I remember from my research in college that the Church promoted the study of foreign languages so that the gospel could be spread to other cultures. Even in the Middle Ages, church authorities in the universities responded to requests from students to teach non-Western languages such as Arabic, for just this reason. (I remember researching this topic for a paper in one of my grad-level courses.)
I am Roman Catholic, practicing my faith in a Maronite (Eastern) Catholic Church. Our pastor, born in Lebanon, is bi-ritual (Maronite and Latin). He has a BA from Boston College in Biblical Languages. Not only does he speak 8 contemporary languages fluently, he also reads Koine Greek, Hebrew, Latin and Aramaic.
It is from Jewish roots that the church of Antioch sprung. In fact, the church of Antioch was founded by St. Peter and it was there that the terms "Christian" and "Catholic" were first used. The first Christians were Jews and entire communities came to accept Jesus as the Messiah. Evidence from archaeological studies of Maronite church buildings show that they had earlier been synagogues.
To this day, the Maronite Church retains its Jewish roots more than any other Catholic rite, as evidenced by its use of Aramaic/Syriac and by the prayers which remain faithful to Semantic and Old Testament forms. The Maronite liturgy is one of the oldest in the Catholic Church. St. Peter and other Apostles brought the liturgy of the Last Super to Antioch where it developed in Greek and Syriac concurrently. The early Antioch liturgy is the basis of the Maronite liturgy.
Our parish community is very small - only 48 families. Yet this priest with a BA and MA, hosts monthly 'gospel soirees'. Only a small handful of people show up and it is truly a shame. Last winter while discussing one tract from the Gospels, Father read it in English, hesitated, furrowed his brow, sourced it back to the original Greek text and then explained that while the translation was accurate, it lacked the emphasis of the original Greek text. He then searched for an English adjective to lend the proper weight. He is simply awesome! I only wish more Roman catholics would attend these get togethers, to deepen their faith and understanding of Holy Scripture.