A new half-acre garden inside St. Patrick Cemetery No. 3 will significantly expand local options for those who are considering cremation as their preferred method of burial. The Queen of All Saints Cremation Garden, located in the rear of St. Patrick Cemetery No. 3 at 143 City Park Ave., will offer 631 single and double niches designed exclusively for the interment of cremated remains. The garden will be blessed by Archbishop Gregory Aymond on Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. The blessing, which is open to the public, will conclude with the release of more than 300 Painted Lady butterflies symbolizing new life. Sherri Peppo, executive director of the New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries Office, said the space now occupied by Queen of All Saints originally was being considered for development as a mausoleum site. But recent upticks in both local and national interest in cremation had led Cemeteries staff to rethink the space as a lush and architecturally stunning garden for the burial of cremated remains.

The office of Deacon Dave Farinelli, clinical supervisor and counselor at Catholic Counseling Service of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, is a safe haven for feelings and for tears. When Deacon Farinelli counsels persons who are grieving because of the death of a loved one – whether the deceased died suddenly or declined over a long period of time – he always tries to get them talking in detail about the person they have lost. It’s the elephant in the room that so many people can’t talk about with their friends, who often don’t know what to say and retreat into innocuous conversation. “A lot of times, at the very beginning, I tell them to talk and tell me as much as they can about their child or the person they lost,” Deacon Farinelli said. “What kind of person was he? Did you enjoy being with him? The more they talk, the better they are. I also tell them to journal because they may not be comfortable talking about it, but they may be more comfortable writing it out.  “They can write letters to the person who died, saying things they needed to say. They can tear it up or burn it or keep it – they can do whatever they want with it. It’s a chance for them to put down what they felt when they lost that person. They can say the things they always wanted to say. That definitely helps them unpack all of that.”