He pursued doctoral studies at the Pontificium Athenaeum Internationale Angelicum, the future Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, attending the classes of such notables as Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange, Paul Philippe and Mario Luigi Ciappi.

His dissertation, written under the direction of Louis-Bertrand Gillon, was a study of the medieval theology of hope, entitled "La vertu d'espérance de Pierre Lombard à saint Thomas" (1954).

(He was at La Sarte when in 1958 one of the friars of the community, Dominique Pire, won the Nobel Peace Prize for his labors on behalf of Europe's many war refugees (displaced persons).

The fruits of these labors, which had been published as articles in various places, were subsequently drawn together in his groundbreaking study, Le renouveau de la morale (1964; Preface by Marie-Dominique Chenu).

It was also at La Sarte that he wrote the textual analysis and commentary for Questions 6 through 21 of the Prima Secundae (i.e., Aquinas' treatise on human acts) for the Revue des Jeunes's bilingual edition (Latin and French) of the Summa Theologiae (1961 and 1965).

As emeritus professor he remained in Fribourg, in residence at the international Dominican priory of St. Albert the Great (the Albertinum), until his death on 7 April 2008 at age eighty-two.

His more academic works include a large number of articles (in journals such as Nova et Vetera and Revue thomiste) and the following books: Ce qu'on ne peut jamais faire.

He also published Plaidoyer pour la vertu (2007), which was one of three works to receive an honorable mention as runners up for the Grand prix catholique de littérature for 2007.