{"id":15,"date":"2026-05-20T19:40:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=15"},"modified":"2026-05-20T19:40:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:40:58","slug":"he-lived-the-hollywood-dream-then-he-found-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=15","title":{"rendered":"He Lived The Hollywood Dream. Then He Found God."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
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This article is part of\u00a0<\/i>Upstream,<\/i>\u00a0The Daily Wire\u2019s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories \u2014 from our featured writers to you.<\/i><\/p>\n

Read more Democrats Quietly Took A Big Loss In Battleground State<\/a><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Catholicism is having a moment, and now the church is getting even more good press.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Saturday, beauty brand founder Scott-Vincent Borba, 52, will give up his former life of fame and fortune to begin life as an ordained Catholic priest in his hometown of Visalia, California.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have never been happier in my life,\u201d Borba <\/span>told<\/span> ABC 7 of his massive life change. \u201cOnce I started to reorient myself, recalibrate myself with God\u2019s help to the focus to Him, the joy started coming.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Borba co-founded the makeup brand e.l.f. Cosmetics (\u201ceyes, lips, face\u201d) with his father and son in 2004. The brand became a huge success in the mid-2010s thanks to clever marketing campaigns and affordable prices. Per <\/span>Forbes<\/span>, it reached $100 million in sales in 2014, and Borba was living a lifestyle to match his newfound success.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe ran around with the likes of Paris Hilton and partying with Kardashians and just doing up the Hollywood life,\u201d the brand founder told ABC 7. \u201cI was a poster boy for luxury living. I was not in any which way humble. I was very prideful,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was vapid. I had a perverse life,\u201d Borba <\/span>told<\/span> CBS 47 during another interview. \u201cI went to L.A., I got sucked into the Hollywood lifestyle \u2014 it was almost to a point where I was trying to sell my soul, right, for all of the riches of the world, which is not what we\u2019re supposed to be \u2026 I was living for myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Borba is currently living as a deacon and, because he\u2019s becoming a priest so late in life, is in the minority. But what makes his story so remarkable is how he lived with such success and turned away after realizing the money never delivered true joy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of turning to sex, drugs, and alcohol or chasing more success, Borba gave away all his earthly possessions and tried something radically different.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI asked our Lord to help me be the man that he created me to be. And upon that instance, I had this massive flood of love and mercy that came into my life,\u201d Borba told ABC. \u201cIt was a very mystical experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI live in a little tiny room with \u2026 it\u2019s sparse, nothing in it,\u201d Borba said of his current seminary life. \u201cI have a few bits of clothes and a few pairs of shoes. And my life has been culled down to the bare minimum.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Trump Admin Unveils Massive Indictment Against Ex-Cuban Communist Leader<\/a><\/p>\n

The e.l.f. brand founder said he always felt called to become a priest but ignored it until a few years ago, which is when he finally discovered that the treasures of the world would never fill the void in his soul.<\/span><\/p>\n

This story couldn\u2019t come at a more critical moment for the Catholic Church. While there has been a <\/span>massive uptick in converts<\/span> to Catholicism, including among young adults who have a particular interest in the traditional Latin Mass, there is also a huge shortage of priests. Parishes are merging and closing even as the number of interested congregants continues to grow.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the Church\u2019s statistical yearbook, the number of priests worldwide fell to 406,996 in 2023, representing a multi-year decline that doesn\u2019t appear to be changing. Older priests are retiring or dying, and not enough young men are coming to replace them, despite the massive number of Catholic converts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dan Monastra, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, said he has a theory about this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne reason is the overall lack of desire in our culture to commit oneself to something permanent, especially among younger generations. We see this not only with the priesthood but with marriage as well. Another reason is that the priesthood is antithetical to what modern culture offers: namely, comfort,\u201d he told Fox Business during an <\/span>interview<\/span> on the topic last month.<\/span><\/p>\n

That explains why the global Catholic population has surpassed 1.4 billion, but there is still a critical shortage of men willing to step up and join the priesthood. People in Borba\u2019s position are even rarer. According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the average age for new priests is 33. <\/span>Only 3% of current seminarians are over 50, according to Zach Flanagin, a professor of theology and religious studies at Saint Mary\u2019s College of California.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are entering into a different time with new challenges. The world is constantly changing, and it is up to the Church to find ways to bear witness to Christ in the midst of these changes while still upholding the ancient faith,\u201d Monastra said of the new reality.<\/span><\/p>\n

