Holy Martyrs of Morocco
Protomartyrs of the Order of Friars Minor
Sent by Saint Francis
In 1219, Saint Francis of Assisi sent six of his most passionate Friars Minor to mission in Morocco; they were the predecessors of all Franciscan and of all Portuguese missionaries, obeying the Brother of Assisi and serving the King of Kings, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
"My sons," said Francis, "the Lord has told me to send you amidst the Saracens, to preach them the Faith and to struggle against the law of Mohammed. Also I shall go to strange lands to work for the salvation of the infidels. Be ready to fulfill the will of the Lord. Preserve among yourselves peace, and concord, and charity. Remain humble in tribulation and follow Jesus Christ in poverty, in chastity, and in obedience. Place your hopes in God, and He will support and guide you. He Who sends you will Himself watch over you and will inspire whatever you need to say."
They all kneeled and Saint Francis concluded: "May the blessing of God the Father descend upon you, as it descended upon the Apostles. May He join you and strengthen you in tribulation. Do not fear, for God is with you. Go forth, in the name of the Lord."
And so they went: Otho (Otone), priest; Berard (Berardo), subdeacon; Vital (Vitale), Peter (Pietro), Accursius (Accursio), and Adjutus (Adiuto), brothers.
Welcomed by the monarchs of Spain and Portugal
When in the Kingdom of Aragon, Spain, Brother Vital fell ill and stayed behind, but the valiant friars, now only five and led by Berard, went on their way and arrived in Portugal, where they were welcomed, in Coimbra, by queen Urraca, wife of king Alphonsus II.
Surprised by the will of these friars to go to Saracen lands to preach the Holy Name of Jesus, the Queen welcomed them with great care and, impressed by the holiness of the poor friars, asked them to reveal her the hour of her death and also who should die first, she or the king.
They told her that she would die when their dead bodies returned from the lands of the infidels, slain for the name of Jesus, and that the first member of the royal couple who saw their bodies would die first. (And it so happened that Urraca died first, for she was the first to see the relics of the holy martyrs.)
The holy friars also went to Alenquer, where they presented themselves to Princess Sancha, daughter of King Sancho I and sister of king Alphonsus II, founder of the first Franciscan convent in Portugal (whose first superior was Brother Zacharias, companion of Francis).
The Princess gave them regular clothes so that they would be able to enter the land of the Moors; otherwise, in their habits, not even the Christian merchants would allow them to proceed, for fear that they might disturb commerce with the Mohammedans.
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Read introduction here.
