With the recent transition of the papacy and Pope Benedict XVI’s enthusiasm for the language, I have been encouraged by the attention the language has been getting. My interest in Latin hails from being raised as a traditional Catholic, exclusively attending the Tridentine Latin Mass (pre-Vatican II liturgy). As an altar server I had to learn my responses, which I can faithfully recite by memory to this day, “Introibo ad altare Dei, ad Deum qui laetificat iuventutem meam.” As a kid reading my missal and seeing the Latin on the right side and the corresponding English on the left side my curiosity was sparked. I wanted to decipher those seemingly cryptic words and I went down to the public library and found a Latin grammar and there it began. I later took classes in high school and university and this summer I will be attending the Latin Language Workshop at the University of Kentucky. The Workshop is a 10-day gathering of Latin enthusiasts who spend the entire time there immersed in Latin. There are lectures, exercises and other activities all conducted in Latin. Additionally all conversation must be in Latin.
I will definitely be posing here as we go through the events. It is going to be a great experience I’m sure.
Here are a few interesting current news stories regarding the Latin language.
Latin makes Vatican City comeback
Vatican breathes new life into Latin
Old-fashioned Latin lover raises a few eyebrows
Here is a cool little resource. Fr. Foster is a the foremost Latinist for the Vatican
By the way, that picture at the top is a Vatican ATM, and yes, it’s in Latin.
