I was privileged to interview Fr. Jonathan Meyer recently. Fr. Meyer was ordained a priest in 2003 for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. After his ordination, he served as the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese. He also served at several parishes, prior to being named as the pastor of four parishes in Dearborn County, IN. He maintains a presence on the internet with weekly homilies, seasonal reflections, and other teachings. He authored and published two children’s plays and recently wrote a chapter for Dynamic Catholic’s book, Beautiful Hope. In 2022, he began ministering as a National Preacher for the Eucharistic Revival. Fr. Meyer also recorded videos on 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory. In his spare time, Fr. Meyer coaches Track and Cross Country at public schools, which he has done for the past 12 years. Following is a transcript of the interview.
As a pastor, you have begun Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration at three parishes. What are the steps that you recommend parishes take to begin 24/7 Adoration?
My biggest recommendation would be a reverent celebration of Mass in the first place. So, for people to embrace Eucharistic Adoration they need to know that Our Lord is present. Mass needs to be done reverently.
Secondly, catechesis. In our multi-faceted world, [this needs to be done] in Mass, the bulletin, religious education, extra handouts, and schools. When I arrive in a parish, I try to flood every avenue I have with catechesis on the Eucharist. There can be a thought that if I give one or two homilies it will be enough, but it has to be shared across the adult faith formation studies, and it has to be multi-faceted. People learn differently—there need to be Bible studies, and the whole parish needs to be involved with heavy catechesis.
Catechesis on the true presence of the Eucharist is critical: how you genuflect, appropriate behavior, etc. Unless you are doing Adoration, your people don’t know what Eucharistic Adoration is, that it literally, truly is Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. I talk about its biblical foundation and about Eucharistic Miracles. Carlo Acutis—look at him—he spent an hour in Adoration every day from when he was eight until fifteen! Which of my First Communicants is making a decision to spend an hour every day with Our Lord?
What else have you found effective in promoting Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament?
We have the practice at my parish that we do five minutes of silent Adoration after Mass before receiving Benediction reverently.
Catechesis needs to happen. Our people need to be with Our Lord. We, as their shepherds, need to lead them.
Since 2008, every Advent I’ve been doing what’s known as Advent Adoration, exposing Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament on December 23rd, the busiest time of year. Parishioners have exposure to nocturnal Adoration. It’s the busiest time, they are overwhelmed and super busy, and I ask every person—no matter their age—to spend one hour with Jesus. We make sure it is beautifully decorated. I’ve been told again and again by my parishioners that it is the most powerful moment of Advent. That’s how I’ve exposed them first to nocturnal Adoration. I have the whole parish sign up. It’s my expectation as the pastor that everyone will sign up. I speak boldly that you have no excuse. Everyone is free at 2 a.m. It is a tried-and-true approach to unite people around Eucharistic Adoration and Eucharistic piety.
Although the daily organizational structure of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration relies on the faithful, priests do play a unique and crucial role. Can you speak to that?
The number one thing is that a priest needs to be living a life centered on the Eucharist, making at least a Holy Hour every day. St. Alphonsus Liguori said that if the holiest of your parishioners is doing a Rosary or Holy Hour and you’re not, then how can you be a father to your parishioners? That’s something that we need to bring to our spiritual director. That’s the heart and center of our Church. Every saint has rooted their life in the Holy Eucharist; there isn’t a saint who didn’t have a Eucharistic devotion.
Priests need to recommend Eucharistic Adoration. They have so much power and authority to invite and encourage in a way that nobody else can. They need to not be afraid to invite people to the most important thing they could ever invite their children to.
As priests, we are invited to help promote capital campaigns or the annual appeal; we don’t see the fruit or benefit. After opening three Perpetual Adoration chapels, there is nothing more efficacious to a parish than Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. It’s the number one game changer in any parish. It is the easiest thing—people are just showing up and doing what they want to: spending time with God. All you have to do is tell them to go. It is the most joyful thing you can give them. No one else has the authority to do this.
