NEW ORLEANS, March 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Service Corporation International, North America’s largest provider of funeral, cemetery and cremation services, and the Archdiocese of New Orleans, today announced the construction of a new funeral home and cemetery to serve the Northshore and surrounding communities.
Grace Funeral Home and St. Lazarus of Bethany Memorial Garden are expected to open in late 2018 and will be adjacent to Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church and the recently completed senior living community, St. Anthony’s Gardens. The new facility has long been part of the master plan for that site’s development. The funeral home and cemetery will be built and operated entirely by Service Corporation International on land owned by the Archdiocese of New Orleans through a long-term lease agreement.
Located in Covington, the new development will span more than 50 acres and feature an 8,500 square foot funeral home, and the initial development of 800 cemetery plots, 300 mausoleum crypts and 200 cremation niches. Additionally, the new property will be carefully designed and constructed to preserve more than 16 acres of protected wetlands located nearby.
“We have heard for many years that there is a need for a Catholic cemetery on the Northshore,” said New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond. “I am pleased that this project can now move forward to serve Northshore area families and to provide a beautiful, prayerful, and sacred space to memorialize loved ones.”
“SCI is pleased to collaborate with the Archdiocese of New Orleans on the development of this new property to serve residents of the Northshore community,” said John Faulk, senior vice president, revenue and business development at SCI. “We are committed to the families we serve and to providing them with a peaceful and beautiful environment for honoring and visiting their loved ones.”
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new development will be held Wed., April 4 at 11 a.m.
About Service Corporation International
Service Corporation International (NYSE:SCI), headquartered in Houston, Texas, is North America’s leading provider of death care products and services. At December 31, 2017, SCI owned and operated 1,488 funeral homes and 473 cemeteries (of which 281 are combination locations) in 45 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Through its businesses, SCI markets the Dignity Memorial® brand which offers assurance of quality, value, caring service and exceptional customer satisfaction. In January 2016, SCI was presented with the J.D. Power President’s Award in recognition of an ongoing dedication to service excellence including quality improvement, customer satisfaction and the development of enduring client relationships. For more information about Service Corporation International, please visit www.sci-corp.com. For more information about Dignity Memorial, please visit www.dignitymemorial.com. As used herein, “SCI” or the “Company” refers to Service Corporation International and all of its affiliated companies.
About the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans is home to approximately 500,000 Catholics in the eight civil parishes of Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, and Washington. Established as a Catholic diocese in 1793, it is one of the oldest Catholic dioceses in the country and has been one of the shaping influences of New Orleans’ culture. Today, the archdiocese continues Jesus Christ’s work of evangelization and care for the poor through its 109 church parishes, 80 Catholic schools and numerous social apostolate ministries that provide food, clothing, housing, counseling and much more to the most vulnerable of our society. Led by Most Reverend Gregory M. Aymond, 14th Archbishop of New Orleans, the Catholic Church in New Orleans has been a vital part of New Orleans’ rebirth from reopening schools to rebuilding homes to responding to crisis in the New Orleans community. For more information go to http://nolacatholic.org.
SCI Media Contact: Jay Andrew, 713-525-5235
Director, Corporate Communications
Archdiocese of New Orleans Media Contact: Sarah McDonald, 504-596-3023
Office of Communications