The New Criterion profiles the career of Vatican Latinist and Milwaukee native Reginald Foster

In 1970, the Procurator General of the Discalced Carmelite Order, Finian Monahan, was summoned to the Vatican for a meeting. The subject of the meeting was a promising young American priest by the name of Reginald Foster. The head Latinist of the Vatican’s State Department had tapped Foster to write papal correspondence, which was at the time composed entirely in Latin. Foster wanted the job but was bound by a vow of obedience, and the decision would be made by his superiors. Monahan intended to resist. Foster, thirty years of age, had proven himself to be both supremely intellectually gifted and utterly reliable—a precious thing at a time when the Catholic Church’s religious orders were hemorrhaging priests. Monahan thought Latin was a dead end. He didn’t want to lose one of his best to a Vatican department that would only get less and less important every year. He said Foster would go to the Vatican “over my dead body.”

continue at The New Criterion

A fantastic article.  Yeah, if the man still believes Catholicism is true is not clear, but there is no doubt in his influence in the resurgence of the Latin language.

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CatholicMemes: Lucas, Ego Sum Pater Tuum (Stars Wars In Latin)

Hic Darcus Vadorus – This is Darth Vader
Luxgladium tenet – Holding a lighsaber
“Non. Ego sum pater tuus.” – “No. I am your father.”
Hic Lucius Cæliambulus – This is Luke Skywalker
“Imo. Non est verus.” – “No. It’s not true.”

Catholic Memes

Haha, but... is Darcus Vadorus smiling?

Also... "Imo" ... is that right?  Maybe Dad29 will chime in.

Father Z is gone otherwise I was going to send this to him.

CreamCity: Latin Lives

More often than not, students will complain about having to endure at least one course of Latin. In American high schools, and I dare say seminaries, the common complaint was in verse:

Latin is a dead language,

As dead as can be, 

It killed off the Romans,

And now it’s killing me.

But really, can anyone be content with simply reading a translation? No matter how beautiful is such a phrase as: Late have I loved you, beauty so ancient and so new: late have I loved you . . . You called and cried out loud, and shattered my deafness. You were radiant and resplendent, you put to flight my blindness. You touched me, and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is yours.

continue at Cream City Catholic

Wherein license plate in Wis. is well cast

Reader JR wanted to give a high five the driver.

If you cant see it, it's PAX VBCM

The Roman Write

Pig Latin, and Pig Latin Redux, by Grant Snider at Incidental Comics (via University of Chicago Magazine)

The Cross of Christ and Liturgical Language

Oftentimes I hear stories about well-meaning priests and music directors facing resistance from those they serve when they try to reintroduce the Latin language to their particular expression of the Latin Rite. Some of these objections are based on Latin being somehow irrelevant to the modern expression of belief. (I note that these objections are not leveled at the Hebrew/Aramaic words of the Latin rite: Amen, Alleluia, and Hosanna. I also note that oftentimes people will object to the “Latin” Kyrie, even though it is Greek.)

To effectively defend the use of the liturgical languages of the Latin Rite in its mostly vernacular Ordinary-Form expressions, we must look to the Cross as found in the Gospel accounts of the Passion.
From the account of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. John, which is read every Good Friday:

“And Pilate wrote a title also, and he put it upon the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title therefore many of the Jews did read: because the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, in Greek, and in Latin.” — John 19:19–20 (DRV)

These three languages are also mentioned by name in the St. Luke Passion, which in Ordinary-Form Latin Masses was read last Sunday (Palm Sunday, Year C):

“And there was also a superscription written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” — Luke 23:38 (DRV)

We use these languages in the Latin-Rite liturgy not only because they have been handed down to us via the sacred tradition of the Rite but also—and most importantly—because we believe that Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity entered human history, and that the historical reality of his Passion, Death, and Resurrection has eternal ramifications for every human soul.

Use of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin in the Ordinary Form of the Latin Rite is not an outdated practice that points to the so-called Dark Ages. It is a liturgical, linguistic practice that points to the Cross of Eternal Salvation.

