Three new priests ordained for Diocese of Fresno; assignments began in Central Valley
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Three new priests began serving Central Valley parishes as parochial vicars on June 27, following a bilingual ordination Mass in May at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Visalia.
Bishop Joseph V. Brennan ordained deacons Scott Vincent Borba, Marco Antonio Ayala Rodriguez and Jose Francisco Orozco Cardenas to the priesthood before a congregation that filled the church to capacity. St. Charles Borromeo is the largest Catholic parish church in the United States, seating up to 3,200 worshipers, and faithful drove in from cities across the region to witness the sacrament.
“We have some fine young men here. Deacons Francisco, Scott and Marco, about to be ordained to the Order of the Priesthood, and such a beautiful reminder of what a gift they will be and are to the Diocese of Fresno and what a gift the priesthood is to the whole church,” Brennan said during the service.
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Parish assignments across the Central Valley
After the ordination, Bishop Brennan assigned each of the three newest priests to serve as parochial vicar at a parish in the diocese:
- Father Scott Borba to Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Clovis
- Father Marco Ayala to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Bakersfield
- Father Francisco Orozco to The Shrine of St. Therese in Fresno
The appointments carry all the faculties, duties, rights and privileges provided under canon law, diocesan statutes and customs, and may be revoked by the bishop or his successor.
Following the Mass, the three new priests offered their first blessings to worshipers who came forward — a treasured tradition among the faithful, who often kneel to receive the blessing of a newly ordained priest.
‘The answer to our prayers’
Ofelia Saludares, a 73-year-old Catholic from Fresno, attended the ceremony to witness her first priestly ordination. She said she and her husband didn’t mind the 45-minute drive to Visalia to support the newly ordained.
“We are happy for these young men. And as we pray for an increase in our vocations, this is the answer to our prayers,” Saludares said.
A late vocation with a public story
Father Borba, was ordained a month before his 53rd birthday on June 23, surrounded by family. His path to the altar has drawn wide attention in the weeks leading up to the ordination.
A co-founder of Oakland-based e.l.f. Cosmetics, the former esthetician, model, singer and actor resigned from his business ventures in 2021 and entered St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park, where he studied and graduated.
Raised in Visalia, the youngest of five siblings, Borba completed high school and junior college in his hometown before earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Santa Clara University. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he built his company. In his 40s, he returned to Fresno to begin discerning the priesthood, according to the diocese.
Borba has told news outlets that after living as “a poster boy for luxury living,” he now lives a life opposite to that, with the bare minimum. He gave his fortune to charity.
On average, it takes about seven years to become a priest, and the average age for new priests is 30, according to the Diocese of Fresno. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reports that 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 the Fresno diocese. Two summers ago, he said, a priest was ordained in his 70s.
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 7, 2026 at 11:50 AM.
