He also completed a doctorate in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas.
[1] Toward the end of his life, together with James Kleist, S.J., he became involved in a project to provide a more modern translation acceptable for Roman Catholics.
It never gained widespread acceptance, however, and was later obscured by the translations being produced by Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, which culminated in the New American Bible in 1970.
In the final years of his life, Lilly was also involved with the Vincentian Motor Missions.
[2][3] This was an ancient practice of the Vincentians, going back to their founder, St. Vincent de Paul, in which they would form itinerant preaching teams, through which the Vincentians would work to bring the Catholic faith to rural and remote areas, additionally allowing their seminarians to hone their preaching skills.