The “embodiment of what is sought”—this is an expression Eduardo Bonnín frequently used when a Cursillista applied what they had experienced in a Cursillo to their daily life. Ramón Armengol Rodó demonstrated, through his own life, what the Cursillo intended—which is nothing other than to live out and experience the Christian Essentials. In other words, he knew that God in Christ loved him deeply, and he internalized this in his daily life.
Ramón—a man, a person, and a Christian—was a worthy apostle of Jesus. He was born in Tarrasa, completed his military service in Mallorca, where he attended his Cursillo on the island in 1955, and met Eduardo Bonnín during that time. From that year onward, they remained close friends.
Upon his return to Tarrasa, he promoted the Cursillos in Catalonia, working in various dioceses to make it possible for people to come to know Christ through a Cursillo; he was a leader and a very active figure in the Cursillos de Cristiandad Movement.
He participated in countless Cursillos and was the longest-serving Rector in Barcelona.
One of his great passions was mountaineering; he was a great nature enthusiast, which he combined with another hobby, photography. Through his photographic eye, he captured all the beauty that nature offered him—both natural landscapes and wildlife, including his famous dragonflies.
He always let his true self shine through, setting aside any persona that might have masked his genuine personality.
He knew how to discover God in all of creation, especially in people.
He never lost touch with either Eduardo or his Cursillistas in Mallorca; in fact, at various events—such as the Mallorca-Barcelona Gatherings, the Cursillo of Cursillos, and the Cala Figuera Conversations—Ramón attended them all and, in most cases, had the opportunity to give a talk.
I think all of us who knew him would agree that he was a speaker who always hit the mark, no matter what talk or presentation he gave. His speeches were very well structured, weaving together his thoughts, his experiences, his deeds, and, of course, his razor-sharp sense of humor—ensuring that each of his talks resonated deep within us, touching our hearts, and consequently inspiring a great capacity to persuade, which was sustained by his intimate relationship with the Lord, with the Gospel, his friendship with the Cursillistas, and with those in his professional and social circles in his native Tarrasa.
A CHRISTIAN in capital letters… that was Ramón, who always demonstrated a mindset of his own, just as described in the Foundational Charism, where this mindset is based on four pillars: Gospel, Common Sense, Person, and Faith.
Gospel : Ramón always demonstrated his passion for uncovering the meaning behind every Gospel story, delving deeply into each of the messages, thoughts, parables, and deeds of Jesus of Nazareth. In all his talks or presentations, one or more Gospel passages would always shine through.
Common Sense: He strove to be a Christian with simply marvelous judgment and creativity, which made us realize the great value of living with simplicity and humility. He was a highly educated man, yet he always placed himself on the same level as those he was speaking with—that is, he never acted intellectually superior to the person standing right in front of him.
A person of integrity, natural, down-to-earth, sincere, and truthful—but above all, he stood out for his authenticity. No one ever grew tired of being with him, and he never grew tired of being with others. Wherever he went, he left his mark, and whoever listened to him never forgot him.
Faith—all of Ramón’s virtues were underpinned by his immense faith in God, in the Lord, and in people. That faith sustained him in his quest to be a better Christian, a fact reflected in his daily life as he radiated the joy of feeling loved by God.
We, the Cursillistas of Mallorca, will always be grateful to Ramón Armengol for having been an ambassador and a living example of the Foundational Charism, always carrying it in his soul and spreading the essence and purpose of the Movement wherever he went.
