A Fredericton councillor is upset the city is being forced to scrap the long-standing tradition of opening each council meeting with a prayer following Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling.

Coun. Marilyn Kerton said the pre-meeting prayer was "refreshing" and she is upset that the ritual is being removed.

"Are we going to remove prayer from the council agenda, where is this going to stop? Are we next year going to find out that we have to get rid of Volunteer Week or we got to get rid of some of these other proclamations because it is offending someone because they don't do these particular things," she said.

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled that reciting a Catholic prayer at council meetings infringes on freedom of conscience and religion. The case started eight years ago in Saguenay, Que.

The decision from Canada's top court had an immediate impact across the country.

In the St. John River Valley, we are the Bible Belt of the province. And where we had no opposition, why would we not have this? - Coun. Marilyn Kerton

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside has already said that Fredericton will halt the pre-meeting prayer.

"They have ruled unanimously. I am certainly prepared to comply with that," he said on Wednesday.

"But I do so with reservation and disappointment. I am not sure how that impinges on anybody's Charter of Rights, it seems to me that they are trampling on the rights of a whole lot of people."

Kerton said she also felt that a majority of people would be upset by the Supreme Court's decision and how it is impacting on Fredericton council meetings.

"In the St. John River Valley, we are the Bible Belt of the province. And where we had no opposition, why would we not have this," she said.

"They have taken the prayers out of the school. I guess I kind of wonder what will be next, will it be the Queen's picture on the wall in council chamber?"

The Fredericton councillor said she hopes city staff find a way to get around the court decision. She said perhaps a prayer could be said prior to the meeting or there could be a moment for reflection.

Other councils are moving forward with changes to how they start their meetings.

In Dieppe, Mayor Yvon Lapierre said the prayer is being replaced with a non-religious saying.

"We still want to keep essentially that moment where we bring everybody together. We will be saying something like, 'Colleagues please let's have the serenity to accept the things that we cannot change, the courage to change the things that we can and the wisdom to know the difference," he said.

"That statement in and of itself, prayer or not, depending on the context, really says what the responsibility of the municipal council is."