About St. Therese of the Infant Jesus · Indianapolis, Indiana
St. Therese of the Infant Jesus, popularly known as Little Flower Parish, is a Roman Catholic faith community on the east side of Indianapolis in Marion County, Indiana, founded in 1925 and belonging to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The parish traces its origin to Bishop Joseph Chartrand's March 13, 1925 announcement of a new east-side parish carved from the territories of St. Philip Neri, St. Francis de Sales, and Our Lady of Lourdes — and its founding predates St. Therese of Lisieux's canonization by just two months, which the parish celebrates as a singular claim: it was the first Catholic parish in the world named for the young Carmelite. Today Little Flower continues as a vibrant, multi-generational community with its own PK-8 school (329 students), extensive health and senior ministry, an active St. Vincent de Paul conference, and a contemporary steel-framed church (dedicated 1962, later renovated by HCO Architects) graced with Irish-made stained glass and marble altars replicating Leonardo da Vinci's 'Last Supper.'
- Established
- 1925
- Patron
- St. Thérèse of the Infant Jesus (Thérèse Martin of Lisieux)
- Rector
- Rev. Jude Meril Christopher Sahayam (Pastoral Administrator; also Administrator of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Indianapolis
Why belong here
Little Flower is a multigenerational, neighborhood-rooted Catholic community that bills itself as 'the little melting pot' — historically drawing Irish, German, Lithuanian, Polish, and Latvian families — and still today welcomes members from across central Indiana. Parishioners come for its daily and Sunday Eucharist (Tuesday morning, Thursday evening, Saturday vigil, and two Sunday Masses), the long-running St. Therese novena devotion reinforced by a parish shrine said to contain a strand of her hair, an unusually robust Health & Senior Ministry that takes Communion to the homebound and visits the hospitalized, a thriving St. Vincent de Paul conference that runs Thanksgiving baskets and a Christmas Giving Tree, and a PK-8 parish school that anchors the East Side Catholic School Partnership with Holy Spirit, Our Lady of Lourdes, and Scecina Memorial High School.
Mass times at St. Therese of the Infant Jesus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday: 5:00 p.m.
- By appointment
Parish History
Little Flower was founded in 1925 by Bishop Joseph Chartrand as a speculative east-side parish built around a combined church and school; the first pastor, Rev. Charles T. Duffey, celebrated the first Masses on July 6, 1925 in a rented storeroom at 10th Street and Bancroft Avenue. Within four years the parish had built the cornerstone (April 1926) and dedicated its combined church-school on September 12, 1926, with six Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis opening the school two days later to 85 children. Subsequent pastorates of Father Jerome Pfau (1939–42), Father John C. Riedinger (1942–66), Monsignor Raymond T. Bosler (1966–77), and seven later priests carried the parish through the Great Depression (which left a $126,000 debt — burned in 1945/46), WWII (with more than 300 parishioners in uniform), the construction of the present steel-framed church in 1962, Vatican II implementation, and the formation of the East Side Catholic School Partnership in 2010. The parish marked its centennial with 'Cheers to 100 Years!' Summerfest in May 2025 and a gala dinner-dance on September 13, 2025, celebrated by vicar general Msgr. William F. Stumpf alongside administrator Fr. Jude Sahayam and retired pastor Fr. Robert Gilday.
A First in the World: Named for St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Bishop Chartrand announced the formation of Little Flower Catholic Church on March 13, 1925 — exactly two months before Thérèse of Lisieux was canonized on May 17, 1925. The parish still claims to be the first Catholic parish in the world to bear her name, and her 'little way' of spirituality permeates the parish identity: a 12-foot exterior stone image of St. Thérèse stands above the front doors, a 1944 outdoor shrine on the south grounds contains a copper box with a strand of her hair, and two large stained-glass windows in the choir loft depict her life as a Carmelite and her heavenly 'shower of roses.' The first parish novena in her honor, held in 1927, drew an average of 700 worshippers each night and some 1,500 on the closing evening.
Architectural Tour of Little Flower Church
Built in 1962 in a contemporary (rather than neo-Gothic) steel-framed style over a 13-acre campus, the current church seats up to 800 in semi-hexagonal, column-free rows that orient every eye toward the altar. Its defining features include a 72-foot aluminum steeple and spire, a wood-and-marble crucifix whose mosaic-tile backdrop echoes the alabaster-style Aztec marble doors of the ambulatory, and granite altars replicating Leonardo da Vinci's 'Last Supper.' Six Irish-made stained-glass windows were added after the church was built — depicting the Immaculate Conception, Assumption/Coronation of Mary, the Nativity, the Ascension, and the life of St. Thérèse — and the side-wall angel carvings were sculpted by Constantine Seferlis, the Greek immigrant stone-carver who cut the first U.S. carvings at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. The octagonal baptistery is highlighted in the parish's architectural tour as a post-Vatican II statement of baptism as the sacrament of initiation. Dedicated by Archbishop Patrick A. O'Boyle (first Archbishop of Washington) and marked by a Silver Jubilee Mass celebrated by Cardinal Baum in 1973, the church was more recently renovated by HCO Architects.
