[1] In December 2010, the Blue Ribbon Commission was created by Cardinal Justin Rigali to address the enrollment and financial issues.
The enrollment had a 35% drop since the year 2001, and it was decided to close some schools so that the property could be sold and the profit used to help the archdiocese.
Archbishop Charles Chaput became head of the archdiocese in September 2011 and pledged full support to the Blue Ribbon Commission.
A press conference was held at 4:00 PM that day by the Blue Ribbon Commission to officially announce which schools were closing.
The week after the students returned from Christmas break, from Tuesday, January 3 up to the announcements at 4:00 PM on Friday, was reportedly the most suspenseful.
Many teachers, students, and parents criticized the long wait and were hoping that leaks would reveal the information early.