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e.l.f. Co-founder Renounces Fortune, Becomes Catholic Priest

5/13/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Former e.l.f. Cosmetics co-founder Scott Vincent Borba gave up his multimillion-dollar fortune to become a Catholic priest.
He will be ordained on May 23 in Visalia, California, by the Diocese of Fresno.
Borba lives as a deacon and seminarian at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, in a sparsely furnished room.
Professor Zach Flanagin says only about 3 % of seminarians are over 50, making Borba’s late vocation rare.

History

Historical Context

After the August-October 1978 conclaves elected Karol Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II, he led the Church for 27 years until 2005, a papacy that broadened outreach to laypeople for the priesthood. Decades later, former e.l.f. co-founder Scott Vincent Borba entered formation at St. Patrick’s Seminary under the Fresno Diocese in the United States, illustrating the lasting impact of that 1978 renewal.

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Story summary

Former e.l.f. Cosmetics co-founder Scott Vincent Borba gave up his multimillion-dollar fortune to become a Catholic priest.
He will be ordained on May 23 in Visalia, California, by the Diocese of Fresno.
Borba lives as a deacon and seminarian at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, in a sparsely furnished room.
Professor Zach Flanagin says only about 3 % of seminarians are over 50, making Borba’s late vocation rare.

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