Do you wonder why Latin is so important to the Catholic Church? Do you want to better understand the Latin you hear in Church? Are you curious about what the Latin you see inscribed in Churches actually says? Would you like to learn how to pray the Rosary in Latin? If you answered “Yes!” to any of these questions then this is the course for you!
In this course students will explore not only Ecclesiastical Latin as expressed in the prayers and hymns of the Catholic Church, but also learn the history of those prayers and hymns. Organized thematically, each class will provide a foundation of Latin vocabulary and then use that vocabulary to learn Latin passages of Sacred Scripture, prayers, hymns and more.
Assignments will send students on a hunt for Latin in their local Churches, inside their prayer books and hymnals, and more.
Students with no previous Latin studies (and those who are quite proficient in Latin) will benefit from this deep dive into one of the greatest treasures of the Catholic Church – its Latin patrimony.
Day 1: Introduction; Why the Church Loves Latin?; The Holy Trinity
Day 2: The Holy Catholic Church
Day 3: Mercy and the Forgiveness of Sins
Day 4: The Word of God
Day 5: The Mass and the Holy Eucharist
Day 6: Our Blessed Mother and the Communion of Saints
Course materials: Optional Book: Oremus: A Treasury of Latin Prayers ISBN-10: 1594719896 (https://amzn.to/3QldrcO)
Assignments and Grade Breakdown:
There will be 6 assignments in this class – all are project-based and designed to expose the students to Ecclesiastical Latin. The grades will be the average of all 6 assignments.