Roch is a native Marylander and grew up in Frostburg. He was named by his older brother, Gregg (who was called home early in 2018). Gregg wanted to call him “Rocky Joe”. Roch’s parents lived into their 90s and were married for over 70 years before each was called home in 2018 and 2019. Roch and his wife, Linda, have been married for 33 years and have been blessed with four adult children and one grandchild. They joined our parish in 1997. Roch attended the University of Maryland – College Park, where he received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in business administration. Roch spent 37 years with high-tech corporations in design, program management and sales/marketing positions. Roch entered the Diaconate Formation program in 2017 and was ordained a Deacon for the Archdiocese in May 2021. He has served as a Deacon at OLPH since then. Roch left the corporate sector in October 2021 and has since worked for the Church in roles at our parish (Director of Evangelization) and the Archdiocese (Parish Renewal Specialist). He obtained a certificate in spiritual direction in 2025 from Divine Mercy University. Roch retired in May 2026 to spend more time with his family (as a husband, dad, granddad), be more present at our parish (as a Deacon, Spiritual Director) and be more physically active (hiking, golfing, fishing and gardening).
What do you love best about OLPH?
Where do I begin…??? I love the welcoming feel of our parish along with our devout faith and worship of the Eucharist. We have a great mix of long-standing parishioners and younger families who may be new to the area; and our family dinner nights provide an excellent opportunity for fellowship. It is great having an award-winning school and a large campus that includes an indoor basketball court as well as separate baseball and softball fields.
What inspires you?
I am inspired to accompany people as they learn about Jesus Christ, grow in their desire to have a personal relationship with Him, and gain the confidence to share our beautiful Catholic faith with those they meet.
What do you do in your free time?
I am a huge sports fan, especially of the University of Maryland. Linda and I have season tickets to both football and basketball. I also love the outdoors, including hiking, gardening, playing golf or just lying in a hammock.
Who is one of your heroes?
It’s a four-way tie… My mom, dad and brother all demonstrated unselfish love and support for me throughout my life. And Linda, my wife, has incredible patience with me and never ceases to amaze me with her strong faith, kindness, selflessness and desire to help others in need.
- Roch is a native Marylander and grew up in Frostburg, out west. His parents lived into their 90s and were married over 70 years. Roch was one of two boys and was named by his older brother, Gregg, who wanted to call him “Rocky Joe”. His mom, however, wanted her sons to have saints’ names…so St. Roch from France solved the dilemma. Roch attended the University of Maryland in College Park where he received a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a Master’s in business administration. Roch has spent the last 25+ years in high tech sales and currently works for Siemens’ Industrial Software business unit. He met his wife, Linda (also an engineer), at Westinghouse (now Northrop Grumman) when they were starting their careers as design engineers. They were married in 1993 and have been parishioners at OLPH since 1997. They have been blessed with four children, 3 girls and a boy, that range in age from 20 to 26. Roch felt the call to the diaconate 15+ years ago as a way to serve the Church and bring others to Christ. He decided to move forward with formation in 2017 and was ordained in May 2021.
What do you love best about OLPH?
Where do I begin…??? I love the welcoming feel of our parish along with our devout faith and worship of the Eucharist. We have a great mix of longtime parishioners and younger families who may be new to the area, and our family dinner nights provide an excellent opportunity for fellowship. It is great having an award-winning school and a large campus that includes an indoor basketball court as well as separate baseball and softball fields.
What inspires you?
I love to see people (including me) grow in their faith and deepen their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Additionally, I am inspired to teach people to share our beautiful Catholic faith and invite those they meet to learn more.
What do you do in your free time?
I am a huge sports fan and supporter of the University of Maryland Terrapins. Linda and I have season tickets to both football and basketball. I also love the outdoors, including hiking, gardening, playing golf, fly fishing, or just laying in a hammock.
Who is one of your heroes?
It’s a four-way tie… My mom, dad and brother all demonstrated unselfish love and support for me throughout my life. And Linda, my wife, has incredible patience with me and never ceases to amaze me with her strong faith, kindness, selflessness and desire to help others in need.