There are people who leave their mark. Not by great speeches. Not by bombastic titles. But by being. By serving. For adding with joy, with simplicity, with fidelity. Today we want to say goodbye to one of them.
On Thursday evening, July 17, in Madrid, our confrere, Friar Reynaldo Jaranilla, OAR, passed away. For us, simply, Boyax.
That’s what we called him in the Augustinian Recollects communication office. With affection. With closeness. Because beyond the habit and the keyboard, he was one of us: companion, friend, brother.
Between cables and Gospel
Fray Boyax lived -literally- among screens, cameras and websites. His passion for communication was not a hobby or just another task on his agenda. It was a vocation. A way of living the Gospel.
This same website that you are browsing, yes, this one that now connects you with us, bears much of his imprint. Much of his work. All his love.
His was the silent testimony of someone who understands that one can also be a missionary with a mouse in his hand and his heart in heaven. He was a digital missionaryHe was a digital missionary, an apostle of the keyboard, a tireless servant who traveled the information highways with the restless soul of the son of St. Augustine. And yes, he did it well.
Full presence
Boyax believed that the Internet could lead us to a full full presence. That networks, media, digital formats were not enemies of faith, but tools. Bridges. Places where we can meet and communicate better, even in real life.
He insisted on something that we now understand even better: that it is not just a matter of reaching many, but of reaching well. reaching the right. With truth. With beauty. With soul. He did it that way.
A farewell with a Tagalog accent
Today we want to bid you farewell, brother, in your language.
Maraming salamat po.
In Tagalog, it means: Thank you very much. “Marami” means “very much”. “Salamat”, “thank you”. And “po” is the particle of respect. Of reverence. Of deep affection.
Maraming salamat po, Boyax. Thank you for your life, for your dedication, for your faith that is as silent as it is firm. Thank you for being a true brother. Thank you for teaching us that it is also possible to evangelize between pixels and codes.
Until we meet again
Rest now, Boyax.
Reunite with so many brothers and sisters who have preceded you and enjoy – as you knew how to do – the company of heaven.
We are still here. With keyboards on fire and hearts still moved. We entrust our evangelizing mission to you. And when you see Christ – that Lord whom you loved so much – tell him how much we love him. How much we strive to proclaim him to the ends of the earth… even on the digital continent.
See you soon, brother.
And again, wholeheartedly: