What you might not know about N.O. Catholic cemeteries

By Sherri Peppo, Guest Columnist
Photo By Frank J. Methe | CLARION HERALD

Next fall, New Orleans will host the Catholic Cemetery Conference’s annual convention and exposition.

Open to cemetery professionals from across the United States, Canada and Australia, the gathering typically attracts 300 to 500 attendees who are united in a common mission to uphold burial of the dead as a corporal work of mercy.

Recently, Sherri Peppo, executive director of the New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries Office, was asked to identify the four biggest misconceptions she and her staff encounter while engaged in this special ministry.

Misunderstanding No. 1: New Orleans’ Catholic cemeteries are ‘out of space’

I think part of the reason the public might think this is because of the sheer age of our Catholic cemeteries – some of them date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. So, they just assume our Catholic cemeteries are “full.” Another reason is that almost all of our cemeteries are landlocked and located in the middle of neighborhoods – so when you drive past them, it appears there’s “no more space” inside. This is not true. Space is still available. In a few of our cemeteries, we still have space for the construction of mausoleums and columbaria (structures that hold niches for cremated remains). For example, right now we are building two new mausoleums and a new cremation garden inside St. Louis No. 3 on Esplanade Avenue (see story on page 12). Space for this construction project was created by closing off one of the cross streets in the cemetery. Our Catholic cemeteries also have individual lots in which new tombs can be built for family use. Over the years, the myth that Catholic cemeteries had no space went unchecked because there wasn’t a lot of marketing to inform families that the opposite is true.

Misunderstanding No. 2: Cremation is not ‘Catholic’

Cremation has been recognized by canon law as an acceptable method of burial since the 1960s – as long as the cremated remains are buried in a cemetery and are not kept at home or scattered or divided among the bereaved. This important step of burying the dead, one of the seven corporal works of mercy, has been overlooked in past years. What we’re finding now, because cremated remains aren’t always being buried in cemeteries, is that people have no place to pray at the burial site of their loved one; there’s no dedicated space for the memorialization of that person, to pay their respects. Also, as the years go by, future families will not have a place to do their family research and find their ancestors. So, in addition to the reverence we give the deceased in burying their cremated remains, there are also some very practical reasons for doing so: so families will have a place to mourn and to research their genealogies. The Catholic Cemeteries Office welcomes inquiries from those who might have cremated remains in their possession and want to have them interred, even if the death was many years ago. We have a wide range of prices on cremation niches and can offer some very affordable options.

Misunderstanding No. 3: Why does it cost so much to ‘just’ open and close a tomb?

I think it’s important to take a step back and put the cost of interment into perspective. Our cemeteries rely on the labor of a hardworking staff who are on a payroll and who draw vacation, sick time and other benefits. The family may only use their grave every 15 to 20 years, but our staff is still on the premises six and seven days a week maintaining the cemeteries. Think of our cemeteries as small cities. There are roadways, fences, sidewalks and utilities to take care of, drainage issues to address and grounds, gardens and trees to maintain. There are the costs of new construction and of maintaining historic tombs – in a climate that’s known for taking its toll on all types of outdoor structures. Right now, we’re restoring a chapel at St. Roch Cemetery that was built in 1876. I think it’s easy to overlook the significant amount of expense that it takes to maintain all the cemeteries that we have, but our goal is to continue to have the cemeteries look as clean as peaceful as we possibly can. So, my hope is that when families come in to pay an interment charge, they understand that this charge is not based solely on the labor of opening and closing the grave. We hope they can understand that balance between being a ministry that is sensitive to a family’s financial burden and what we realistically need to charge in order to pay our staff and maintain our cemeteries year-round. We are trying to lessen this burden on families. In a new program called the Catholic Memorial Plan, families who already own property in a Catholic cemetery and who intend to be buried in that grave can pre-pay their interment fee and/or memorialization cost. In the past, we didn’t have any type of trust set up where people could pre-pay funds, but now we are able to offer this. They have the option of paying it in full or over time.

Misunderstanding No. 4: Only Catholics can be buried in a Catholic cemetery

While our Catholic cemeteries are sacred and are an extension of the Catholic Church community, all family members can be interred in the same cemetery, regardless of their faith. Our mission statement is: “The ministry of New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries is to provide people of all faiths a graceful and dignified burial in keeping with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to offer pastoral care to the family members and friends of the deceased.”