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Love for Christ calls father and son to ordained ministry in Indianapolis Archdiocese – The Record Newspaper

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Love for Christ calls father and son to ordained ministry in Indianapolis Archdiocese – The Record Newspaper


Deacon Liam Hosty and his father, Deacon Tom Hosty, processed out of St. Barnabas Church in Indianapolis April 27 after a Mass during which Deacon Liam was ordained. They are the first father and son to be deacons in the history of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Deacon Tom Hosty was ordained in 2022. (OSV News photo/Sean Gallagher, The Criterion)

By Sean Gallagher, OSV News

INDIANAPOLIS — This spring Deacon Tom Hosty and his son Liam made history, becoming the first father and son to both be deacons at the same time in the 190-year history of the Catholic Church in central and southern Indiana.

Deacon Tom, 60, was ordained a permanent deacon for the Indianapolis Archdiocese in 2022, and Liam, 26, was ordained a transitional deacon as an archdiocesan seminarian April 27 at St. Barnabas Church in Indianapolis, with his ordination to the priesthood expected to happen in June of 2025.

Ahead of Liam’s ordination, in a March interview with The Criterion, the archdiocesan newspaper, neither of them had given much thought to the history they were making. Their hearts and minds were focused instead on matters that were more important to them — their relationship as father and son and their shared desire to serve Christ and the church.

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“It’s a beautiful thing,” said Deacon Tom, director of the archdiocesan Department of Pastoral Ministries. “It’s all in God’s control. There must be a reason that he’s calling the two of us to holy orders. … It’s just complete providence.”

“My dad is always going to be my dad,” said Liam. “But it’s neat to almost see him as a peer and a brother in a certain way, a brother in Christ, a co-worker in the vineyard.”

The paths that father and son have taken to their call to ordained ministry can be traced back to 1999, when the family moved from Kansas City, Kansas, to Indianapolis, where Deacon Tom was transferred in his work as an attorney at NCAA headquarters in its enforcement division.

The family soon became members of St. Barnabas Parish on Indianapolis’ southside. Liam was a toddler at the time, Deacon Tom and wife Julie’s fourth child. A fifth would be born later.

Looking back 25 years later, Julie sees the hand of God guiding her family to St. Barnabas.

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“It was divine providence,” she said. “We were provided with so many opportunities and surrounded by really amazing faith-filled people that just inspired us. They were our role models. We wanted to do better. We were very blessed.”

Deacon Tom experienced a turning point in his life of faith in 2003 when he participated in a Christ Renews His Parish retreat at St. Barnabas.

“That’s really when I had for the first time a personal relationship with Christ,” he recalled. “That’s when I drew close to Christ and began diving into Scripture a lot.”

His blossoming faith made an impression on his young son.

“It was really evident when I was a kid that Jesus was a real person because my dad had a relationship with him,” Liam said. “There’s no on and off switch for my dad. Whenever he rests, he’s resting with the Lord. Whenever he’s working, he’s working with the Lord. I saw that.”

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Deacon Tom and Julie sought to share their faith not only with their five children, but also with other young people at St. Barnabas. As their own children prepared for the sacrament of confirmation, the parents hosted monthly meetings of small groups of the parish’s teenagers at their home to lead them in their sacramental formation.

Liam regularly saw in these meetings in his own home how important the faith was to his parents.

“Our household was imbued with the sense that our faith was not something we do just on Sunday,” he said. “It’s part of our identity. We’re Catholic Christians.”

When he became a student at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis in 2012, Liam would talk with his dad about what he was learning in his theology classes and how much he was interested in them.

“He had a deep understanding of Catholic theology,” Deacon Tom recalled. “I would have to go and explore it myself. How did he know all this? He was smarter than I was in those things. It was cool to see as a dad.”

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As Liam’s time at Roncalli progressed, so did his thoughts about God possibly calling him to be a priest.

“He was pretty open about it,” Deacon Tom said. “Even in high school, he was really being serious about his own discernment.”

As Liam became a seminarian at Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary in Indianapolis
in the fall of 2016, Deacon Tom was considering his own possible call to the diaconate.

He had been thinking about it privately for a few years. In 2017, he began the application process to be accepted into the archdiocese’s deacon formation program. He was accepted and began his formation in 2018 when Liam was in his second year at Bishop Bruté.

