US Supreme Court to hear case on blocked Marian shrine plan in Kentucky

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving a religious liberty dispute over a planned Marian shrine in Park Hills, Kentucky. The case centers on whether the Missionaries of St. John the Baptist, a Catholic religious association, has the right to build a grotto shrine on property adjacent to its Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel.

The dispute began after the city board granted the chapel a variance from a zoning ordinance that would have otherwise prevented construction at that location. Two neighbors, Joel and Elizabeth Frederic, filed a lawsuit to block the project, citing concerns that the shrine could increase traffic and parking issues if it becomes a pilgrimage site. The Kentucky Supreme Court previously ruled against the chapel, finding that the city board exceeded its authority by granting the zoning variance.

The Missionaries of St. John the Baptist argue that blocking the construction violates the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which prohibits zoning laws from placing substantial burdens on religious exercise. The chapel plans to build a grotto featuring a statue of Mary, a statue of St. Bernadette, a patio, and a walkway to honor the 1858 apparitions in Lourdes, France.