counselors as well.

Who Should Attend:

Any high school student, including rising ninth graders and graduating seniors, interested in learning, improving, or perfecting their Latin in a safe, fun, and effective environment from master teachers of spoken Latin on the campus of Catholic University in Washington, D.C. should apply. We welcome all levels, from absolute beginners to those already proficient.

Who we are:

The Director: Dr. Mark J. Clark, Ordinary Professor of Medieval Church history and theology, has taught spoken Latin for decades to students at every level. At CUA he runs morning ‘active Latin’ sessions for all levels, from undergraduate to graduate students and even faculty. He has taught spoken and collaborated with his good friend, Dr. Jim Dobreff, for a long time now.

The Master: Dr. James Dobreff, professor, scholar, and master teacher, has started and directed spoken Latin programs around the world. A master pedagogue, Dr. Dobreff recently conducted a spoken Latin workshop for Paideia in New York City with hundreds of youngsters. He and Dr. Clark have long collaborated, integrating sports, music, museum trips and other hands-on activities into their teaching of Latin.

The Scholar: Dr. Thomas Clemmons, an Assistant Professor in Patristic Theology at CUA specializing in Augustine, is teaching his own children Latin and is eager to contribute his knowledge of the Fathers and of Augustine to this fun enterprise.