Lerchundi, Giuseppe. - Francesco, born in Oria, near San Sebastián (Spain), on 24 February 1836, died on 18 March 1866. Having arrived as a missionary in Morocco on 19 January 1862, he performed various duties in that mission, serving as vicar of the pro-prefect (1863), visitor of the missions on the western coast (1865), and superior of the mission in Tétouan (1867-69).
In 1877 the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide appointed Lerchundi pro-prefect, but he encountered opposition from the government, so much so that he had to return to Spain, where he was for some time rector of the missionary college in Santiago. Once the difficulties were resolved in 1879, he took possession of his office and carried out prodigious activity: he built two churches in Tangier, reorganized the missions in Larache, Alhucemas, and Rabat, founded that of Casablanca, and established various schools. To the benefit of the missions, he opened a new missionary college in Chipiona (Cádiz) in 1882 and the Asociación de Señoras Católicas, which became widespread. Among his charitable works are the construction of houses for the poor and the Spanish hospital in Tangier. Here he also organized the Chamber of Commerce. He also engaged in political and diplomatic action in the service of religion: particularly noteworthy is an embassy to Leo XIII on 25 February 1888. He distinguished himself as a skilled Arabist by publishing a grammar of Moroccan colloquial Arabic (1872), a Hispano-Arabic anthology, and an Arabic-Spanish dictionary.