Classical Languages

Priory provides a course of study in Classical Languages integral and fundamental to the school’s mission to provide “a Benedictine, Catholic, college preparatory education of the highest excellence so as to help talented and motivated young men develop their full potential as children of God.” Latin is the official language of the Catholic Church, and Greek the language of the Church’s New Testament scripture. Because of its role in refining the mind, as a medium of prayer, and as a basis of an authentic Christian humanism, Latin constitutes, as it were, an anchor of our community.

The bulk of English intellectual vocabulary is derived from Latin and Greek roots, and the structures of intellectual writing are largely based on Latin and Greek models. The advantages that knowledge of these languages offer students taking the tests necessary for admission to undergraduate, graduate and professional programs are well-documented, as are the benefits to those pursuing professions like law or medicine.