He entered the Society of St Sulpice in 1886 and the following year went to Rome, where he earned degrees in theology and canon law. Ordained priest on 9 April 1887, he was sent to the major seminary of Périgueux, where he taught philosophy. Transferred to Lyon, he became rector of that seminary in 1898. From 1905 he settled in Paris and held the chair of moral theology at the Seminary of St Sulpice. Following the laws on the separation of church and state, V. and his confreres were forced to leave the old building in Place St Sulpice. When the seminary was relocated to the new premises in Rue de Regard, V., who had meanwhile become director—that is, the effective superior under the general superior’s oversight—personally oversaw the arrangements. In 1912 he took charge of the major seminary of Les Carmes and in 1910 had also taught moral theology at the Institut Catholique.
A theologian, professor, and spiritual director, he clearly perceived the needs and opportunities of contemporary Catholic life and addressed the various problems of his time with particular attention to social questions. Vice-superior general of St Sulpice in 1926, he was elected superior general on 16 July 1929. Within a few months, on 18 November 1929, Pius XI named him Archbishop of Paris and on 16 December of the same year created him cardinal with the title of S. Balbina. In this capacity he vigorously promoted the systematic organization of French Catholic Action. He strengthened Catholic sentiment in the country and, through his “Cardinal’s building sites,” initiated the construction of churches on the outskirts of Paris, both to contribute to active missionary work in the suburbs and to alleviate, in part, the dire economic conditions of unemployed workers. An effective orator and writer, he contributed to the Revue pratique d’apologétique and published several works, including: Le problème de la natalité et la morale chrétienne (1917); Y a-t-il un droit de grève? (1923); La question scolaire (1934); Petit manuel des questions contemporaines (1937); Problèmes sociaux, réponses chrétiennes (1939).