Latin (lingua latina) was the language of ancient Rome. It was the ancestor of the modern Romance languages (Portuguese, French, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Catalan, etc.). In addition, Latin is the language of the Roman Catholic Church. While the liturgical use of Latin in Catholicism may be declining, an increasing number of students are learning Latin in schools in the United States. The Latin language may never again achieve its former status as the lingua franca of the Western world, but Latin continues to live in our midst.