“It was a very personal call,” Deacon Tom said of his discernment. “I did not want to influence him. And I didn’t want his vocation to influence mine. I needed to understand what God was calling me to do.”

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For his part, Liam is grateful for his parents always being in his corner, yet also giving him the space he needed for his consideration of his vocation.

“They have an unconditional love and support for me,” he said. “It has been constant through my childhood and during my discernment.”

Julie has been a constant with Deacon Tom and Liam in their respective discernments. While her husband admires the deep faith he has seen in her throughout their 35 years of marriage, Julie was quick to say with a laugh that her husband and son were called to ordained ministry “in spite of me, in spite of my failings.”

“They’re very inspiring to me,” she said. “I do feel that, because of them, my faith is stronger. They’re both just pretty amazing — in their faith and the way they serve others. The servant heart that both of them have is very inspiring to me.”

The bond of Deacon Tom and Liam deepened in the four years from 2018-22 when both were in formation for ordained ministry. That bond has only strengthened since Deacon Tom’s ordination in 2022.

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Their common experience of formation gives them a bond that brings them together in ways they can’t share with others who haven’t gone down the same path.

It went beyond just talking about their experiences to praying together, along with Julie. In their times together at home, they prayed together the Liturgy of the Hours, something that all who are ordained promise at their ordination to do for the rest of their lives.

Liam was ordained a transitional deacon April 27 at St. Barnabas Church in Indianapolis. At the beginning of the rite, as part of the church’s ordination ritual that goes back centuries, a person representing the church calls forward those to be ordained by name.

This symbolic action became personal and poignant for father and son.

Deacon Tom called forth his son.

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“Let the one who is to be ordained a deacon come forth,” he said.

He paused for about 10 seconds, working to gain hold of his overflowing emotions before he finally added, “Liam James Hosty.”

After the ordination Mass, Deacon Tom spoke about the emotions he felt.

“It was a powerful moment to announce to the community that he was being called forward to be ordained a deacon,” he told The Criterion. “It’s unique for a parent to have that role in the rite.”

“It was a beautiful moment to see how much love my dad has for me and how proud he is of me,” added Deacon Liam. “I’m proud of my dad, too. He’s also laid down his life for the Gospel. I hope to do the same.”

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INDOT says Clear Path 465 nears major milestone with final bridge beams

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INDOT says Clear Path 465 nears major milestone with final bridge beams


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Department of Transportation says the Clear Path 465 project is nearing one of its last major milestones.

On Monday, the state agency announced that 10 bridge beams for construction work are scheduled to be delivered and set this week. It marks the final beams required and the 14th bridge on the project.

The beams will be installed for a bridge on I-69, northbound, over 82nd Street. Drivers should expect closures from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. through early next week as crews complete the overhead work.

  • Wednesday, April 15 & Thursday, April 16
    • 82nd Street is closed in both directions under I-69
  • Friday, April 17 – Monday, April 20
    • Eastbound 82nd Street closed under I-69
  • Tuesday, April 21 – Thursday, April 23
    • Westbound 82nd Street is closed under I-69.

Scheduled work is pending weather conditions in the area.

The mainline portion of Clear Path is still expected to finish this spring. INDOT says drivers should expect traffic shifts on I-465. The shifts will open the interstate to three lanes in each direction.

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Crews will install noise barriers and other final touches later this year. When that step is completed, I-465 will open to four lanes from the White River to Fall Creek.



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Pike Township leaders plan to address issues with N Zone bar after weekend shootout

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Pike Township leaders plan to address issues with N Zone bar after weekend shootout


INDIANAPOLIS — A shootout at a troubled bar near 86th Street and Michigan Road sent two people to nearby St. Vincent Hospital early Sunday morning and has now prompted a review by IMPD’s Nuisance and Abatement Unit. 

Police were dispatched to N Zone Bar and Grill shortly before 2 a.m. after a security guard called 911 and reported the shootout between a man at the bar and a person in a car in the parking lot. 

Photo of the N Zone Bar and Grill in Indianapolis captured by a FOX59/CBS4 crew on April 13, 2026.

Later that morning, two different people walked into St. Vincent Hospital on the north side of Indianapolis with gunshot wounds. The victims who checked into the hospital Sunday morning are believed to have been involved in the shooting.

