We were lucky to live in a public school district where Latin was taught. My daughter studied for 3 years and, not surprisingly, had perfect verbal SAT’s. Without the Latin, she’d have done well, but nowhere near as well as with the base provided by Latin study.
I wish I had learned Latin in school. It was not offered where I went to school so I took up Spanish. I was born in 1963, the same year Vatican II was implemented so I always attend Mass in the vernacular. Truth be told, my greatest experience with the Latin Mass is from the baptism scene in The Godfather which I must have seen at least 200 times.
That all said, I still think Latin is an incredibly important language and ought to be reintroduced. Although English is officially charecterized as a Germanic tongue (due mainly to its structure and grammar), nearly 70% of our vocabulary can be traced to Latin roots. And, of course, for centuries Latin was the language of higher learning and high end professions such as medicine, the legal profession, philosophy and theology.
I certainly do not think the reintroduction of Latin into our churches or public educations system could do any harm. Beats reading Heather Has Two Mommies and all the other PC crap being pushed on young people these days.
As far as the Church goes, I don’t think Vatican II will ever be repealed. The vernacular genie has already been let out of the bottle. But I am glad that the Pope encourages the traditional Tridentine Mass and that among candidates for the priesthood, the seminaries which promote traditional Catholicism are overflowing with applicants. Certainly a very good sign.
Always remember the liberals ruin and corrupt EVERY institution they gain control. No wonder the Episcopalian Church is in decline and public education is a joke.