![]() ![]() The most prominent of the windows depicts Jesus and a kneeling woman, while another features and a cross and the words "Rock of Ages Cleft for Me." The grant was approved after the a vote from the town's preservation committee. "Although the record before us does not allow us to ascertain whether there is a motivating purpose behind this grant other than historic preservation, its effect is to substantially aid the church in its essential function and, given the explicit religious imagery of the stained glass, it fails to avoid the very risks that the framers of the anti-aid amendment hoped to avoid."Īccording to court documents, the church requested $51,237 under the state's Community Preservation Act to fund the restoration and preservation of the windows featured in the church's main building, which were installed in 1898. "e conclude that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of their claim with respect to the stained glass grant," Chief Justice Ralph Gants wrote in the ruling. The state's high court last Friday vacated a Suprerior Court ruling against Americans United for Separation of Church and State and asked the lower court to reconsider the group's request for preliminary injunction banning the Acton municipal government from awarding tax dollars to Acton Congregational Church to preserve its stained glass windows. The Massachusetts Supreme Court has ruled that one of the nation's leading secularist legal groups is "entitled" to an injunction barring the town government in Acton from granting public funds to preserve stained glass windows in a church that has been a staple of the town since 1846. ![]() | (Photo: Facebook/Acton Congregational Church) By Samuel Smith, Deputy Managing Editor Tuesday, MaLight shines through the stained glass windows at Acton Congregational Church in Acton, Massachusetts.
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