In this history, Horner describes the initial contact with the interested St. Louis Catholic laymen, and explains the process of founding a new school in the English Benedictine Congregation.

"[5] By the middle of the 20th century, Catholics had gone to great lengths to develop their own educational system and were expected to support it, so the fact that the school was founded with a view to sending its alumni to non-Catholic colleges was something of a departure for the time.

According to its website, the school exists to "provide a Benedictine, Catholic, college preparatory education of the highest excellence so as to help talented and motivated young men develop their full potential as children of God.

"[6] Priory offers an education shaped by the Benedictine order's tradition of Christian humanism, with particular attention to Catholic theology, classical (Latin and Greek) and modern foreign languages (French, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese), English and American literature, mathematics and the natural sciences, history, computer science, and the fine arts (vocal music, studio art, theater arts/communication, photography, stained glass art, and mass media and video production).

[13] The church's circular facade consists of three tiers of whitewashed, thin-shell concrete parabolic arches, the top one forming a bell-tower.

The church holds a 14th-century sculpture of the Madonna and Christ child, a 17th-century holy font in the Della Robbia style, and modern sacred art by artists from the United States, Great Britain, Spain, and France.

These include the Record newspaper and Shield yearbook, opportunities to perform in theater and musical dramas, a Scholar Bowl academic competition team that participates in local and state tournaments, Model UN, and student government.

The team won the Excellence in Engineering award in 2015 and placed highly in the Kansas City and St. Louis Regional competition.

Additionally, Priory hosts a student-led Sodality of Our Lady, a religious organization that fosters in its participants a closer personal and community relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Abbot Gregory Mohrman, O.S.B., an alumnus of the school from the class of 1976 and a former headmaster, explained the mascot's significance: “Some people have been asking us, why a raven?

The raven’s bravery and obedience ultimately saved others from the wrath of a wicked man.”[21] When the school was founded, the sports mascot was the Saints.

In the '60s, "under the influence of a charismatic history teacher who specialized in the Civil War", it was changed to the Rebels, referencing the Confederate States of America.

Initially, this link was obvious and the students used Confederate symbols to show pride in their sports team, including a giant painting of General Beauregard on the gym walls.

In the spring, the school offers golf, track and field, tennis, rugby, baseball, lacrosse, and ultimate frisbee.

Priory won the championship game, played at the Scottrade Center, giving the school its first state sports title since 1973.

[27] The soccer Rebels led by All-American forward Jimmy Holmes ended the season with a perfect 26-0-0 record, winning the state Class 2 title.