- Steel-framed contemporary structure (completed 1962)
- 72-foot aluminum steeple and spire
- Semi-hexagonal, column-free seating for ~800
- Granite altars replicating 'The Last Supper'
- Rose Window (donated by Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Cook)
- Six stained-glass windows (made in Ireland, installed later)
- 12-foot exterior stone image of St. Thérèse
- Verdi and white travertine marble sanctuary
- Octagonal baptistery
- Angel carvings by Constantine Seferlis (1930–2005)
- Renovation by HCO Architects
Mass and Sacramental Schedule
Weekend Masses are celebrated Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.; weekday Masses are offered Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. and Thursday at 5:30 p.m., with Holy Day and Communion Services announced in the weekly Theresean bulletin. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard Thursday at 5:00 p.m. and by appointment.
- Saturday Vigil — 5:30 p.m.
- Sunday — 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
- Tuesday — 8:30 a.m.
- Thursday — 5:30 p.m.
- Holy Days — see bulletin
- Reconciliation — Thursday 5:00 p.m. or by appointment
Faith Formation and Religious Education
The parish's faith-formation programming is coordinated by Lisa Gibbons (Accounting Clerk / Religious Education Coordinator) and runs Religious Education for public- and charter-school students in grades K-8 on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., September through May. The same office coordinates Vacation Bible School, the sacramental preparation tracks for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist, and ongoing Youth Ministry, all of which are exercised through the Faith Formation & Spiritual Development Commission of the Parish Pastoral Council.
- Religious Education (K-8), Sundays 10:00-11:00 a.m.
- Vacation Bible School
- First Reconciliation preparation
- First Eucharist preparation
- Youth Ministry
- Faith Formation & Spiritual Development Commission
Little Flower Catholic School
Founded alongside the parish in 1926 (under six Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis from Oldenburg, Indiana), Little Flower Catholic School today serves 329 students in PK through grade 8 as a fully Cognia-accredited school of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The school sits adjacent to the church at 1401 N. Bosart Avenue and offers Title I tutoring, a resource program, enrichment, school guidance, art, music, physical education, and competitive athletics. In May 2010 the school joined Our Lady of Lourdes, Holy Spirit, and Scecina Memorial High School to form the East Side Catholic School Partnership. Principal Kevin Gawrys leads the school's programs, including a secure campus with a gym, resource center, science lab, art studio, and STEM Lab, and Project Lead the Way STEM programming introduced in 2017-18.
- Founded 1926 by six Sisters of St. Francis from Oldenburg
- PK-8 enrollment: 329 students
- Principal: Kevin Gawrys
- Cognia-accredited through the Archdiocese of Indianapolis
- Member of the East Side Catholic School Partnership (est. 2010)
- STEM Lab, Project Lead the Way curriculum, art, music, athletics
Health, Senior, and Pastoral Care Ministry
The parish maintains an unusually large Health and Senior Ministry under Pastoral Associate Peggy Clegg (and the Parish Life Commission), which ministers to homebound parishioners and those in nursing facilities, brings Communion to the hospitalized, and supports families in funeral planning. Programming combines Pastoral Care with practical services: monthly blood-pressure checks, semi-annual blood drives, Functional Fitness classes through the Athletic Association, family bike rides hosted by the Men's Club, hospital and nursing-home visits, a bereavement support group, the Christopher Ministry for Communion to the homebound, and educational speakers. The Adventuresome Group provides fellowship specifically for seniors, and the parish occasionally collaborates with cohort parishes Holy Spirit and Our Lady of Lourdes for an Eastside Catholic Community 'lunch and learn.'
- Pastoral Associate for Health and Senior Ministry: Peggy Clegg
- Christopher Ministry (Communion to homebound)
- Hospital and nursing-home visits
- Funeral planning assistance
- Monthly blood-pressure checks
- Semi-annual blood drive
- Functional Fitness (Athletic Association)
- Bereavement support group
- Adventuresome Group / Senior Ministry
Parish Life, Outreach, and Social Groups
Beyond liturgy and catechesis, Little Flower sustains a robust parish-life culture organized through the Parish Life Commission and the wider Pastoral Council. The Men's Club hosts family bike rides; the long-running Ladies' Altar Society is among the oldest parish groups (chartered with the Men's Club in 1925). The St. Vincent de Paul Society, staffed by parish volunteers under Frank Mackell, organizes Thanksgiving Baskets, the Christmas Giving Tree, and direct support to the central SVdP Client Choice Food Pantry and warehouse. The parish also cooperates with the Little Flower Neighborhood Association (a civic group promoting neighborhood improvement) and hosts Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. The annual Summerfest — held Memorial Day weekend on the parish campus — and the parish picnic, Halloween party, and Christmas party round out the calendar.
