Woman sues church after it bans NASCAR-decorated headstone for husband

A Catholic church has put the brakes on a headstone designed with the NASCAR logo.

Sharon Carr, to honor her late husband, Jason Carr, had a a headstone built in the shape of a couch and decorated with images of a dog, a deer, and NASCAR and Indianapolis Colts logos to represent his interests. But according to the Daily Mail, St. Joseph Catholic Church in Indianapolis has refused to let the headstone in, saying it doesn’t meet the requirements of the century-old cemetery.

In turn, Carr is now suing St. Joseph, arguing that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis Properties Inc., which owns the cemetery, never produced any guidelines for headstones until a year after she wanted to add the $9,600 monument. Her husband died in a car accident in 2009.

The Rev. Jonathan Meyer, priest at St. Joseph, disputes this, telling the Daily Mail, “They told her not to move forward with the purchasing of the monument, but she went ahead anyway.”

He added, “We have consistently communicated the same message prior to the purchase and after the purchase. We did not think a granite couch was an appropriate monument in our historic cemetery.”

The church, Meyer added, doesn't want a monument that is "secular in nature. ... Faithful Christians know rules and regulations are set up so there can be good for everyone."

The church's decision has apparently caused debate among churchgoers. Sharon Carr's father-in-law, Henry Carr, told the Daily Mail, "I'm told the controversy is splitting the church apart, tearing it in half. But I guess that's what has to be done."