Berard of Carbio, O.F.M., was a thirteenth-century

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...

who was executed in Morocco for attempting to promote Christianity. He and his companions, Peter, Otho, Accursius, and Adjutus, are venerated as saints and considered the Franciscan

Protomartyr A protomartyr (Koine Greek, ''πρότος'' ''prótos'' "first" + ''μάρτυρας'' ''mártyras'' "martyr") is the first Christian martyr in a country or among a particular group, such as a religious order. Similarly, the phrase the Protom ...

s. Expelled from the kingdom twice, they returned each time and continued to preach against Islam. In anger and frustration, the king finally beheaded them.

Life

According to tradition, Berard was born into a noble family of Leopardi, and was a native of Carbio in

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

, a province of the

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. He was received into the newly founded Franciscan Order by St. Francis of Assisi in 1213. On the conclusion of the Second

General Chapter A chapter ( la, capitulum or ') is one of several bodies of clergy in Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Nordic Lutheran churches or their gatherings. Name The name derives from the habit of convening monks or canons for the re ...

of the Franciscan friars in 1219, Francis believed the time had then come for the friars of his Order to extend their apostolic labors beyond the Italian peninsula and northern Europe. Berard was well versed in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

, was an eloquent preacher, and was chosen by Francis, together with two other priests, Peter and Otho, and two

lay brother Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choir, ...

s, Accursius and Adjutus, to evangelize in Morocco.Donovan, Stephen. "St. Berard of Carbio." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 16 May 2018 Santos Mártires de Marrocos (c

The five missionaries set sail from Italy and arriving in Portugal, crossed into Spain and then to

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

, then still under Muslim rule, where their preaching antagonized the king. After imprisoning them for some three weeks, he expelled them to the Kingdom of Morocco. Despite the fact that the only one of the five who knew any

was Berard, their open preaching of the Christian religion and their bold denunciation of Islam soon caused them to be viewed as insane. The king ordered them escorted to

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...

and put aboard ships bound for Christian lands. However, the friars left the ships, returned to Morocco, and resumed preaching. They were then released and given guides to take them to Christian territory, but they once again returned. When it became clear that they would neither go away nor stop preaching, they were apprehended and cast into prison.Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. ''The Penguin Dictionary of Saints''. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. . Having vainly endeavored to persuade them to abandon their Catholic faith, the Moorish king, in a fit of rage, beheaded them with his

scimitar A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different ...

, making them the first martyrs of the Franciscan Order. When he heard of their deaths, Francis is reported to have said, "Now at least do I have true Friars Minor!""Saint Berard and Companions", Franciscan Media
/ref> Upon the return of their bodies to Portugal, they were solemnly processed from there all the way to Assisi. A young

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

canon regular Canons regular are priests who live in community under a rule ( and canon in greek) and are generally organised into religious orders, differing from both secular canons and other forms of religious life, such as clerics regular, designated by a ...

was so moved by their sacrifice when he saw this caravan pass by his monastery, that he joined the Franciscan Order later to be known as St. Anthony of Padua.

Veneration

Berard and his companions were

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of s ...

by Pope Sixtus IV in 1481. Their joint feast day is celebrated on 16 January within the Franciscan Order.

References

External links

Santi Berardo, Otone, Pietro, Accursio e Adiuto Protomartiri dell’Ordine dei Frati Minori

Fonti Protomartiri Francescani
*
Iconografia Protomartiri Francescani e s. Antonio

- mentioned in the entry for Saint Anthony
Jubilee year marking the eighth centenary of the arrival of the Franciscans in Morocco
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berard of Carbio 1220 deaths People from Umbria Italian Friars Minor Franciscan martyrs Franciscan saints 13th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests 13th-century Christian saints 13th-century Roman Catholic martyrs Christian saints killed by Muslims Medieval Italian saints Year of birth unknown