Ukrainian Catholic church claims discrimination by U.S. town

A Ukrainian Catholic church sued a municipality in western Pennsylvania, claiming it used zoning laws to practice religious discrimination. Attorney Jeremy Dys claimed in an op-ed for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday that Collier Township has severely limited the church’s ability to build a new chapel and shrine. Dys, an attorney for the First Liberty Institute, the firm representing the church, wrote that the township told Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church how, when, and whether it can worship. The township has said it is simply following zoning rules.

The church, which has around 225 families, is part of a branch of the Catholic Church headquartered in Ukraine that follows the Byzantine Catholic tradition. The parish filed a lawsuit against the town on Jan. 7, asking the court to allow it to worship freely without government interference. First Liberty describes itself as a nonprofit legal organization specializing in religious liberty cases.

How has the township responded? The township’s legal counsel, Brian Gabriel, denied accusations of religious discrimination to a local news site, Trib Total Media. Gabriel said the township made its decisions based solely on zoning regulations and land use issues.

What does the lawsuit allege? In 2023, Holy Trinity asked Collier Township to approve the construction of a 13,000-square-foot chapel. The space would be located 6 miles outside of Pittsburgh and used for funeral services and special gatherings.

After nearby residents raised concerns about noise from the church’s proposed bells, the height of the bell tower, and traffic impacts, township officials denied the project in 2024. The church submitted a scaled-down proposal later that year. In 2025, the town gave its approval under several conditions, according to the lawsuit. The chapel’s bells could ring for only 3½ minutes, and only for funerals and memorial services. Officials also said that memorial services can only be held for those who have died after June 9, 2025, according to the lawsuit.

The church said these conditions prohibit it from ringing the bells to commemorate its 3 p.m. Hour of Mercy, celebrate holidays, or remind followers to pray, according to the lawsuit. Additionally, the lawsuit contended that the nearby Pittsburgh International Airport has more disruptive noise than the church bells.

Dys said in his op-ed that the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act bars government officials from using zoning laws to micromanage churches like this. Father Jason Charron said in an article on the church’s website that the freedom of the church is at stake. If these restrictions stand without challenge, it will be harder to defend the parish’s rights and future options.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the zoning dispute between a New Hampshire church and town officials.