Our department was one of the first programs to be founded at Catholic University, and its long and distinguished history has been enriched by the work both of its faculty and of its students. Greek and Latin were originally taught in separate departments in the School of Letters (later part of the School of Arts & Sciences), but were eventually brought under the umbrella of a single unit after 1918. Originally referred to as the Department (or Departments) of Greek and Latin Languages and Literatures, the department formally adopted its current shortened name in the late 1920s.

A number of departmental prizes and funds are named after former faculty members: they are used to support fellowships and research by students and faculty. The department always welcomes gifts to one of these funds or inquiries about starting a new one.