He was ordained a priest in 1967 after studies at Mary Immaculate Seminary in Northampton, Pennsylvania, where he received the degree of Master of Divinity.
Following this, he was assigned to serve as an instructor in the Religious Studies Department at St. John's Preparatory School, then in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn (1967–1969), St. Joseph's Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey (1969–1970), and Niagara University (1970).
[2] In 1971, Levesque received a Master of Arts in Religious studies from Manhattan College, and in 1977 he obtained the degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology from The Catholic University of America.
[4] Thereafter, Levesque returned to Niagara, resumed teaching and was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and director of the university's graduate division in 1978.
From 1986 to 1990, he served as the university president, superior of the Vincentian community, and teacher of Religion (Morality, Social Justice) at St. Joseph's Seminary (Princeton, New Jersey).