Supreme Court to Hear Kentucky Catholic Shrine Zoning Case
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on October 1, 2026, to take up a dispute over a Catholic group's plan to build a small Marian shrine on residential property in Park Hills, Kentucky. The case centers on whether local zoning laws placed an illegal burden on the Missionaries of St. John the Baptist under federal religious land-use protections.
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on October 1, 2026, to hear a religious liberty case involving a Catholic group in Park Hills, Kentucky. The Missionaries of St. John the Baptist want to build a grotto-style shrine on a residential lot next to their Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel. The shrine would include a statue of the Virgin Mary, a statue of St. Bernadette, and a walkway.
The city's zoning board initially approved a variance for the project. Two neighboring residents, Joel and Elizabeth Frederic, challenged that decision in court, citing concerns about traffic and parking. The Kentucky Supreme Court sided with the neighbors in December 2025, ruling the zoning board had exceeded its authority.
The Missionaries appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing the decision violates the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). That federal law bars local governments from imposing a "substantial burden" on religious exercise without a compelling reason.
Attorneys from the First Liberty Institute represent the group. They say blocking a modest place for prayer amounts to an infringement on religious freedom. The neighbors counter that the church group knew about existing residential zoning rules when it bought the property and has not shown why the shrine cannot be built on its existing church-zoned land.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments in the coming months. The outcome could set a national precedent for how local zoning laws interact with federal religious protections.
