(Translated from the original text in French)
Born in Sherbrooke on February 10, 1939, he is the son of Armand Lacroix and Ernestine Pelletier. Brother Claude pursued classical studies: Latin Elements at St. Charles-Borromée Seminary in Sherbrooke, followed by Syntax and Rhetoric at St. Anthony Seminary in Trois-Rivières. He studied philosophy at the Franciscan scholasticate in Quebec and theology at the Franciscan Seminary in Montreal. He also studied at the Grand Seminary of Montreal and the Faculty of Theology at the University of Montreal. He undertook biblical studies at the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem and the Ratisbonne Institute in Jerusalem.
He entered the Franciscan novitiate in Sherbrooke on August 9, 1959, took his temporary vows in 1960, and his solemn vows in 1963 at the Franciscan convent on Rosemont Boulevard in Montreal. He was ordained a priest at the Franciscan Church of Rosemont on September 1, 1963.
Over the years, Claude Lacroix held various roles within the community. He was, at different times, vicar at the Saint-Bonaventure regional fraternity of the South-Center, head of the Elan fraternity, member of the Franciscan Solidarity committee, guardian of the Living Stone fraternity, and member of the Missions committee, to name a few.
In 1971, he became a member of the Catholic Bible Society (SOCABI) and later joined its Board of Directors. His talents as a communicator and his “visual” approach caught the attention of those in charge, who quickly sought his services to design and lead biblical exhibitions. An exhibition by Léandre Poirier, OFM, and Gérard Cadieux on the transmission and diffusion of the Bible over twenty centuries, presented in Ottawa in 1982, inspired Claude Lacroix, OFM, to establish Expo-Bible. He presented traveling exhibitions on the Bible that have been seen by more than 250,000 people. These exhibitions feature original archaeological pieces he brought back from his many trips to the Middle East. One can only admire his great passion for the Bible, to which he has dedicated his entire life.
A discerning collector, Claude Lacroix was passionate about art and literature. He maintained numerous relationships with various artists and left behind an important collection of paintings. He was also interested in astronomy and collected meteorites. His collection is the largest in Quebec.