JONMANONGDO.COM

Jon Manongdo is singer songwriter whose purpose and vocation is to serve God with the talents afforded to him by the Father. Through music Jon captures the stories of everyday life, and couples it with the hopeful message of the Gospel. 

Jon first started ministry at St. John the Baptist Church (SJB) in Milpitas, Ca. As part of the Jr. Legion of Mary, one of his service duties was mass choir every Sunday. His sister Geraldine lead the group while Jon sat in the back and cracked jokes. Jon's family has always been musically gifted, so being in the choir was no different from any other family get-together. One Sunday, after one joke too many, Geraldine decided to tame Jon by making him the conductor of the group, while she played the piano. All this occurred at the tender age of 10. Having no idea what to do, Jon sought out instruction from the church's Augustinian Recollect Sisters and others, as they taught him the rudiments of music. 

Through the years Jon's talents were honed through different experiences. SJB helped Jon develop as a leader and music minister. Years later, upon his sister's departure from the choir director role, Jon took over. Alongside another fine musician, MJ, Jon and the choir maintained the high level of music at the 12:30pm mass. At Santa Clara University, Jon was involved with a production called Pilipino Cultural Night (PCN), and was one of the show's producers and musical directors. Here Jon harnessed his skill of song-writing as he penned original Broadway-styled songs. All this while remaining with the SJB choir. 

It wasn't until 10 or 11 years from the choir's formation that Jon uprooted himself from the SJB community to explore other musical opportunities. The journey took him to a small community on the campus of San Jose State University. Jon found himself playing at mass with his long-time friend Kevin Batangan, who also taught him how to play guitar. Campus ministry was the place where Jon's faith and views on music were revolutionized. Here, Jon learned contemporary church music and the power it contained. This new-found love of church music was also fortified by a young lady, named Izza, who shared in his interests. She was a music minister at another parish. Together they learned more about Christ and the truth that He reveals. 

SJSU also brought about new friends. Jon met a young man named Josef Vargas who was new to the area from Southern California. They became good friends and together they formed ImagoXdei Music Ministry, a band dedicated to spreading the Gospel through song. ImagoXdei, or IXD, toured the San Francisco Bay Area and played with the likes of Fr. Stan Fortuna, Vince Nims, and Jesse Manibusan. It was in IXD that Jon fostered his skill of performance and writing music of faith as he wrote pieces that the group performed at their gigs. 

Equipped with a pen, a guitar, a piano, a voice, and the Holy Spirit, Jon is now ready to show the world the music of Christ.