Every time I’ve started Perpetual Adoration, I do four weeks of preaching prior to the sign-up Sunday. On that Sunday, I make the actual pitch. Children are excited about what their father is excited about; if a dad likes football, golf, or NASCAR, kids get excited about what dad is excited about. If a pastor stands up in front of his congregation and is super excited about his parishioners signing up for one hour with Jesus each week, his kids will be excited. Pastors get excited about Catholic schools, 40 days for life, social justice, and the environment. My question is: What’s more exciting than Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament? What’s more rewarding than that? It’s the most multigenerational ministry you can have in your parish.
Talk about the reasons parishes should begin 24/7 Eucharistic Adoration.
If you want more people to read really good books, open a Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration chapel—people will start reading good Catholic literature. If you want them to have deep relationships with each other, open Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, and they will talk before or after their Holy Hour. If you want people to come to each other’s funerals, or pray in intercession for each other . . . Really, it’s the antidote for and solution to so many things in the parish. It changes how I celebrate and preach at Mass because I know how many of my people have spent an hour in silence—most likely meditating on the Sunday Scriptures.
What are some of the blessings that you have witnessed in your parishes because of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration?
It really is that fruitful. There are more people sharing prayers of petition, genuinely caring for each other, there is a greater sense of reverence, a greater ability to spend time in silence, more vocations, openness, and receptivity to vocations (not just to the priesthood and religious life but marriage—a young man proposed to his fiancée in the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration chapel just last weekend). Where should I be spending time with my spouse, with my boyfriend or girlfriend? If I put information in the Adoration chapel, three-hundred people are going to know that.
If a pastor is hesitant to begin Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, what should the laity do?
Present the fruits to the priest, pray for him, and fast for him.
How did you become interested in starting Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in your parishes?
In my first two assignments as an associate priest, there were Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration chapels. The priest is the game changer in these realms.
It has to be preached about. A decision has to be made to say it is a vital part of the parish. Every time a new [parish] member signs up, someone needs to contact them to sign up [for Adoration]. Spending an hour in Adoration once a week is the best thing for your soul.
I had exposure to Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in 1999, during my first summer assignment as a seminarian. I would go, take refuge there, and pray. Priesthood is an echoing of the theme: we have the greatest treasures and the most beautiful thing (our faith), why are we not sharing them? Since Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is efficacious in my prayer life, why would I not want this for all of my children?
What are some of the reasons that you think a pastor would not want Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration?
The number one excuse I hear from priests is that “I can’t get people to sign up for twelve hours or a First Friday.” But we have to do it. We have to bring people to Adoration. So, little tips are incorporating it into youth ministry and in Catholic schools because we have a crowd there—and it is active.
Sometimes they say, “That would never work here.” That’s not true. Great things can happen everywhere. We often limit things, accepting mediocrity and lacking virtue, as opposed to being magnanimous—believing God will do great things. Great things are possible. We are very blessed.
And if there aren’t enough faithful at one parish, multiple parishes can be engaged in each chapel. It is always in the same place and, if the faithful are having a rough day or night, they know where to go.
[The issue of] safety is a lie of the devil. Local police, because cars are coming in and out on the hour, say that it creates a great deterrent in that area. The church is highly watched and protected. We create a safe place, with cameras, and doors are locked from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. It is actually unbelievably safe. It creates a safer environment.
How would you respond if a pastor is concerned that he doesn’t have room for a chapel?
Concerning a space—there is always room for Jesus. I have used a former beauty salon, an old classroom, and a room in a library to make our chapels. The most important things are handicap accessibility and a restroom. God can bring anything about for His glory!
Do you have any other advice for those who are trying to start Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in their parishes?
It clearly changed my priesthood and the lives of my parishioners. It is the center of my parish. If you want Jesus to be the center, have all parishioners spend an hour with Jesus. It is pretty awesome.
The photos included in this article are of the three perpetual adoration chapels that Fr. Jonathan Meyer has had the honor of opening: St. Mary’s in Jennings County, IN; All Saints in Guilford, IN; and St. Mary’s in Aurora, IN. All photos were provided by Fr. Meyer.