With stories like Borba\u2019s being reported, it could inspire more men who feel the call to change their lives to consider entering the priesthood, even if it\u2019s a second act.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that a story like his is a great opportunity to inspire people,\u201d theology and religious studies professor Zach Flanagin told ABC 7 of Borba\u2019s journey. \u201cAnd certainly, his call, I hope it\u2019s genuinely successful because if it is, then he will hopefully bring in people to know Christ.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Trump Admin Unveils Massive Indictment Against Ex-Cuban Communist Leader<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article is part of\u00a0Upstream,\u00a0The Daily Wire\u2019s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories \u2014 from our featured writers to you.***Catholicism is having a moment, and now the church is getting even more good press.On Saturday, beauty brand founder Scott-Vincent Borba, 52, will give up his former life of fame and fortune to begin life as an ordained Catholic priest in his hometown of Visalia, California.\u00a0\u201cI have never been happier in my life,\u201d Borba told ABC 7 of his massive life change. \u201cOnce I started to reorient myself, recalibrate myself with God\u2019s help to the focus to Him, the joy started coming.\u201dBorba co-founded the makeup brand e.l.f. Cosmetics (\u201ceyes, lips, face\u201d) with his father and son in 2004. The brand became a huge success in the mid-2010s thanks to clever marketing campaigns and affordable prices. Per Forbes, it reached $100 million in sales in 2014, and Borba was living a lifestyle to match his newfound success.\u201cWe ran around with the likes of Paris Hilton and partying with Kardashians and just doing up the Hollywood life,\u201d the brand founder told ABC 7. \u201cI was a poster boy for luxury living. I was not in any which way humble. I was very prideful,\u201d he added.\u201cI was vapid. I had a perverse life,\u201d Borba told CBS 47 during another interview. \u201cI went to L.A., I got sucked into the Hollywood lifestyle \u2014 it was almost to a point where I was trying to sell my soul, right, for all of the riches of the world, which is not what we\u2019re supposed to be \u2026 I was living for myself.\u201dBorba is currently living as a deacon and, because he\u2019s becoming a priest so late in life, is in the minority. But what makes his story so remarkable is how he lived with such success and turned away after realizing the money never delivered true joy.Instead of turning to sex, drugs, and alcohol or chasing more success, Borba gave away all his earthly possessions and tried something radically different.\u00a0\u201cI asked our Lord to help me be the man that he created me to be. And upon that instance, I had this massive flood of love and mercy that came into my life,\u201d Borba told ABC. \u201cIt was a very mystical experience.\u201d\u201cI live in a little tiny room with \u2026 it\u2019s sparse, nothing in it,\u201d Borba said of his current seminary life. \u201cI have a few bits of clothes and a few pairs of shoes. And my life has been culled down to the bare minimum.\u201dThe e.l.f. brand founder said he always felt called to become a priest but ignored it until a few years ago, which is when he finally discovered that the treasures of the world would never fill the void in his soul.This story couldn\u2019t come at a more critical moment for the Catholic Church. While there has been a massive uptick in converts to Catholicism, including among young adults who have a particular interest in the traditional Latin Mass, there is also a huge shortage of priests. Parishes are merging and closing even as the number of interested congregants continues to grow.According to the Church\u2019s statistical yearbook, the number of priests worldwide fell to 406,996 in 2023, representing a multi-year decline that doesn\u2019t appear to be changing. Older priests are retiring or dying, and not enough young men are coming to replace them, despite the massive number of Catholic converts.Dan Monastra, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, said he has a theory about this.\u00a0\u201cOne reason is the overall lack of desire in our culture to commit oneself to something permanent, especially among younger generations. We see this not only with the priesthood but with marriage as well. Another reason is that the priesthood is antithetical to what modern culture offers: namely, comfort,\u201d he told Fox Business during an interview on the topic last month.That explains why the global Catholic population has surpassed 1.4 billion, but there is still a critical shortage of men willing to step up and join the priesthood. People in Borba\u2019s position are even rarer. According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the average age for new priests is 33. Only 3% of current seminarians are over 50, according to Zach Flanagin, a professor of theology and religious studies at Saint Mary\u2019s College of California.\u201cWe are entering into a different time with new challenges. The world is constantly changing, and it is up to the Church to find ways to bear witness to Christ in the midst of these changes while still upholding the ancient faith,\u201d Monastra said of the new reality.With stories like Borba\u2019s being reported, it could inspire more men who feel the call to change their lives to consider entering the priesthood, even if it\u2019s a second act.