PORTLAND – Eight men will be ordained as permanent deacons during Mass at 10 a.m. today at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Cumberland Avenue.

Ordained deacons assist priests in preaching, celebrating the sacraments of baptism and marriage, and with other duties. Each of the candidates has received a Master’s in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University, New Orleans. They are:

Robert Curtis, Jr., Limerick, was an Army pilot and later a corporate pilot for Fiber Materials, Inc.

David Denbow, Dexter, has been a junior and senior high school English teacher in Hartland and Newport.

Timothy Dougherty, Holden, graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in accounting and is treasurer of the Darling Corporation in Brewer.

Richard Michael Phillips-Doyle, of Perry, graduated from the University of Maine, Farmington. He has held various positions with the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point including tribal governor and chief.

Jeffery Lewis, Gardiner, earned an associate’s degree in nursing from the University of Maine, Augusta, and his masters at the University of New England and Simmons College, Boston. He is employed at Maine General Medical Center, Augusta.

Dr. John Michael Murphy, Brunswick, graduated from St. Louis University Medical School and is a child psychiatrist at Spring Harbor Hospital, Westbrook.

Dr. Ronald Ouellette, Houlton, graduated from the University of Maine, Augusta, and received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, Iowa.

Michael Whalen, Brewer, earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Husson University and is an accountant for Affiliated Healthcare Management.

There are 36 permanent deacons currently serving in the Diocese of Portland.