In 1959, Rosaryhill School made her debut and was formally introduced to the educational circle of Hong Kong. Side by side with some venerable institutions in the Colony, such as Sacred Heart Canossian School (est. 1860) or St. Joseph's College (est. 1870), RHS was a mere toddler. However, the newcomer needed not be over bashful in the company of the older establishments, for young though she is, she can draw on the vast resources and experience accumulated over the centuries within a long tradition of learning; the offshoot is green and tender, yet it sprouts forth from an old and robust trunk that thrusts its roots deep and far.

The immediate origin of the school must be traced back to the year 1861, when the Dominican central house in Macau (founded previously in 1757) was transferred to the British Colony of Hong Kong. The first tangible presence of the Dominican missionaries in H.K. took the form of a modest residence near the present Sacred Heart School on Caine Road. A few years later, the residence was sold and a new house on Seymour Road, not far from the previous one, was bought.

But the Dominicans were not satisfied with only a central house, the chief purpose of which was simply to look after the interest of all their missionaries working in the Far East. Their ambition was also to establish a central seminary to train native Oriental missionaries. In view of the centralized position of the British colony, H.K. was chosen as the idea place for such a long range plan. Their dream became a reality in 1935, when St. Albert's Priory, the Dominican House of Studies for the whole Far East, was built at the foot of Mount Nicolson, a place since then known throughout the Colony by the enchanting name ROSARYHILL.

The new monastery was a massive building standing conspicuously on the slope of a hill above Happy Valley and was visible from all parts of the harbour and Kowloon. It was for a long time one of the great Catholic landmarks of the island. It served as the training center of missionaries coming from near and far: Chinese (both local and from the Mainland as well as from Taiwan), Portuguese (of Hong Kong and Macau), Malaysians, Ceylonese, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Spaniards and Germans. During its twenty-four years of existence (1935-1959), the Rosaryhill House of Studies had produced four bishops and sent forth countless priests and brothers to the various parts of the Lord's vineyard. It had been truly a nucleus of irradiation of apostolic activities particularly in China and in other parts of Asia.

Many old time residents of the Colony will still recall the tragic years of the second world war, during which Rosaryhill opened its doors to receive the dependants of prisoners of war under the International Red Cross, civil internees, dependants of the British Red Cross and distressed persons under the care of the Medical Department of the H.K. Government. Even after the war, following the Communists takeover of Mainland China, a great number of bishops (including His Eminence Cardinal Tien of Peking), priests, religious and seminarians sought refuge under the protecting roof of the massive monastery on Rosaryhill.

In more peaceful times, some faithful used to come to pray at the shrine of our Lady of Fatima, erected on the graceful lawn beside the friary. Some others sought the inspiring tranquility of Rosaryhill for annual retreats.

But, alas, peace did not last. The chaos in the East, brought about by the Communists control of China, made it impossible for St. Albert's priory to continue carrying out its task as a center of religious formation. As a result, Rosaryhill ceased to be used as a House of Studies in 1959, all members of the religious community were dispersed to the Philippines, Vietnam, the U.S. and Europe. The deserted building was then converted into a school, the old monastery thus made way for the new Rosaryhill School.

The new school started with 13 classes from Lower Kindergarten up to Primary 4, with 500 students over all. From its modest beginnings the school grew very quickly and steadily. Before long it was felt that a new school building should be constructed to replace the old one in order to accommodate the ever increasing number of students and to cope with the rapid expansion of the school. Decision was taken. Down came the old - indeed historic - monastery, to the sorrow and sighs of everyone who had lived in the dear old friary and had learned to love it. But in its place - to be exact, a few hundred yards away from the old site - stands now the stately RHS, more spacious and imcomparably better equipped with the latest facilities. From what was left of the old monastery rises the resplendent modern school.