St Berard

Berard came from a very important family and when he was older he joined the order of Saint Francis of Assisi and became a priest.  St. Francis of Assisi asked some of his friars, including Berard, to go to Africa to tell the people living there about Jesus. The people of Morocco in Africa did not want to hear about Jesus because they wanted to live their life their own way.  Even though the people in the city told them to stop preaching, the Friars never stopped because they believed this is what God wanted them to do.  The people kept getting angrier and they killed the friars for preaching the gospel; they died as martyrs because of their faith in Jesus.  After they died, a friend of the friars took their bodies to be buried at Holy Cross Church in Coimbra, Portugal. Many people learned about their courage and strength and love of God. Even though it looked like their mission had failed, God used their mission to change peoples’ lives. One person was so inspired by St. Berard and his companions that he became a priest and loved God so much that he became a Saint, St. Anthony of Padua.