- Parish Life Commission (picnic, Halloween party, Christmas party)
- Men's Club (family bike rides)
- Ladies' Altar Society (founded 1925)
- St. Vincent de Paul Society (Thanksgiving baskets, Christmas Giving Tree, food pantry support)
- Little Flower Neighborhood Association
- Alcoholics Anonymous (meets at parish)
- Summerfest (annual Memorial Day weekend festival)
Music and Liturgy
Little Flower's liturgical life is supported by its Music Director (Tom Costello per the most recent Theresean bulletin; Gabriel Harlan is also listed on the pastoral-staff page) and the Liturgy Commission of the Parish Pastoral Council. The director oversees the adult choir and cantors for weekend and holy-day liturgies and collaborates with the school liturgical choir for school Masses, in a sanctuary whose semi-hexagonal, column-free design was specifically intended to maximize focus on the altar.
- Music Director: Tom Costello
- Adult choir and cantors
- School liturgical choir
- Semi-hexagonal, column-free sanctuary for optimum sightlines
Parish Staff and Pastoral Council
The parish is led by Pastoral Administrator Rev. Jude Meril Christopher Sahayam (who also administers neighboring Our Lady of Lourdes Parish) and Deacon Gary Blackwell, with day-to-day operations carried out by Director of Stewardship and Parish Administration Angie Mackell, Parish Secretary Jeannie Zimmerman, Accounting Clerk / Religious Education Coordinator Lisa Gibbons, Pastoral Associate for Health and Senior Ministry Peggy Clegg, Music Director Tom Costello, School Principal Kevin Gawrys, Director of Maintenance Jacob Comley, and Office Assistant Sandy Clegg. The Parish Pastoral Council, chaired by Rick Markins with Chris Johnson (Vice-Chair) and Caroline House (Secretary), is a consultative body that meets on the second Wednesday every other month and is organized into six commissions: Faith Formation and Spiritual Development, Parish Life, Liturgy, Stewardship, INVITE, and School. Finance Council liaison is Greg Slisz.
- Pastoral Administrator: Rev. Jude Meril Christopher Sahayam
- Deacon: Gary Blackwell
- Director of Stewardship and Parish Administration: Angie Mackell
- Pastoral Associate for Health & Senior Ministry: Peggy Clegg
- Parish Secretary: Jeannie Zimmerman
- Accounting Clerk / Religious Education Coordinator: Lisa Gibbons
- Music Director: Tom Costello
- School Principal: Kevin Gawrys
- Director of Maintenance: Jacob Comley
- Office Assistant: Sandy Clegg
- Parish Pastoral Council Chair: Rick Markins
- Finance Council: Greg Slisz
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Charles T. Duffey1925–1939
Founding pastor; died April 17, 1939, at age 54, while still serving. Organized the 1925 founding, the 1926 dedication, the first St. Therese novena (1927), and the original combined church/school.
- Rev. Jerome Pfau1939–1942
Succeeded the founding pastor three months after his death; launched a $5,000 school-expansion capital campaign and served on the local Selective Service Board during early WWII.
- Rev. John C. Riedinger1942–1966
'Father John' — Little Flower's longest-serving pastor (24 years). Burned the $126,000 mortgage in 1945/46, added classrooms/convent/rectory, dedicated the outdoor St. Therese shrine (1944), and oversaw construction of the current steel-framed church completed in 1962.
- Rev. Robert Borchertmeyer(associate pastor; dates in mid-1960s)
Associate pastor who, with Rev. Edwin Soergel, assumed larger oversight of church affairs as Father John's health failed.
- Rev. Edwin Soergel(associate pastor; dates in mid-1960s)
Associate pastor alongside Rev. Borchertmeyer during Father John's decline.
- Msgr. Raymond T. Bosler1966–1977
Fourth pastor; founding editor of The Criterion (Indianapolis archdiocesan weekly) and a syndicated columnist; attended Vatican II as a peritus under Archbishop Paul C. Schulte; granted the title of monsignor in 1967.
- Rev. Fred Schmitt1977–1985
Fifth pastor.
- Rev. Robert Borchertmeyer1985–1995
Sixth pastor; previously an associate pastor under Father John.
- Rev. Kilian Kerwin1996–1997
Seventh pastor.
- Rev. Vincent P. Lampert1998–2003
Eighth pastor.
- Rev. Robert J. Gilday2003–present (retired)
Ninth pastor; now retired, concelebrated the parish's centennial Mass on September 13, 2025.
- Rev. Jude Meril Christopher Sahayam2025–present
Current Pastoral Administrator; also Administrator of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish on the east side; began his ministry at Little Flower in time for the parish's 100th anniversary.
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