Search
San Juan Capistrano chaplain a convert from evangelical-missionary family
-
November 1, 2020
As a young evangelical Christian, Monsignor Scott Borgman lived 17 years in West Africa with his Protestant missionary parents. He was a young adult when his parents underwent a dramatic conversion and entered the Catholic Church.
“As Evangelicals, we were told that we were living the real early Church, but of course we never read the Fathers of the Church,” said Monsignor Borgman, 49, who subsequently had his own conversion and became Catholic.
In June 2010, Monsignor Borgman was ordained a Catholic priest. He is the judicial vicar for the Diocese of Orange in California. As chaplain of Legatus’ San Juan Capistrano Chapter, he spoke recently with Legatus magazine.
What were your impressions of the Catholic Church growing up?
We had heard the Catholic Church had gone south somewhere in the Middle Ages. They were “the bad guys.” My dad had written something like 30 Reasons Why the Catholic Church Is Wrong. But over multiple years, he had to start crossing things off that list.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen had a great quote: “There are not a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.” So when we entered the Catholic Church, it was like playing a country-western song backward, where you get your truck, your wife, and your dog back.
What did you think when your parents told you they were entering the Catholic Church?
It was shocking. We just didn’t know anything about the Catholic Church. Were they changing direction, or taking a step closer to what Christ was calling them to do? “Oh, Jesus is calling you to be a missionary to the Catholics and get them saved” was basically how I reconciled it.
It was a big shock to our entire family and friends. My parents were cut off from almost all of the financial support they were receiving. One pastor said my father was possessed by a demon. There was no other explanation for why he’d become Catholic.
What convinced you that Christ founded the Catholic Church?
Two things. One was reading the lives of the saints, learning about these extraordinary people who had a personal relationship with God and yet were Catholic. How could these people be Catholic and know Jesus?
It was also the experience of Mass and learning to pray. I started going to Mass every day because I wanted to understand what my parents were getting into. I had no idea what was going on. I’d sit in the very back, and little by little I’d understand that what was happening on the altar was basically what I had memorized as a kid from the writings of St. Paul. Whenever I left Mass, I had this deep sense of joy and peace. I kept going back, but I never went to Communion, because St. Paul writes clearly that some of the early Christians were sick and some had died because they had communed unworthily. I didn’t want to risk it.
How is it being chaplain of the San Juan Capistrano Chapter?
We have a great chapter that’s growing. Members are young, they’re vibrant. These are great people who are highly accomplished in their own fields and who are looking to deepen the spiritual aspect of their lives.
The business men and women we’re reaching out to today are those who command the legions — politically, business-wise — and they can have a tremendous impact on culture and the future of our country. Legatus is one of the answers to the purposes within our Lord’s heart for America.
