He then entered the monastic life at Muri-Gries Abbey in northern Italy in 1908 and made his religious profession on 5 October 1909 being given the name "Bernard."

He continued his education in the fields of Philosophy and Theology at the University of Freiburg and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest on 18 October 1912.

He continued his studies at the same university receiving a doctorate in philosophy in 1918 with a dissertation on the Epistemology of Saint Augustine entitled "Die Erkenntnislehre des hl.

He served in the role for only two years until he was elected as the third Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation and Order of St. Benedict on 16 September 1947.

He served in this role until 1959 when he was not reelected as Abbot Primate, at which point he returned to Muri-Gries Abbey where he died on 20 October 1962.