When the girls in Loretto High School's class of 2009 cross the stage at graduation tonight, they'll be marking more than their own transition from high school to college.

They will symbolize the end of an era for a beloved Catholic school that is shutting its doors after educating three generations of Sacramento girls.

"It's a lot of pressure," said 18-year-old Colleen Biller, as she considered her graduation. "It's like 50 years of tradition in one night."

The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the religious order that runs Loretto, announced in January that it would close the school on El Camino Avenue at the end of the school year. Enrollment had dropped from 559 students to 389 in three years, leaving the private school without enough money to keep operating.

The decision angered many Loretto families and alumnae. Kristina Susac, who graduated in 1981 but maintains emotional ties to the school, said she felt betrayed by Loretto and devastated that her attempts to keep it open had failed.

"We were not given any opportunity to fund raise," Susac said.

"Losing Loretto in many ways is worse than losing a parent, because Loretto to me was supposed to be a timeless institution, something that would live on for decades."

Other alumnae are more accepting of the school's five-decade run coming to a close. Dixie Green, who graduated in 1959, was a member of Loretto's first four-year class. She recently participated in a luncheon with the school's final graduating class.

"It's sad that it has come to that, that it has to close," Green said. "But I also understand that in this world everything is a business, and you live and die on the dollar."

For many local families, Loretto has been a multi-generational institution, the kind of place that pulls people back year after year. Sister Helen Timothy, the school's president, graduated from Loretto in 1970 and returned 20 years later as vice principal. The principal, Jocelyn Barboza, graduated in 1966, came back as a teacher, then sent her daughter to the school.

"I imagined I would have granddaughters and that they would go to Loretto," Barboza said. "It's very difficult. But we had 54 years and I'm thanking God for that."

Trudi Bertolucci Balestreri graduated in 1981, one of three sisters to attend Loretto. Her niece graduated from the school last year, and her daughter Danielle is now finishing ninth grade.

"The thing about Loretto is that it's a very small, safe, protective environment for young ladies who are going through turbulent times being a teenage girl and being introduced to boys," Bertolucci Balestreri said.

"Loretto offered a lot of spiritual guidance, focus on developing the girl into a young lady with good values (and) a sense of Christian service."

Those traits were obvious this week, as students rehearsed the baccalaureate ceremony, which was to include a Mass and academic awards. Two students led the procession through St. Ignatius Church, placing a brown leather trunk near the altar.

The girls who followed each placed an object in the trunk symbolizing what they're taking away from their Loretto education. One left a script from drama class, another a capella sheet music, a third her Greek textbook.

Timothy reminded the girls to be ladylike.

"In the event you're wearing a dress that's short, remember how you bend over," she said, demonstrating a bend at the knee, not from the waist.

"Because everyone is going to be seeing that."

Later, some seniors gathered to share their feelings about being the school's final graduates.

"Really heartbreaking," was the description from Cait Donahue, 17.

Jessica Windham, also 17, said she was sad that younger Loretto students won't "get the same chance as we did."

And Erin Schaefer, 18, said, "It's very upsetting to see such a tightknit community breaking apart."

In one corner, a few students practiced singing along while another played piano. On the other side of the church, a student read a biblical passage aloud. Timothy welled up when asked what Loretto's final graduation meant to her.

"It's real emotional," she said, dabbing her eyes.

"It's the end of an era, and I thank the people of Sacramento."

Call The Bee's Laurel Rosenhall, (916) 321-1083.