Elected and consecrated fifth bishop of Los Angeles in 1988 at age 52, Frederick H. Borsch was well known within the diocese from his tenure as dean of Church Divinity School of the Pacific, the Episcopal seminary in Berkeley, California. From that post he was named dean of the chapel at Princeton University, his alma mater. Chicago natives, Bishop Borsch and his wife, Barbara, had three sons and resided in the West L.A. neighborhood of Bel Air Skycrest. An advocate for multicultural and youth ministries, Bishop Borsch launched new initiatives in these areas, with the word “Adelante” – “forward” in Spanish – as the theme for his episcopate. In the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles uprisings, Bishop Borsch and Bishop Suffragan Chester L. Talton, elected in 1991, partnered with denomination-wide leaders to establish a credit union to aid small businesses and local reinvestment. Bishop Borsch also launched the Bishop’s Commission on LGBTQ+ Ministries advocating for full inclusion in church and society and formed the Commission on HIV/AIDS Ministry which created affordable housing for those living with the virus. Other major achievements of his episcopate included building the Cathedral Center of St. Paul in Echo Park, expanding upon a concept proposed by its first provost, J. Jon Bruno. After retiring as diocesan in 2002, Bishop Borsch returned to teaching and writing, dividing his time between L.A. and Philadelphia’s Lutheran Theological Seminary as professor of Anglican studies. Bishop Borsch died in 2017 in Philadelphia at age 81, and his ashes are interred in the columbarium at St. Augustine’s, Santa Monica.