“No one is immune, things are going to jump off in different areas,” Pike Township Trustee Annette Johnson said. “But I would say (I’m) concern(ed).”

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That concern from Johnson stems from the fact that the bar has been the subject of several complaints from people who live in the area, including homeowners associations. Those people have been reporting a host of issues at the establishment. 

“Late-night fights, break-outs,” Johnson said. “To the left of that area, you have apartments that have been there in this community forever, and then you have a housing addition directly across the street.”

A neighboring business told FOX59/CBS4 they were not surprised to hear another incident had occurred given the bar’s past. 

Just recently, video circulated on social media of a large brawl between several women in the parking lot of the bar. Reports made by IMPD show numerous calls to the location in recent years for things like gun crimes and fights. 

In May 2022, a man was shot and critically wounded outside the bar. The establishment was shut down following that incident after officials discovered it did not have the proper permits. 

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Johnson said the fire department has been called to the bar at least 20 times since it opened, which she believes is a lot for a business like that. 

“If you have too many complaints, you know what happens with those types of situations where residents will complain,” Johnson said. “Zoning and making reports on that that go downtown, and sometimes, you’re served papers that you may not be a business anymore.”

Johnson said she doesn’t want to see that happen and hopes to intervene so things don’t reach that level with N Zone. She said her next step will be reaching out for a conversation with the bar’s owners to try and give some best practices for them moving forward. 

The facility appeared to be closed Sunday and Monday. 

Police have not publicly announced if they identified or detained any suspects or persons of interest during their investigation of Sunday morning’s shooting.

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IMPD said its nuisance and abatement team is aware of the location and working to determine if any enforcement action should be taken. 



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Indianapolis Colts Under Fire Following Daniel Jones Decision

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Indianapolis Colts Under Fire Following Daniel Jones Decision



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Daniel Jones #17 of the Indianapolis Colts in action against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on October 19, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

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The Indianapolis Colts entered the 2026 NFL offseason needing to make a decision about the future of quarterback Daniel Jones.

After signing Jones last offseason to a one-year deal in free agency, the Colts liked what they saw from him in 2025. Unfortunately, his season came to an end early after he went down with a torn Achilles.

Before suffering that injury, Jones played in 13 games. He completed 68 percent of his pass attempts for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, while also running for 164 yards and five more touchdowns.

Jones was a free agent entering the offseason. Indianapolis moved quickly to lock him in. The Colts signed the veteran quarterback to a massive two-year, $88 million contract.

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Whether or not the move will pay off remains to be seen. It’s a big risk for Indianapolis, but Jones showed the potential of being a legitimate franchise quarterback before the injury occurred.


Colts Under Fire After Huge Daniel Jones Contract Decision

Chris Ballard and the Colts may be confident in Jones’ ability to be their starter moving forward. Not everyone agrees with the contract the team gave him.

Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport has named the move as one of the worst of the NFL offseason.

“Maybe Jones will be ready for Week 1 despite the severity of the injury. Maybe he can repeat last year’s success despite his struggles in New York. Maybe he’s the next Sam Darnold,” Davenport wrote.

“Or maybe the Colts should have let Jones play out the 2026 season on the transition tag while they saw how all those ‘maybes’ played out.”

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Last season, Jones faced a lot of doubt as well. After his rocky tenure with the New York Giants, no one could be blamed for having reservations about the quarterback. However, after the way he played in 2025, Indianapolis feels good about its decision.


Indianapolis Has Had a Wild NFL Offseason So Far

Outside of the Jones move, the Colts have been very busy this offseason.

Along with re-signing Jones, the team also brought back wide receiver Alec Pierce. In order to make that move happen, they had to pay out a four-year deal worth $114 million.

Plenty of other moves have been made as well. Indianapolis traded star linebacker Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers and added pieces like defensive end Arden Key, defensive end Micheal Clemons, defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, among others.

Most recently, the Colts have been hit with a trade request from cornerback Kenny Moore.

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Only time will tell how the team’s offseason moves pan out. Indianapolis has taken some risk this offseason and still has holes to fill. However, the Colts looked like one of the best teams in the NFL during the first half of the 2025 season and may not be far off from Super Bowl contention.

Evan Massey Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst located in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has been featured on many publications, including Newsweek, Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and many others. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son. More about Evan Massey





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