St. Vincent DePaul Cemetery #2

1950 Soniat Street
Office: 143 City Park Avenue, 70119
New Orleans, LA 70117


504-488-5200
504-488-4989 (alt)
504-488-5209 (fax)

Gates open Monday – Saturday 8:30am to 4:00pm
 Sunday 8:30am to 3:30pm

Keep in mind:

• Bike tours and other motorized bike/vehicle tours are prohibited in our Catholic Cemeteries
• All of our Catholic Cemeteries are closed on Mardi Gras Day.  Gates close early on the Saturday before Mardi Gras due to the Endymion parade.
• No alcohol or food permitted
• Only certified Service animals are permitted in the cemetery

St. Vincent de Paul Cemeteries 1 & 2, established in 1859.
The St. Vincent de Paul Cemeteries were established in 1859 on Soniat Street by the Congregation of the Mission, whose priests and sisters have served St. Stephen’s Parish of New Orleans since its founding in 1849. The Congregation of the Mission is an order of the Vincentian Family, commonly referred to as the Lazarists, whose patron saint is St. Vincent de Paul.

The adjoining two squares that make up the St. Vincent de Paul Cemeteries were purchased by the Congregation of the Mission represented by then current priest of St. Stephen’s Parish, Rev. Antoine Verrina, from the succession of his predecessor, French-born Rev. Father Jean Marie Delcros, on November 13, 1859, along with a number of other land parcels and buildings. Upon his death Rev. Father Jean Marie Delcros was initially laid to rest within St. Stephen’s Church but his remains were relocated to St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery in 1868.

Traditionally, parishioners of St. Stephen’s Church exclusively utilized the cemetery, and the majority of the burials were in ground. That past is reflected in the contemporary landscape of both cemeteries, with coping style graves being the prevailing type of memorial, which in most cases mark the location of earlier in ground family plots.

The central aisle of St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery No. 1, which is lined mostly with family tombs, terminates in a pair of wall vaults located on the rear property line. The wall vaults are joined by a platform fronted by a masonry stairwell. Atop the platform are a Calvary Group depicting Christ on the cross, and larger than life-size bronze statues of Mary, the mother of Jesus, the beloved disciple John, and Mary Magdalene, in an attitude of grief and despair. The three bronze statues were relocated from St. Patrick Cemetery No. 1 upon construction of the Calvary Mausoleum in 1973. Also located within the cemetery is a large coping dedicated to the burial of priests and brothers of the Congregation of the Mission, and two large copings for members of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.
 
In the past, St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery No. 2 was segregated by race, with the right side dedicated to the burials of African Americans and people of color, and the left side for the burials of white parishioners.

In 1969, in an effort to appeal to modern burial practices, the St. Vincent Mausoleum was constructed in St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery No. 2. Originally containing 104 vaults, it was later expanded to include an additional 208.

In 1972, the administrators of St. Stephen’s parish found that they were no longer able to properly care for the two cemeteries and both were transferred to the New Orleans Archdiocesan Cemeteries. Upon falling under the new management the cemeteries went through an extensive restoration and renovation that focused on landscaping, fence repairs, and masonry restoration.

In 1988, the St. Elizabeth Memorial Mausoleum in St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery No. 2 was completed under the direction of Archbishop Most Rev. Philip M. Hannan and Rev. Msgr. Raymond A. Wegmann, then director of New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries.

The newest major addition to the cemetery, Our Lady of Lourdes Mausoleum, was constructed in 1999.