[Reposted from CCWatershed with minimal date-based edits]

Which pope said Latin is "worthy of being defended"

‎"The Latin language is assuredly worthy of being defended with great care instead of being scorned; for the Latin Church it is the most abundant source of Christian civilization and the richest treasury of piety…. We must not hold in low esteem these traditions of your fathers, which were your glory for centuries."

Pope Paul VI, Sacrificium Laudis, August 15, 1966, Epistle to Superiors General of Clerical Religious Institutes Bound to Choir, on the Celebration of the Divine Office in Latin

continue at St. Peters List for 13 more powerful quotes on Latin

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Cantus: Pater Noster

Even non-Catholics appreciate Latin plainchant for the Pater Noster. It is amazing that most parishes wouldn't even recognize what this is.

Thank you to laurazim for setting me straight.

We chant the Pater Noster frequently at the [Madison] Cathedral Parish. The link in your post, though, isn't the Pater Noster--though it is GORGEOUS!!! It's the Lux Aurumque..... followed by Pater Noster.

Okay I fixed it. They have a Cantus channel on youtube that I was listening to which just kept cycling through the songs instead of just the one I picked.

Pig Latin

Source

FYI, the origins of Pig Latin were rooted anti-Catholicism along with the Hokey Pokey(listen to the lyrics and think Traditional Latin Mass)  Hokey Pokey was a play on Corpus Christi. 

HT Virginia

AoftheA: Rock n’ Roll Titles Sound Cooler In Latin

It’s Friday, it’s been a long week, so let’s have a little fun, m’kay?

This is sort of a companion piece to “Movies Sound Cooler In Latin”. I will admit that these probably won’t sing that well given the melodies and rhythms and meters.  But hey – who cares?  Latin makes everything sound cooler. I’ve translated 15 well-known rock n’ roll songs – try and figure ‘em out…without cheating.  And go add more in the combox.

1. “Scala ad Caelum”
2. “Te Potest non Semper Adepto quis Vos Volo.” [edited]
3. “Non Adepto Fraudatur Iterum”
4. “Sabbati Nocte est Licuit Pugnae” [edited]
5. “Nos Sunt Pugiles”

continue at Acts of the Apostasy 

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New Years resolution: Learn Latin

If you are like me and can say the responses for Mass but beyond that your Latin is ... nihil then here's a nice piece of info from Diane at Te Deum:

On this Divine Mercy Sunday, I want to pass along another tidbit for those interested in learning Latin. I've added this post and more to the sidebar section called, "Got Latin?"
I've actually had a desire to learn Latin since I was in my teens. I attempted once, but did not have the proper text for self-learning. I think that may have changed. I have the first book above and was trying to spend just 15 minutes daily with it, but ran into one problem: No way to check the answers. That is, until I found the answer book online....
The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) has not only the Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin book by Collins at the Fraternity Publications page, but the answer book needed if you are engaging in self-study. It also has the Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin on the same page.

However, if you spend any time at the blog of Fr. Z, you will know that he says you should have a Lewis and Short Latin Dictionary as wel.
I would pay close attention to Fr. Z's PRAYERCAzT, which can help with proper accents and pronounciation. Puulllleeeeeeeaaase - don't Americanize it with the awful sounding Yayzooo Kwreeestooooo. Make it dignified with Yehzu Kdddistu (ok, so poke fun at my phonetic spelling! I've been rolling R's since I learned Croatian while living abroad for over 2 years and I can tell you, just think a string of d's and you will roll your R's. It prevents you from twisting your lips like you do in English. It's all a matter of making the dddd sound with your tongue).

You may remember I asked readers about the Rosetta Stone Latin program which I got some excellent feedback from a commenter:

It is classical pronunciation, Not ecclesiastical pronunciation. NOT strong on grammar. Good for spoken Latin and vocab. Very expensive.

So I think the Collins books will be a good place to start this year.  We want to teach our kids basic Latin for the Mass, especially the boys to help when they start serving.  Not sure if we will ever try Rosetta Stone or not.