Eagles to get Connellsville's Ten Commandments statue
On June 29, the Thou Shall Not Move committee will hold a special event at the Fraternal Order of Eagles on Arch Street to celebrate the placement of the first stone Ten Commandments monument.
The group is dedicated to doing what it can to ensure the Ten Commandments monument remains on Connellsville Area School District property in the face of a federal lawsuit filed in September against the district that claims the monolith installed there 57 years ago violates the plaintiffs' constitutional rights.
The Thou Shall Not Move committee has agreed to use funds from the sale of Ten Commandments yard signs to pay for the placement of stone monuments at churches that want one.
Ewing Marietta, pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in North Union who has led the group, said they had hoped to have the first stone monument placed by Memorial Day, but issues involving permits has held up the process.
“We've been working through the permit process of the city and we have just one step left to go,” said Ewing, adding that the city's engineers need to give the OK for where the monument will be placed.
While the group had originally planned to place its first monument at St. John's Roman Catholic Church along Route 119 in the city, Marietta said that has been put on hold by the Diocese of Greensburg.
He added that placing the first one at the Fraternal Order of Eagles is a way to recognize the great history of the organization and its dedication to placing Ten Commandments monuments at different schools decades ago.
The rally and celebration of the placement of the monument will be held at 7 p.m.
There are about 25 churches on the list to get a monument placed on their properties.
Any church that might want to be added to the list should call Marietta at 724-626-1265.
Marietta said that once the first monument is placed, he is hoping they might be able to place one a week, if possible.
They had seven monuments on hold until they recently put down another $6,000 to add another seven monuments.
The group has sold about 4,600 signs to help contribute to the monument fund. Each monument costs the group nearly $1,800.
After the celebration rally on June 29, the next monthly meeting for the Thou Shalt Not Move group will be held at 5:30 p.m. July 24 at the Fraternal Order of Eagles on Arch Street.
An anonymous student and parent, along with the Freedom From Religion Foundation, filed the lawsuit, which seeks the removal of the Ten Commandments monument at the junior high school, given to the district in 1956 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and to block its placement at nearby church property.
Attorneys are gathering information to bolster their cases.
Plaintiffs' attorney Marcus Schneider said depositions and document-gathering are typical at this stage of a civil lawsuit.
“I imagine the plaintiffs will be deposed,” Schneider said.
Also typical are motions for summary judgement, which would ask a judge to review the facts in dispute and make a ruling.
Attorney John W. Smart with the Pittsburgh law firm Andrews & Price, who is representing the district in the case, did not return a message seeking comment.
U.S. District Judge Terrence McVerry ordered in April that discovery should be completed by Aug. 23. McVerry ruled last week that the student and parent — Doe 4 and 5, respectively — can remain anonymous throughout the proceedings.
“There is a substantial public interest in ensuring that litigants not face ... retribution in their attempt to seek redress for what they view as a constitutional violation,” the judge wrote in an opinion.
The school district did not oppose a motion seeking to preserve the plaintiffs' anonymity. The suit describes the student as nonreligious and the parent as atheist.
A similar lawsuit has been filed against New Kensington-Arnold School District for a monument on Valley High School grounds that was also donated by the Eagles in the 1950s. A protective order also was issued in that case.
Earlier this month, Oklahoma school district officials removed Ten Commandments placards from classrooms after a Freedom From Religion Foundation request, according to The Southwest Times Record.
A Kentucky district in April received a similar request and has since removed copies of the Ten Commandments that were placed throughout Breathitt County Schools classrooms, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Renatta Signorini is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-837-5374 or rsignorini@tribweb.com. Rachel Basinger is a freelance writer.
