Father Brown was born and raised in Elmira. Educated at Elmira Catholic Schools. Seminary education at St. Bernard’s in Rochester. Ordained in 1967 by Bishop Fulton Sheen for the Diocese of Rochester. Served at various parishes in the Diocese for 18 years.

Commissioned a US Navy Chaplain in 1985. Over the course of 22 years assigned to Marines in Okinawa, Japan, shipboard on USS Nimitz (CVN-68), with the submariners in Washington State, with the Destroyer & Frigate squadrons in Norfolk, VA, with the Navy aviators in Virginia Beach, VA, at the Washington Navy Yard with duties at Arlington National Cemetery, finally at Naval Training Command, Great Lakes, IL.

Returning to the Diocese of Rochester in 2008, he was assigned to All Saints Parish in Coming. He retired from parish administration in 2012 and continues to help in area Catholic churches.