About St. Thomas Aquinas · Indianapolis, Indiana
St. Thomas Aquinas is a Catholic parish in the Butler–Tarkington neighborhood on the north side of Indianapolis, Indiana, founded in 1939 by Bishop Joseph Ritter and pastor Father Joseph Tieman. The parish describes itself as a 'diverse and welcoming community' committed to prayer, vibrant liturgy, educational excellence, and social justice — known for being among the first Indianapolis parishes to embrace the liturgical reforms of Vatican II and to integrate racially in the 1950s and 60s. It runs a parish school (PK-8), sponsors SausageFest as its largest fundraiser, and maintains a long-running twinning relationship with St. Jean-Marie Vianney parish in Belle-Rivière, Haiti.
- Established
- 1939
- Patron
- St. Thomas Aquinas
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Varghese Maliakkal
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Indianapolis
Why belong here
St. Thomas Aquinas is a tight-knit Northside parish that lives out the Gospel through vibrant liturgy, lifelong faith formation, and an unusually broad commitment to social justice — from marching against the death penalty in front of the Governor's Mansion to its three-decade sister-parish relationship in rural Haiti. Families can enroll children in the parish's PK-8 Blue Ribbon school, join one of many liturgical ministries (Eucharistic ministers, lectors, greeters, altar servers, sacristans, Sunday counters), volunteer through the Serving Hands bereavement ministry or the Creation Care Committee, and gather with the wider Butler–Tarkington community at the annual SausageFest each August.
Mass times at St. Thomas Aquinas
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30–5:00 p.m. (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- Tuesday 5:00 p.m. (Eucharistic Adoration preceding the 5:30 p.m. Mass)
Parish History
Founded in 1938 by Bishop Joseph Ritter and pastor Father Joseph Tieman at 46th and Illinois streets, St. Thomas Aquinas grew quickly: the charter congregation numbered 1,145, and the parish school opened in 1941 with 157 pupils. The parish has been shaped by World War II, Vatican II, the Civil Rights Movement, and the racial integration of the Butler–Tarkington neighborhood. Under Msgr. Raymond Bosler (1963–66) and Father Thomas Dooley (1966–78), St. Thomas became a national model for progressive Catholic worship, social advocacy, and lay involvement. The 2001 renovation linked the church and school, added the Bosler Chapel and Bethany Room, and created a meditation garden featuring a Madonna and Child sculpture by Patrick Mack.
The Church Building & Architecture
The current sanctuary, completed in 1968–69, is a starkly modern brick-and-stone amphitheater-style building designed by Indianapolis architect Evans Woollen. It abandons traditional spires and finery in favor of cinder-block walls and a half-circle of pews sloping toward a sparsely adorned altar beneath a large skylight. The sacristy is dominated by a 40-foot circular red 'negative cross' symbolizing the risen Christ — the recognized emblem of the parish.
Our Patron: St. Thomas Aquinas
The parish is named for the great 13th-century Dominican theologian and Doctor of the Church, whose feast day is celebrated on January 28. The original school building's arched stone doorway and brick façade were designed in his honor in an Italian-medieval style.
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by Pastor Rev. Fr. Varghese Maliakkal, who was set to celebrate his birthday and the 40th anniversary of his priestly ordination on June 28, 2026. The staff team includes a Pastoral Associate/DRE, Music Director, Business Manager, Director of Facilities, and Parish Administrative Assistant.
- Rev. Fr. Varghese Maliakkal — Pastor ([email protected])
- Karla Hudecek — Pastoral Associate / Director of Religious Education ([email protected])
- Katie Schafer — Music Director ([email protected])
- Ithream Blackmon — Business Manager ([email protected])
- Andrew 'Andy' Minnis — Director of Facilities / Maintenance ([email protected])
- Matthew 'Matt' Lorch — Parish Administrative Assistant ([email protected])
- Beth Borland — School Principal ([email protected])
- Grace Fon — 1st Communion & Reconciliation Coordinator
- Sam Knotts — School Secretary
Liturgical Ministries
St. Thomas Aquinas offers a full range of liturgical ministries for adults and youth. Schedules are coordinated through an online scheduler. Adults and students in 5th grade and older may serve at the altar after training; Eucharistic Ministers commit to 3-year terms and serve every 3–4 weeks.
