A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Naval Academy Faces Suit Over Use of Chapel

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - An attorney for the American Humanist Association says the organization will consider taking legal action after the U.S. Naval Academy denied a request for a humanist wedding ceremony in the academy's main chapel.

The group released a letter on Tuesday describing a request to use the chapel by Ensign Sean Cruz, a 2012 graduate.

Jennifer Erickson, an academy spokeswoman, says in an email that the Naval Academy Chapel is a religious venue used for Protestant and Catholic services since its dedication in 1908 due to permanent Christian architectural features. She also notes alternative venues are offered at the academy, including a nondenominational chapel.

But Bill Burgess, an attorney for the association, says the chapel is a much nicer facility, and people of other religions and the nonreligious shouldn't be excluded.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.