He was a gold medalist in philosophy at St. Michael's College and has two graduate degrees in Modern History from the University of Toronto.
He was a broadcast commentator on Canada's largest radio station, CFRB, for ten years between 1976 and 1986, and acted as publisher of The Catholic Register, Canada's largest Catholic newspaper for two years at the request of Cardinal Emmett Carter, following the sudden death of Father Sean O'Sullivan.
At the request of the Anglican and Roman Catholic Archbishops of Toronto he organized and chaired a symposium on inter-Church relations that was attended by over 300 priests from the two church communities.
In 1986 he was appointed by Order in Council as acting director of the National Gallery of Canada on leave from the University of Toronto.
He was a member and the chair of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada until late 2023, a position in which he has served since 1996.