Photographers zoom in on Catholic cemeteries

Above: Michael Bauer’s photograph taken inside St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 took top honors in this year’s photo contest sponsored by New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries. Bauer’s image, along with 13 others, will be part of New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries’ 2022 wall calendar, to be available this fall. (Photos courtesy of New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries)

By BETH DONZE
Clarion Herald

Despite the challenges of the lingering pandemic and endless days of torrential rain, the third annual photo contest sponsored by New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries managed to draw its usual submissions of stunning images of the city’s historic cemeteries.

The best of the bunch soon will grace New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries’ 2022 wall calendar.

“When (the contest participants) email us their photos, they will often tell us how much they enjoyed walking through the cemeteries,” said Sherri Peppo, executive director of New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries. “They talk about how the cemeteries are so peaceful and serene – and that really gets captured through their photos.”

Diverse settings captured

In all, 65 photos were submitted by more than 30 photographers, ages 9 and older, in this year’s contest. The 14 photographs selected as finalists for the calendar’s pages were taken inside seven of the 13 cemeteries managed and operated by New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries: St. Roch Cemetery Nos. 1 and 2; St. Louis Cemetery Nos. 2 and 3; St. Vincent Cemetery No. 1; and St. Patrick Cemetery Nos. 1 and 3.

Receiving first, second and third place accolades – and respective cash awards of $200, $100 and $50 – were:

• First place: Michael Bauer’s closeup of a flower in the hand of a statue of the Blessed Mother inside St. Louis Cemetery No. 3. A tomb of blue-veined Georgia marble is visible in the background.  “We felt like it blended symbols of life and death, with the flower and tomb in the same frame,” said Peppo of the winning image.

• Second place: Tiffany Bowdler’s black-and-white photo of the alley leading to St. Roch Chapel, creatively taken through the iron entrance gates of  St. Roch Cemetery No. 1. “This one we liked because it was a little different view of this cemetery than we usually see,” Peppo said.


• Third place: Ashley Biehl, 11, aimed her camera upward to capture Mary Magdalen looking up to the crucified Christ, part of a statue grouping in St. Roch Cemetery No. 2. “We thought it was a different take on all of the statue pictures we received because of the angle and the color thrown into it by the flowers,” Peppo said.

Inspirational surroundings

Cash awards of $25 were given to nine “runners-up,” whose photos will fill the calendar’s remaining monthly pages; and to two “honorable mentions,” whose images will be reprinted on the 2022 calendar’s cover and end page.
 
Winning shots taken by these other finalists include:

• David Eshnaur’s photo of Christ the Good Shepherd, a statue located inside a flower bed at St. Patrick Cemetery No. 3.

• Donna LaNasa’s photo of St. Michael the Archangel fending off Satan – the statue marking the St. Michael the Archangel Cremation Garden in St. Louis Cemetery No. 3.

• A photo of the 10th Station of the Cross sculpture (“Jesus is Stripped of His Garments”) inside St. Patrick Cemetery No. 1, shot by Lisa Laussade. A pair of Byzantine-style towers – part of a street memorial to sculptor Teodoro Francesco Bottinelli – loom in the distance.

• A reflection of a tomb onto the mirror-like surface of a decorative ball inside St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, captured by Marion LaNasa

• A sculpted family memorial depicting a woman in mourning (hugging a cross and holding a wreath to place on a tomb), taken by Terry Saucier Fricano inside St. Roch Cemetery No. 1.

All 14 winning photographs can be viewed at https://nolacatholiccemeteries.org/2021-photography-exhibition.

The 2022 calendars, which will be available to the public at no charge on a first-come, first-served basis, will be available in the fall at New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries’ three office locations, all located in New Orleans: St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, 3421 Esplanade Ave.; St. Patrick Cemetery No. 3, 143 City Park Ave.; and the main office at 1000 Howard Ave.

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