- Altar Servers — Karla Hudecek ([email protected])
- Eucharistic Ministers — Julie Sherer ([email protected])
- Greeters — Brandon Thomas ([email protected])
- Lectors — Nancy Stark ([email protected])
- Sacristans — Kate McKnight ([email protected])
- Sunday Counters — Matt Lorch ([email protected])
Sacraments
The parish prepares members for all seven sacraments. Baptisms are normally celebrated after the 10:30 Mass on the fourth Sunday of the month, with required preparation for the first child. First Reconciliation occurs in Fall/Winter and First Communion in Spring, both coordinated by Karla Hudecek. Confirmation preparation is for 8th graders and high school students and includes seven formation meetings, service projects, and an overnight retreat. Adult seekers enter the Church through the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) process, which meets Wednesdays 6:30–8:00 p.m. from October through the Easter Vigil. Engaged couples begin marriage preparation by calling the parish office to meet with the pastor, then with a trained sponsoring couple.
- Baptism (infant, child, and adult via OCIA)
- First Reconciliation & First Communion
- Confirmation (8th grade & high school)
- Marriage Preparation
- Anointing of the Sick (by appointment)
- Holy Orders (referrals to Archdiocese Office of Vocations, 317-236-1490)
- OCIA for unbaptized and other-Christian adults
Faith Formation: OCIA, Confirmation & Sacramental Prep
Faith formation at St. Thomas Aquinas spans the whole life: the OCIA process welcomes unbaptized adults and Christians from other denominations into full communion; weekly Wednesday-evening sessions run from October through the Easter Vigil. Confirmation candidates in 8th grade and high school gather for seven formation meetings, an overnight retreat at Camp Rancho Framasa, and monthly service projects. First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation are coordinated through the parish school and DRE Karla Hudecek.
- OCIA — meets Wednesdays 6:30–8:00 p.m., October through Easter Vigil; contact Andy Pike ([email protected])
- Confirmation — $70 fee, begins Sat. Sept. 20, 2025; retreat Nov. 1–2, 2025 at Camp Rancho Framasa
- First Reconciliation — Fall/Winter
- First Communion — Spring
St. Thomas Aquinas School (PK–8)
The parish school, located at 4600 N. Illinois Street, has served PK through 8th-grade students since 1941. Originally staffed by the Sisters of Providence, teaching duties have long since passed to a professional lay faculty. The school has been substantially expanded and modernized twice — in the 1960s and again in 2001, when a new science lab, classrooms, and gym floor were added. In 2005 it was named a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, one of only 11 Indiana schools honored that year. The school welcomed 215 students in 2013–14 and 231 in the year covered by the Archdiocese directory. The current principal is Beth Borland, and Kara Bungard serves as assistant principal.
- Grades: PK through 8
- Address: 4600 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis, IN 46208
- Phone: 317-255-6244 | Fax: 317-953-4112
- Principal: Beth Borland
- Assistant Principal: Kara Bungard
- U.S. Dept. of Education Blue Ribbon School (2005)
Outreach & Social Justice
St. Thomas Aquinas has a long tradition of bold social engagement. The parish marched against the death penalty at the Governor's Mansion, advocated for gun control, mass transit, and an end to the Iraq occupation, and reformed racially exclusive practices at the neighboring Riviera Club. Today the Creation Care Ministry and Serving Hands Ministry (which provides funeral meals in the Bethany Room) keep that tradition alive alongside the parish's three-decade sister-parish relationship in Haiti.
Sister Parish in Haiti — St. Jean-Marie Vianney, Belle-Rivière
Since 1990, St. Thomas Aquinas has twinned with St. Jean-Marie Vianney parish in Belle-Rivière, Haiti, through the Parish Twinning Program of the Americas. The Haiti Committee sends nearly 100% of designated donations monthly via wire transfer, supporting teacher stipends, school lunches for 723 students (plus 233 National School students), a doctor and dentist who visit twice a month, parish-church maintenance, and clean-water filtration systems serving 1,200+ homes. The committee previously shipped clothing and school supplies via sea container to Port-au-Prince; that effort has been paused since 2022 due to Haitian government collapse and insecurity. Monthly Outreach Weekends after the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass feature Haitian coffee and donuts, and the STA choir sings a Creole Communion hymn in solidarity.
