Cosmetics executive gave away wealth to become a priest in Clovis. Here's what to know
Scott Vincent Borba, co-founder of e.l.f. Cosmetics, was ordained a Catholic priest during a bilingual Mass in his hometown of Visalia on May 23.
The 53-year-old, who gave away his fortune to charity, began his appointment as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Clovis on June 27 four days after his 53rd birthday.
FULL STORY: Cosmetics company co-founder ordained in CA. His home church will be in Clovis
Here are key takeaways:
- Borba was ordained alongside Marco Antonio Ayala Rodriguez and Jose Francisco Orozco Cardenas by Bishop Joseph V. Brennan at St. Charles Borromeo Church, the largest Catholic parish church in the United States, which seats up to 3,200 worshipers.
- Bishop Brennan assigned all three new priests to Central Valley parishes as parochial vicars starting June 27: Borba to Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Clovis, Ayala to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Bakersfield and Orozco to The Shrine of St. Therese in Fresno.
- Borba resigned from his business ventures in 2021 and studied at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park. He told news outlets that after living as “a poster boy for luxury living,” he now lives with the bare minimum.
- Raised in Visalia as the youngest of five siblings, Borba earned a psychology degree from Santa Clara University before moving to Los Angeles to start his company. He returned to Fresno in his 40s to pursue the priesthood.
- According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, only 3% of the class of 2026 seminarians are 51 or older. Diocese spokesperson Chandler Marquez said Borba won’t be the oldest priest ordained in Fresno — a priest was ordained in his 70s two summers ago.
This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence based on our own originally reported, written and published content. Before publishing, journalists reviewed this content in compliance with McClatchy Media’s AI policy.
This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 4:44 PM.
