Berard was well versed in Arabic, was an eloquent preacher, and was chosen by Francis, together with two other priests, Peter and Otho, and two lay brothers, Accursius and Adjutus, to evangelize in Morocco.

[2] The five missionaries set sail from Italy and arriving in Portugal, crossed into Spain and then to Seville, then still under Muslim rule, where their preaching antagonized the king.

The only one of the five who knew any Arabic was Berard, and their open preaching of the Christian religion and their bold denunciation of Islam soon caused them to be viewed as insane.

[4] Having vainly endeavored to persuade them to abandon their Catholic faith, the Moorish king, in a fit of rage, beheaded them with his scimitar, making them the first martyrs of the Franciscan Order.

A young Portuguese canon regular was so moved by their sacrifice when he saw this caravan pass by his monastery that he joined the Franciscan Order; he would later be known as Anthony of Padua.