\u201cI think that a story like his is a great opportunity to inspire people,\u201d theology and religious studies professor Zach Flanagin told ABC 7 of Borba\u2019s journey. \u201cAnd certainly, his call, I hope it\u2019s genuinely successful because if it is, then he will hopefully bring in people to know Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-upstream"],"yoast_head":"\nHe Lived The Hollywood Dream. Then He Found God. - Blue Route Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=15\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"He Lived The Hollywood Dream. Then He Found God. - Blue Route Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This article is part of\u00a0Upstream,\u00a0The Daily Wire\u2019s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories \u2014 from our featured writers to you.***Catholicism is having a moment, and now the church is getting even more good press.On Saturday, beauty brand founder Scott-Vincent Borba, 52, will give up his former life of fame and fortune to begin life as an ordained Catholic priest in his hometown of Visalia, California.\u00a0\u201cI have never been happier in my life,\u201d Borba told ABC 7 of his massive life change. \u201cOnce I started to reorient myself, recalibrate myself with God\u2019s help to the focus to Him, the joy started coming.\u201dBorba co-founded the makeup brand e.l.f. Cosmetics (\u201ceyes, lips, face\u201d) with his father and son in 2004. The brand became a huge success in the mid-2010s thanks to clever marketing campaigns and affordable prices. Per Forbes, it reached $100 million in sales in 2014, and Borba was living a lifestyle to match his newfound success.\u201cWe ran around with the likes of Paris Hilton and partying with Kardashians and just doing up the Hollywood life,\u201d the brand founder told ABC 7. \u201cI was a poster boy for luxury living. I was not in any which way humble. I was very prideful,\u201d he added.\u201cI was vapid. I had a perverse life,\u201d Borba told CBS 47 during another interview. \u201cI went to L.A., I got sucked into the Hollywood lifestyle \u2014 it was almost to a point where I was trying to sell my soul, right, for all of the riches of the world, which is not what we\u2019re supposed to be \u2026 I was living for myself.\u201dBorba is currently living as a deacon and, because he\u2019s becoming a priest so late in life, is in the minority. But what makes his story so remarkable is how he lived with such success and turned away after realizing the money never delivered true joy.Instead of turning to sex, drugs, and alcohol or chasing more success, Borba gave away all his earthly possessions and tried something radically different.\u00a0\u201cI asked our Lord to help me be the man that he created me to be. And upon that instance, I had this massive flood of love and mercy that came into my life,\u201d Borba told ABC. \u201cIt was a very mystical experience.\u201d\u201cI live in a little tiny room with \u2026 it\u2019s sparse, nothing in it,\u201d Borba said of his current seminary life. \u201cI have a few bits of clothes and a few pairs of shoes. And my life has been culled down to the bare minimum.\u201dThe e.l.f. brand founder said he always felt called to become a priest but ignored it until a few years ago, which is when he finally discovered that the treasures of the world would never fill the void in his soul.This story couldn\u2019t come at a more critical moment for the Catholic Church. While there has been a massive uptick in converts to Catholicism, including among young adults who have a particular interest in the traditional Latin Mass, there is also a huge shortage of priests. Parishes are merging and closing even as the number of interested congregants continues to grow.According to the Church\u2019s statistical yearbook, the number of priests worldwide fell to 406,996 in 2023, representing a multi-year decline that doesn\u2019t appear to be changing. Older priests are retiring or dying, and not enough young men are coming to replace them, despite the massive number of Catholic converts.Dan Monastra, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, said he has a theory about this.\u00a0\u201cOne reason is the overall lack of desire in our culture to commit oneself to something permanent, especially among younger generations. We see this not only with the priesthood but with marriage as well. Another reason is that the priesthood is antithetical to what modern culture offers: namely, comfort,\u201d he told Fox Business during an interview on the topic last month.That explains why the global Catholic population has surpassed 1.4 billion, but there is still a critical shortage of men willing to step up and join the priesthood. People in Borba\u2019s position are even rarer. According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the average age for new priests is 33. Only 3% of current seminarians are over 50, according to Zach Flanagin, a professor of theology and religious studies at Saint Mary\u2019s College of California.\u201cWe are entering into a different time with new challenges. The world is constantly changing, and it is up to the Church to find ways to bear witness to Christ in the midst of these changes while still upholding the ancient faith,\u201d Monastra said of the new reality.With stories like Borba\u2019s being reported, it could inspire more men who feel the call to change their lives to consider entering the priesthood, even if it\u2019s a second act.\u201cI think that a story like his is a great opportunity to inspire people,\u201d theology and religious studies professor Zach Flanagin told ABC 7 of Borba\u2019s journey. \u201cAnd certainly, his call, I hope it\u2019s genuinely successful because if it is, then he will hopefully bring in people to know Christ.