Priest got pipes, Cebu’s well-loved singing padre reveals his loves and quirks

CEBU, Philippines - Gifted with a modulated voice, one cannot help but pay attention to him. What more when he sings during his homily as his way of propagating the faith?

Reverend Father Jonas M. Mejares, OSA, Rector of the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, was five years old when he discovered his singing potential. This was eventually nurtured by his parents while growing up in the green fields of Napo, Loon Bohol.

Years after, the stars conspired in his favor. When he joined the order of Saint Agustin in 1981, gifted seminarians were already encouraged to hone their talents, unlike their predecessors. He further developed his vocal chops through the auspices of well-known conservatories of music in the country such as University of San Agustin, University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas.

Father Jonas finished his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Theology with cum laude honors, and was ordained into the priesthood in 1990. He went on to take his Licentiate and Doctoral Degree in Canon Law in Angelicum, Rome Italy where he graduated magna cum laude.

While in Italy, he continued with his apostolate in various Filipino communities. He was also able to hold four concerts with some Pinoy artists. Along with the grand choir that he formed, Fr. Jonas performed before the pope in Vatican City in 2003.

Truly a music lover, Father Jonas has composed songs for various occasions and recorded three albums.  He has performed with various artists such as  Jose Mari Chan, Luke Mejares, Tata Villaruel, Sheryn Regis, Yeng Constantino, Jed Madela, Sitti Navarro, Coco Martin, Apple Abarquez, Maria Donna, “Pinoy Got Talent” champion Roel Manlangit and the famous Loboc Choir.

As he celebrates his 50th birthday today, Father Jonas dishes out eight facts on his multifaceted persona.

1 I’m a lola’s boy. I’m overly

attached to my grandmother – my mother’s mother. Perhaps that is why elder people are so close to my heart. My grandma, lola Juana, is my deepest source of inspiration in my vocation to the priesthood. She taught me how to pray the rosary and explained to me the importance of attending Mass.

2 Now, allow me to talk about my

favorites in terms of food. I would rather eat at a carenderia (eatery) than dine at an expensive restaurant. My all-time favorite viand is inun-unang isda (fish cooked in vinegar). My favorite breakfast delicacy is champorado. My favorite fruit is avocado.

3 My favorite colors are red, white and black.

4 I love sports more than music

(Yes, I love music, but let me get to that later), especially basketball, despite the fact that I am vertically challenged. According to some people, I do well with the three-point area. My favorite basketball players are Michael Jordan and Lebron James. My second favorite sport is table tennis. In fact, I often joined table tennis competitions during my youth. I also play lawn tennis, but I would attest that I need more training to be really good at it.

5  I love collecting rubber shoes and

 baseball caps. Most of my collections are given by friends and relatives. For the record, the only items in my collections which I personally bought are two pairs of rubber shoes and two baseball caps. With the reality of growing old, I am gradually giving some in my collection away to those who are in need of them.

6  I love challenges in life. Perhaps

                        the  greatest challenge that I had was when I studied in Rome, Italy. The first struggle was the language: Italian was the medium of instruction in class. During the first few weeks, I was not able to understand my professors. There were no written exams or quizzes. There was only a final exam at the end of the course. The final exam was a 10-minute oral recitation. The climate in Italy is different. It was horribly cold during the winter season. The food, too, was different: there were pizzas, pastas, bread (not the usual bread in the Philippines), fruits and large chunks of meat. I constantly craved for inun-unang isda, buwad (dried fish), ginamos (anchovies) and of course, rice. Italian cuisine ruined my Filipino palate. Most of all, I was homesick all the time.

7  I can attest that I am friendly – a people

 person, so to speak. Even those people sitting next to me on the plane, the boat or whatever and wherever, I easily connect with them. I love social gatherings. I love to be with people – this actually helped me a lot in my ministry as a priest.

8  I almost forgot. I love boxing, not

because I play the sport but I am a constant spectator. My all-time boxing icon is the People’s Champ Manny Pacquiao. I actually witnessed the two fights of Pacman in Las Vegas (Pacquiao-Barrera II and Pacquiao-Marquez II) because of my relatives who reside in the States. I was the accompanist for the Thanksgiving Mass of Pacman after his second fight with Marquez (that was when he was still a Catholic).