by Jorge Gomez • 2 minutes
The Village of The Branch, New York says that St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church cannot continue its tradition of selling Christmas trees, something the congregation has done for more than 25 years.
Why? Because, according to the Village, local ordinance prevents the church from holding a fundraising event within 90 days of a previous one.
On Thursday, First Liberty sent a letter to the Village demanding that it allow the congregation to continue its tradition.
“The Village of Branch, New York has dampened the Christmas spirit this year by abruptly halting the decades-old, well-loved Christmas tree fundraiser event by St. Patrick’s Catholic Church,” said Ryan Gardner, Senior Counsel for First Liberty. “The Village has singled out the church for harassment and unequal treatment while allowing other organizations to conduct seasonal sales events.”
The church has resided at its property since 1966. For more than two decades, the church has sold Christmas trees along with other plants, grave blankets and wreathes during the Christmas season as a means of raising funds for the church’s various ministries.
In November, village officials threatened to issue citations against the church if it did not obtain a special permit to sell the Christmas trees, although the Village had never previously required the church to do so.
The church complied and filed the appropriate permit application. But the Village said that the zoning ordinance prohibited the church from engaging in multiple fundraising events on its property within 90 days of each event. Since the church hosted a Family Festival event in October, the church was prohibited from selling Christmas trees despite having done so for many years.
In our letter, First Liberty attorneys explain that the “the Village’s ordinances target the Church’s fundraising activities for disparate treatment because of the Church’s religious status—something the Supreme Court has repeatedly held to be ‘odious to our Constitution.’”
With just a few days left before Christmas, it’s cruel to single out a church that’s providing encouragement and holiday cheer to its community. And beyond being treating the congregation harshly, what the city is doing is in violation of the law.
We’re urging the Village to do what’s right, follow the law and respect the religious freedom of the congregation. Our request is simple: let the church continue its tradition of selling Christmas trees on its property. Under federal law and the First Amendment, the church has a right to operate and carry out its religious mission without intrusion or discrimination from government officials.
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The attacks on our First Freedom aren’t stopping anytime soon. St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church and countless houses of worship across our country are facing attacks on their rights and freedoms.
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