CHALMETTE, La. — On April 16, parish officials and community members attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for St. Bernard Memorial Funeral Home & Gardens’ new 384-casket Devotion Mausoleum. Those in attendance included St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rhett Pritchard, St. Bernard Parish Assessor Jaylynn Bergeron Turner, and Maegen Kelley, the assistant to St. Bernard Parish President Louis Pomes.
Service Corporation International, which owns seven Dignity Memorial funeral homes and cemeteries in the greater New Orleans region, said it invested $1.1 million to build the new mausoleum. St. Bernard Memorial Funeral Home averages 275 funeral services per year, and it serves families of all beliefs and faith backgrounds.
Construction, overseen by Portland, Oregon-based Carrier Mausoleums Construction U.S.A., began in June 2023 and was completed in March 2024. The first of its kind in Louisiana, the mausoleum features an interior with 1,000 glass and granite front niches. In addition, there are single, side-by-side and true companion above-ground mausoleum crypts, as well as exterior granite front niches for ashes.
“We were thrilled to have our community partners join us to celebrate the completion of this project,” said St. Bernard Memorial Funeral Home General Manager Allen Dufour in a press release. “We’ve always worked closely with each of our families to accommodate their wishes, and this new facility will allow us to provide more options for more people.