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=15\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blue Route Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-20T19:40:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=15#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/?p=15\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blueroutejournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c\"},\"headline\":\"He Lived The Hollywood Dream. 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Real human insight and human stories \u2014 from our featured writers to you.***Catholicism is having a moment, and now the church is getting even more good press.On Saturday, beauty brand founder Scott-Vincent Borba, 52, will give up his former life of fame and fortune to begin life as an ordained Catholic priest in his hometown of Visalia, California.\u00a0\u201cI have never been happier in my life,\u201d Borba told ABC 7 of his massive life change. \u201cOnce I started to reorient myself, recalibrate myself with God\u2019s help to the focus to Him, the joy started coming.\u201dBorba co-founded the makeup brand e.l.f. Cosmetics (\u201ceyes, lips, face\u201d) with his father and son in 2004. The brand became a huge success in the mid-2010s thanks to clever marketing campaigns and affordable prices. Per Forbes, it reached $100 million in sales in 2014, and Borba was living a lifestyle to match his newfound success.\u201cWe ran around with the likes of Paris Hilton and partying with Kardashians and just doing up the Hollywood life,\u201d the brand founder told ABC 7. \u201cI was a poster boy for luxury living. I was not in any which way humble. I was very prideful,\u201d he added.\u201cI was vapid. I had a perverse life,\u201d Borba told CBS 47 during another interview. \u201cI went to L.A., I got sucked into the Hollywood lifestyle \u2014 it was almost to a point where I was trying to sell my soul, right, for all of the riches of the world, which is not what we\u2019re supposed to be \u2026 I was living for myself.\u201dBorba is currently living as a deacon and, because he\u2019s becoming a priest so late in life, is in the minority. But what makes his story so remarkable is how he lived with such success and turned away after realizing the money never delivered true joy.Instead of turning to sex, drugs, and alcohol or chasing more success, Borba gave away all his earthly possessions and tried something radically different.\u00a0\u201cI asked our Lord to help me be the man that he created me to be. And upon that instance, I had this massive flood of love and mercy that came into my life,\u201d Borba told ABC. \u201cIt was a very mystical experience.\u201d\u201cI live in a little tiny room with \u2026 it\u2019s sparse, nothing in it,\u201d Borba said of his current seminary life. \u201cI have a few bits of clothes and a few pairs of shoes. And my life has been culled down to the bare minimum.\u201dThe e.l.f. brand founder said he always felt called to become a priest but ignored it until a few years ago, which is when he finally discovered that the treasures of the world would never fill the void in his soul.This story couldn\u2019t come at a more critical moment for the Catholic Church. While there has been a massive uptick in converts to Catholicism, including among young adults who have a particular interest in the traditional Latin Mass, there is also a huge shortage of priests. Parishes are merging and closing even as the number of interested congregants continues to grow.According to the Church\u2019s statistical yearbook, the number of priests worldwide fell to 406,996 in 2023, representing a multi-year decline that doesn\u2019t appear to be changing. Older priests are retiring or dying, and not enough young men are coming to replace them, despite the massive number of Catholic converts.Dan Monastra, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, said he has a theory about this.\u00a0\u201cOne reason is the overall lack of desire in our culture to commit oneself to something permanent, especially among younger generations. We see this not only with the priesthood but with marriage as well. Another reason is that the priesthood is antithetical to what modern culture offers: namely, comfort,\u201d he told Fox Business during an interview on the topic last month.That explains why the global Catholic population has surpassed 1.4 billion, but there is still a critical shortage of men willing to step up and join the priesthood. People in Borba\u2019s position are even rarer. According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the average age for new priests is 33. Only 3% of current seminarians are over 50, according to Zach Flanagin, a professor of theology and religious studies at Saint Mary\u2019s College of California.\u201cWe are entering into a different time with new challenges. The world is constantly changing, and it is up to the Church to find ways to bear witness to Christ in the midst of these changes while still upholding the ancient faith,\u201d Monastra said of the new reality.With stories like Borba\u2019s being reported, it could inspire more men who feel the call to change their lives to consider entering the priesthood, even if it\u2019s a second act.\u201cI think that a story like his is a great opportunity to inspire people,\u201d theology and religious studies professor Zach Flanagin told ABC 7 of Borba\u2019s journey. \u201cAnd certainly, his call, I hope it\u2019s genuinely successful because if it is, then he will hopefully bring in people to know Christ.\u201d","og_url":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=15","og_site_name":"Blue Route Journal","article_published_time":"2026-05-20T19:40:58+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=15#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/?p=15"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/blueroutejournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/19da116f8d79cf8987781569801c6b7c"},"headline":"He Lived The Hollywood Dream. 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