ðə skˈuːl wʌz fˈaʊndᵻd baɪ ɐ bˈɛnɪdˌɪktiːn mˈʌŋk, dˈɑːm bˈeɪzəl mˈæθjuːz, hˌuː wʌz ɔːɹdˈeɪnd pɹˈiːst ɪnðɪ ˈɔːɹdɚɹ ʌv sənt bˈɛnɪdˌɪkt ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi fˈaɪv, wˈʌn ʌvðə fˈɜːst tɹˌɪnɪdˈeɪdiənz təbi ᵻlˈɛktᵻd tə ðæt ˈɑːfɪs.
The school was founded by a Benedictine monk, Dom Basil Matthews, who was ordained priest in the Order of St Benedict in 1935, one of the first Trinidadians to be elected to that office.