Saint Louis Priory School

The Saint Louis Priory School, a Roman Catholic secondary day school for boys, is located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. The school was established in 1955, at the invitation of prominent St. Louis Catholics, by monks of the Benedictine Ampleforth Abbey in York, England. The corresponding Priory of Saints Louis and Mary, a Benedictine monastery, was established at the same time. The Priory, which is a member of the English Benedictine Congregation, became independent of Ampleforth in 1973, and was elevated to an Abbey in 1989.

Related Topics:
Roman Catholic - St. Louis - Missouri - 1955 - Benedictine - Ampleforth Abbey - York - England - Monastery - English Benedictine Congregation - Ampleforth - 1973 - Abbey - 1989

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Enrolling over 300 boys in grades seven through twelve, the Priory School offers a rigorous education shaped by the ancient Benedictine tradition's Christian humanism, with particular attention to Roman Catholic theology, classical and modern foreign languages, English and American literature, mathematics and the natural sciences, history, computer science, and the fine arts. Its graduates attend highly competitive colleges throughout the United States and Canada.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The founding headmaster was Rev. Timothy Horner, O.S.B. Rev. Gregory Mohrman, O.S.B., was the previous headmaster. He retired, after ten years at his position, at the end of the previous school year(2004-2005). Mohrman was replaced by Rev. Michael Brunner, O.S.B., the school's former assistant headmaster.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the school's major distinctions is the award-winning Abbey Church (1962), also known as the Priory Chapel. It was designed by Gyo Obata of Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, with the famous Italian architect and engineer Pier Luigi Nervi serving as consultant. The Church's circular facade consists of three tiers of whitewashed, thin-poured concrete parabolic arches, the top one forming a bell-tower; the arches appear to float upwards from their grassy base. They are faced with dark insulated-fiberglass polyester window walls which create a meditative translucency when viewed from within.

Related Topics:
Gyo Obata - Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum - Pier Luigi Nervi

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The founding Prior (1955-1967) was the noted author, monastic leader and former titular Abbot of Westminster Reverend Columba Cary-Elwes.

Related Topics:
Westminster - Columba Cary-Elwes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Notable graduates include the Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Kline '65, Saint Louis Brewery owner and lawyer Tom Schlafly '66, the authors David Linzee '71 and Eddy Harris '74, and MTV VJ Dave Holmes '89.

Related Topics:
Kevin Kline - David Linzee - Eddy Harris - MTV

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~