St.Paul’s Bible Institute was started in 1982 by the TamilNadu Catholic Bishop’s Council as a  wing of Tamilnadu Biblical Catechetical Liturgical Centre (TNBCLC,Tindivanam), South India. However,this Institute is directly under the Tamilnadu Bible Commission.

This Institute aims to give intensive training towards a prophetic understanding of the Bible, mainly to Lay People and sometimes to Religious Sisters and Brothers.

It also takes up other areas of Biblical Apostolate.

It was a long felt need by the Christians of Tamilnadu to have a Bible Training Centre for Lay People. This need was clearly spelt out by all the secretaries of the Diocesan Bible Commissions in a meeting in 1980 itself. This proposal of having a bible Institute was very much welcomed and enthusiastically approved by all the Catholic Bishops of Tamilnadu.

Under the able guidance and encouragement of His Grace he Most Rev. Dr. M.Arociasamy, Chairman of the Tamilnadu Bible Commission, Rev.Fr.Edward Francis (Director ,TNBCLC) and Fr. P.P.Xavier  (Secretary, Tamilnadu Bible Commission) looked into the preparation fot the above Institute. They worked for it and planned out the whole project for more than year.

With the blessings of all the Bishops of Tamilnadu, the Most Rev. Dr.M.Arociasamy, Chairman for the Tamilnadu Bible Commission, inaugurated the ST.PAUL’S BIBLE INSTITUTE at Poonamallee, Chennai on the 25th September 1982, with 18 laymen as student and Fr. V.Mariadasan, as its first Director.

Fr. A.Peter  Abir succeed Fr.V.Mariadasan in August 1987, and he was the Director  till 1990 June. In1998 september a new block with class room cum Conference hall, Exhibition hall, and some guest rooms have been constructed. In 1990 June Fr.V.Raphel succeed Fr.Abir when he left for Rome for higher studies in Sacred Scripture. While retuning from Rome in 1996 Fr. Abir was reappointed as Director. For the last 18 years the Institute has given training for 650 students (350 laymen and 300 women). The Institute regularly invites visiting professors who are  well qualified in  Sacred Scripture.