A native of the Golden State, he was born and raised in Santa Cruz, Calif., one of the three sons and two daughters of Frank and JoAnn (Pfeil) Brau. Married to Beth (Fritzsche) Brau, they are the parents of Laurel. Our Lady of Good Voyage (Portuguese) in Gloucester is his home parish. His primary education was at Holy Cross Elementary School, and secondary at Harbor High School, both in Santa Cruz. From his hometown, he went about 30 miles northeast to Santa Clara University, graduating in 1989 with a degree in finance and another in religious studies. He came east to Boston College and received a master's degree in systematic theology in 1996; and a master's in accounting from Suffolk University, Boston, in 2005. He went back to the Golden State, receiving a master's degree in religion and social ethics from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, in 2005. He is currently employed at Axim Collaborative, Cambridge.