Colton High “Fact of the Day” – Sept. 12
Latin was once a popular foreign language course at CHS, until it stopped being offered in 1974, a few years after the Vatican redefined which languages could be used during Mass.
September 12, 2021
Colton High School opened in 1895. It is one of the oldest high schools in the Inland Empire. In this daily feature, we celebrate Colton High’s rich history.
At one time, Colton High School had a Latin program. This language course was popular, especially among students in the community who wanted to know more about their Catholic faith and practice.
The program “dwindled and died,” according to the Pepper Bough, in 1974, a few years after the Catholic Church abandoned Latin as the primary language for use during Mass in favor of the language spoken by local parishioners.
The last Latin teacher at Colton High was Robert Bridges, who shared his disappointment with the Pepper Bough, saying that he felt Mass was “more beautiful in Latin than it is in English.”
