At St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth, Latin has a living place in our prayer and liturgical rhythm because of its deep roots in Benedictine tradition and the wider Roman Catholic Church.

Latin was the principal language of Western Christianity for well over a millennium and became the language of Scripture, theology, liturgy and monastic life. The Rule of St Benedict itself was written in Latin and successive generations of monks have prayed, studied and chanted in Latin as a way of connecting with that long heritage. 

Although the Second Vatican Council encouraged the use of the vernacular in the liturgy (mostly the English language in the UK), it also asked that Latin be preserved especially in Gregorian Chant and in monastic prayer life, particularly in Benedictine communities. Latin expresses the timeless nature and unity of the Church’s worship and links us with the universal Church across centuries and cultures. 

At Chilworth, Latin is prayerfully present in the Gregorian Chant of the Divine Office, in sung Latin chants for Mass propers (Introit, Alleluia, Offertory, Communion and Ordinary) and in the traditional Latin prayers before and after monastic meals. At the same time, Roman Catholic Mass is offered in English in the Ordinary Form, at an East facing altar -  a reverent form of worship that is clearly distinct from a Latin or Tridentine Mass in form. Latin remains a sacred language of chant and contemplation, not a requirement for participation but a gift that many find deepens their prayer.