He was ordained a priest in 1910 before pursuing further study in the (then) newly established) Biblical Institute in Rome, where he was awarded the degree of L.S.S.
[1] In 1917 he returned to Ireland to take up the post of Professor of Sacred Scripture and Oriental Languages in St. Patrick's College, Maynooth.
[2] Kissane was appointed vice-president of Maynooth College in 1941 in succession to Canon P O'Neill who had been made Parish Priest of Bruff, County Limerick.
[citation needed] Elected to the Royal Irish Academy in 1942, Monsignor Kissane was appointed pro-vice chancellor of the National University of Ireland in 1949.
[citation needed] He represented Ireland on KLM's inaugural flight from Amsterdam over the North Pole to Japan in November 1958.