Archbasilica of St. John Lateran
On May 31, 1890, Dougherty was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Lucido Parocchi in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. Following his return to the United States, he became a professor at St. Charles Seminary, where he taught Greek, Latin, French, Hebrew, and dogmatic theology until 1903. In addition to his academic duties, he was also an official of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, serving as fiscal promotor, prosynodal examiner, and procurator.