After his ordination, Ferdinand was placed in charge of hospitality in his abbey. It was in this responsibility
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Ferdinand meditating on the Franciscan Martyrs |
that he first came in contact with the Franciscans. In 1219 he met five followers of St. Francis who were on their way to Morocco to preach to the Muslims. He was strongly attracted by their simple Gospel life style.
Then in February of 1220, news arrived that his five Franciscan friends had been martyred in Morocco. Their remains had been gathered together and sent to Portugal where they were being venerated as relics of martyrs of the faith. The king ordered them to be placed in the Church of the Holy Cross in Coimbra.