Rev. Deacon Joseph Ruocco-Brown
Rev. Deacon Joseph Ruocco-Brown was born in San Jose California, and spending his early years in Strongsville Ohio at a young age returning back to California and residing in the rural town of Petaluma in Sonoma County. He is one of three children born to Donald and Francis (Ruocco) Brown and was reared in a loving and devout Roman Catholic family.
During his high school years under spiritual direction of the local parish priest was discerning his vocation and was at the serious inquiring stage of Christian vocation within a monastic setting. After high school graduation the decision was narrowed down to attend the Benedictine Monastery & Seminary at Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon to pursue his studies, but this was providentially interrupted due to meeting his now wife of 31 years, Anna.
Rev. Deacon Ruocco-Brown was married to Anna Moller on June 3rd 1978 and they have been blessed with six children and 2 grandchildren. Desiring to serve God within the vocation of the office of deacon and being struck by the beauty of the Byzantine Liturgy and theology, he petitioned the See of Rome to be accepted within the Greek Melkite Catholic Church and this was accomplished. After a long journey of seeking, praying and under the spiritual direction from the Rev. Constantine Efsthathiu the Proistamenos of the Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Church and seeking for a spiritual home, he and his family was received in the Holy Orthodox Church on January 5th 1991 at the Parish of the Protection of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Church (OCA) in Santa Rosa, California. After a period of acclimating to the Orthodox Church, his Spiritual Father the Rev. Michael Margitich encouraged him to study for the Holy Deaconate. With the blessing of His Grace Bishop Tikhon he attended the Diocese of the West Late Vocations program in Berkley and San Francisco, which at that time was directed and taught by James Paffhausen who is the now the Metropolitan Jonah Archbishop of Washington and New York and Metropolitan of All America and Canada. After a period of prayer, study and time he took and passed the Deaconate Examination required by the Orthodox Church in America. With the blessings of his spiritual confessor, he petitioned His Grace Bishop Tikhon for Holy Orders.
On June 14th 1997 sub-deacon Joseph was ordained to the Holy Deaconate at the oldest Orthodox parish in the contiguous United States and the seat of the Bishop of San Francisco and the West, Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco. Upon ordination he was assigned to The Protection of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Parish and St. Seraphim of Sarov Orthodox Church in Santa Rosa Calif. He served there for five years. After relocating to the Sierra Foothills community of Grass Valley in 2002 he served at the Elevation of the Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Sacramento for one year. After due process he was officially released and incardinated into the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and on September 15th 2008 under the Omophorion of His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of the Metropolis of San Francisco assigned to St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church in Roseville Calif. under the direction of the Proistamenos the Rev. Christopher Flesoras.
Deacon Joseph as a late vocation deacon is employed in the secular world as a Process/ Manufacturing Engineer. He has been employed with various companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Parker-Hannifin, Cisco Systems and is currently employed with NVision in Grass Valley.
