Indian bishops honour French missionary scholar for lifetime of biblical service

CCBI recognises Fr. Lucien Legrand for decades of teaching and scholarship that shaped generations of clergy and strengthened Scripture studies in India and across Asia.

BENGALURU, Karnataka (Indian Catholic News) — The Catholic Church in India has honoured French missionary Fr. Lucien Legrand for his outstanding contribution to biblical studies, recognising a lifetime of service that has helped shape generations of priests and scholars across the country.

The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) in its Feb. 3 press release said it honoured Fr. Legrand, a member of the Missions Étrangères de Paris (MEP, Paris Foreign Missions Society), during its 37th Plenary Assembly in Bengaluru. The bishops described him as “one of Asia’s most respected biblical scholars and missionaries,” citing his lifelong commitment to the Church in India and his influence on Scripture scholarship.

According to the statement, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão of Goa, president of the CCBI, honoured him with a memento and shawl during the CCBI assembly.

Legrand was born on Nov. 10, 1926, in Monson-Bern, France. He joined the Missions Étrangères de Paris at 18, completed studies in Paris and Rome, and earned a licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute. He was ordained a priest on June 29, 1950.

He arrived in India in 1953 and, after a brief pastoral assignment in the Diocese of Salem, was sent to St. Peter’s Seminary in Bangalore in 1955. The statement said that “for nearly seven decades, he has been a steady and formative presence at the St. Peter’s seminary,” adding that many of his former students now serve as pastors, professors and bishops in India and abroad.

International service and lasting institutional impact

From 1973 to 1978, Legrand served on the Pontifical Biblical Commission after being appointed by Pope Paul VI. The bishops said he “brought the voice and experience of Asia into the Church’s reflection on Scripture at a crucial post-conciliar period.”

His doctoral research, completed in 1979, focused on the Annunciation to Mary. The statement noted that his scholarship was consistently rooted in faith and pastoral concern, saying, “His scholarship always remained rooted in faith, prayer, and pastoral concern.” Alongside teaching, he also served as a parish priest and was known for clarity in preaching and simplicity of life.

Legrand is the author of several widely used works in biblical theology, including Unity and Plurality: Mission in the Bible, Paul and the Missionary Strategy of the Apostolic Churches, The Word is Near You, and The Power of His Resurrection. He also contributed numerous articles, translations and reflections in French and English.

At St. Peter’s Seminary, he strengthened the library and founded the Bible Museum, described in the statement as “now one of Asia’s key resources for Scripture studies.”

Despite his international reputation, the bishops said Legrand remained marked by humility and compassion. The statement said he “never sought positions of honour,” and that his authority came from “his holiness, wisdom, and care for students and the poor.”

The CCBI said the Church in India honours him as “a teacher, scholar, missionary, and father figure for the Indian Church,” adding that through his life and work, he has fostered “a deep love for the Word of God” whose legacy continues through those he formed.