St. Patrick's Church, cited by Village of the Branch over Christmas tree sale, due in court

A church in the Village of the Branch that was given a ticket for selling Christmas trees last year on its own front lawn against village code is expected in village court Monday.

The scheduled appearance of St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church comes after the church was issued a summons in December for holding a fundraiser on its East Main Street property — where it sold Christmas trees, plants, grave blankets and other holiday items.

By doing so, village officials argue, the church’s actions violated village law, as it's against the code to hold such events in the historic district, where the front of the church's property lies. 

Village of the Branch Mayor Mark Delaney defended the village’s actions in a statement last week while reiterating its earlier stance that it was not intending to target the church, but to protect the code.

“The village is not trying to stop any fundraising or holiday sales — our sole focus is on code compliance and public safety due to the proximity of this past year's sale adjacent to a busy four-lane road,” Delaney said. “We feel an alternate location — such as the location used for years — can be agreed upon to everyone's satisfaction and not impact the church or the village's laws."

Newsday previously reported that in years past, trees were sold in the back of the church, outside the historic district, according to Delaney. 

Trustee John Carro, the village board’s liaison to the court, said the church will be in court Monday to answer the summons. But there won't be a trial on the matter unless the church requests one, he said.

Attorneys for the church, from the Greenberg Traurig law firm, of Garden City, could not immediately be reached for comment.

In December, firm attorneys argued via a letter that the church could use the property for religious purposes under protections afforded the church by the First and 14th Amendments.

First Liberty Institute, a Plano, Texas, nonprofit working on the church's case as co-counsel with Greenberg Traurig, stated previously that the church’s tradition of selling trees dates back 25 years.

The church — which has told Newsday such fundraisers are vital to its operations — has been at odds with the village before on events held on its property.

In 2024, the church sued the village after its application to hold a four-day family festival that year with food, rides and games was denied. The village said its code prohibited carnivals, circuses, mechanical rides and other amusement park-related activities in the historic district.

But after the village and the church came to a compromise on a revised three-day application for the event, the lawsuit was dropped and the festival was held in October on athletic fields nearby.