- Twinning since 1990 with the Parish Twinning Program of the Americas
- Medical mission teams traveled annually 1995–2011
- Stipends a doctor and dentist to visit twice a month
- Clean-water filtration systems for 1,200+ homes
- Outreach Weekends — Haitian coffee & donuts after the 10:30 Sunday Mass
- Creole Communion hymn (O Lespri Sen) sung monthly
- Follow on Facebook: Haiti Connection-STA Indy
- Contact: Mark Varnau or Fred Chandler; committee meets 2nd Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Bethany Room
Serving Hands Bereavement Ministry
Serving Hands organizes and provides the meal that follows any funeral held at St. Thomas Aquinas, served in the Bethany Room as a way to celebrate the life of the deceased. Volunteers provide dishes, set up and clean up, or serve.
- Karen Wysong — 765-242-0157, [email protected]
- Tish Pyritz — 317-509-2889, [email protected]
SausageFest — Annual Parish Festival
SausageFest is St. Thomas Aquinas's annual two-day late-summer festival and largest fundraiser, featuring Sun King Brewery beer, L.E. Kincaid & Sons sausages, pizza, wine, live local music on the main stage, a teen DJ lot, inflatables, dunk tank, face painting, and a wine-and-beer garden. Admission is free. The 2026 event runs August 14–15, 5:30 p.m. to midnight each day, with a fundraising goal of $100,000 to support the school.
- Dates: August 14–15, 2026, 5:30 p.m.–midnight
- Location: 4600 N. Illinois St. (parish grounds)
- Cost: free admission
- Featured: Sun King beer, L.E. Kincaid sausages, live music, kids' games, teen area, wine garden
- Contact: Chris Durnil ([email protected])
- Sponsorship: Jessica Reckamp or Emily Gurwitz
Butler Catholic Community / Student Ministry
St. Thomas Aquinas has nurtured the Catholic presence at neighboring Butler University since the 1950s, originally hosting a parish-supported Newman Center that closed in 2003. Since then, the parish has continued to minister to the Butler Catholic Community — today's student ministry — through student Masses and parish life.
Parish Council & Strategic Plan
The parish is governed by a Parish Council. On June 2, 2026, the council approved a Strategic Plan for the next three years (2026–2029), following parish listening sessions in April 2026. The council periodically opens nominations for at-large elected members serving three-year terms.
Visiting & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office at 317-253-1461 (fax 317-953-1795) or by emailing Matt Lorch, the Parish Administrative Assistant. The office is at 4625 N. Kenwood Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46208-3599, in the heart of the Butler–Tarkington neighborhood. The church is listed as Parish #043 in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis directory, with 668 registered families and a sanctuary capacity of 600.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Joseph Tieman1938–1942
Founding pastor appointed by Bishop Joseph Ritter; built the original wood-frame church and the school (opened 1941). Died in office in 1942.
- Father John Holloran1942–early 1960s
Succeeded the founding pastor and led the parish through the postwar period.
- Father Thomas Careybrief tenure, early 1960s
Brief pastorate between Holloran and Bosler.
- Msgr. Raymond Bosler1963–1966
Civil-rights leader since the mid-1950s and member of Vatican II support staff; championed racial integration, social justice, lay involvement, and liturgical renewal at St. Thomas Aquinas. Dedicated the 1964 school addition. The Bosler Chapel inside the church is named for him.
- Father Thomas Dooley1966–1978
Oversaw construction of the modern 1968–69 church; issued a 1975 joint statement with Father Peter committing the parish to fully sung, inclusive Masses.
- Father Martin 'Marty' Peter1978–1984
Assistant pastor under Dooley (1975 joint statement); led the parish through intense peace-and-justice advocacy as pastor.
- Father Clifford Vogelsang1984–1993
Membership topped 2,000 during his tenure; addressed Gulf War and cuts to social programs.
- Father William Munshower1993–2005
Had earlier served as assistant to Msgr. Bosler; led 2001 church/school expansion. Called the laity 'the parish.' Ninth pastor.
- Father Steve Schwab2005–
Successor to Father Munshower; current priest whose tenure is celebrated for the parish's alignment with Pope Francis's vision.