A new historical marker unveiled June 23, 2021, at Tunnels Park in Gallitzin commemorates an 1893 court case that gave Catholic nuns the right to wear religious clothing while teaching in public schools. Sister Mary Parks addresses the crowd at dedication ceremonies for new historical marker unveiled June 23, 2021, at Tunnels Park in Gallitzin. GALLITZIN – The historical marker unveiled on Wednesday in Gallitzin Tunnels Park commemorates more than a little-known 1894 Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that allowed Catholic nuns to wear their distinctive religious habits while teaching in public schools, advocates say. That’s because the ruling was rendered moot the following year with a new state law banning all religious clothing and emblems for school teachers, and that law is still on the books today, said Nathan C. Walker, a First Amendment scholar. Walker, president of the 1791 Delegates nonprofit, was the keynote speaker at Wednesday’s dedication. “The historical marker that we unveil today serves as a powerful educational tool,” Walker said during the program. Play Video 00:00 00:00 space play / pause q unload | stop f fullscreen shift + ← → slower / faster ↑ ↓ volume m mute ← → seek . seek to […]
