Berard of Carbio

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Saint Berard of Carbio
Martry of Moracco
Born	in Umbria
Died	16 January 1220 in Morocco[Morocco]]
Venerated in	Roman Catholicism
Canonized	19 April 1665, Rome by Pope Sixtus V
Feast	16 January
Saints Portal

Saint Berard of Carbio was born into a noble family of Leopardi, and a native of Carbio in Umbria. Berard was received into the Franciscan Order by the Saint Francis, in 1213. He was well versed in Arabic, an eloquent preacher, and was chosen by St. Francis, together with two other priests, Peter and Otho, and two lay-brothers, Accursius and Adjutus, to evangelize the "infidels of the East". On the conclusion of the Second General Chapter of the Franciscan Friars in 1219, St. Francis believed that the time had then come for the Religious of his order to extend their apostolic labors beyond the Italian peninsula and Northern Europe; and, choosing for himself and twelve other religious the greater part of Syria and Egypt, he allotted to Berard and his companions the missions of Morocco.

The five missionaries set sail from Italy, and after sojourning some time in Spain and Portugal, they arrived in the Kingdom of Morocco. Their open preaching of the Gospel there and their bold denunciation of the religion of Mahomet soon caused them to be apprehended and cast into prison. Having vainly endeavoured to persuade them to abandon their Catholic faith, the Moorish king, in a fit of rage, opened their heads with his scimitar, and thus were the first martyrs of the Franciscan Order. Berard and his companions were canonized by Sixtus V, in 1481.

His feast day is 16 January.

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia.