PORTLAND — Bishop Robert P. Deeley, of the Diocese of Portland, has named Father Louis J. Phillips as the interim superintendent of Maine’s Catholic schools.

Phillips succeeds Sr. Rosemary Donohue, who announced that she will step down from the position after 21 years on June 30. Phillips will leave his current assignments as rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and administrator of the Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes to assume the role of interim superintendent. The succession plan for those roles is still to be determined.

“The academic, spiritual and social benefits of Catholic education are well-documented and readily recognized,” said Phillips. “The very existence of our Catholic schools serves to energize and renew our Church, and most of all, provide all of us in the Church with hope.”

Phillips is a 1975 summa cum laude graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and audiology. He later completed his theological studies, earning a master’s degree in theology from the Catholic University of America in 1981, the year he was ordained to the priesthood. He furthered his education at Boston College, earning a master’s degree in Educational Administration in 1989 and a doctorate in curriculum, instruction and administration in 1992. Phillips attended Boston College at the same time as Donohue, and the two worked together at the school’s Catholic School Leadership Program.

“We are very fortunate to have a qualified leader in Fr. Phillips to offer his voice and considerable experience as we enter into a period of transition for Catholic schools in Maine,” said Deeley. “He possesses a strong background in education and is eager to contribute his gifts as we assess the best ways to grow and strengthen our schools.”

Since his ordination, Phillips has gained experience in education as a theology teacher and principal at schools in New Jersey; as an assistant professor of education at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio; as a coordinator of faith development at Iona College in New York; as an assistant professor of education at Notre Dame of Maryland University; and most recently, as an adjunct assistant professor of education at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine in Standish.

Phillips has also served in a variety of roles at a number of parishes since arriving in Maine in 1998, including time in Augusta, Ellsworth, Auburn and Portland.