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April 11, 2017
To the Clergy and People of the Diocese:
As many of you have already heard, the Rt. Rev. Frederick Houk Borsch, fifth bishop of Los Angeles, died this morning at his home in Philadelphia.
Services in Philadelphia and Santa Monica are pending. Please join me in prayer for Barbara and the Borsch family.
Excerpts from Fred's obituary follow: more will be published in the upcoming Spring 2017 issue of The Episcopal News.
Bishop Frederick H. Borsch dies at 81
By Bob Williams
The Rt. Rev. Frederick Houk Borsch - whose 1988-2002 tenure as bishop of the six-county Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles was marked by his theme of "Adelante: Forward Together" - died in his sleep April 11 at his Philadelphia home. He was 81 and succumbed to complications of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a blood cancer, for which he began treatment last fall.
He is survived by Barbara S. Borsch - his wife of more than 56 years and an honorary canon of the Diocese of Los Angeles - and by their sons, Benjamin, Matthew and Stuart, daughters-in-law Jeannie, Elizabeth, and Fang Vhang, grandchildren Jack, Emily, Owen and Zoe; by his sister, Jane Borsch Robbins, and by nieces and a nephew and their families.
Services are pending at both St. Martin's, Philadelphia, and St. Augustine by-the-Sea, Santa Monica, congregations in which the Borsches have been active parishioners.
Los Angeles Diocesan Bishop J. Jon Bruno paid tribute to Borsch during this morning's annual Holy Week service at which the clergy renewed ordination vows. "Today we renew our vows in honor of Bishop Borsch and seeking to follow his example of ministry, leadership and scholarship," Bruno said, having learned of Borsch's death only shortly before the liturgy began at the Cathedral Center in Los Angeles.
"We are so saddened by Bishop Borsch's death, and we cherish his ministry and presence here," said Bruno, who spoke by telephone with Barbara Borsch to convey his condolences along with those of the diocesan community. "Mary and I personally cherish his friendship and mentoring as I grew into this position starting 17 years ago. We are all in grief yet mindful that the coming Easter season calls us to resurrection and new life."
Retired Bishop Suffragan Chester L. Talton echoed Bruno's appreciation for Borsch: "I came to work with Fred here in the Diocese of Los Angeles, and while he was the bishop, he was also my friend," said Talton, who served as bishop suffragan from 1991 to 2010. "I appreciated very much his friendship as well as his steady and very capable stewardship of the diocese. He was a dedicated priest and bishop who served the Lord in a very fine way. I am so grateful for his life and ministry."
Former Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold III praised Borsch's "theological acumen that was so important for the House of Bishops and the wider church as we made our way through various issues. He was a superb scholar and colleague widely respected in academia and the Anglican Communion, and a friend whom Phoebe and I will miss greatly."
From 1998 to 2000 Borsch was chair of the Theology Committee of the House of Bishops. He served for seven years on the Episcopal Church's Executive Council, and was a member of the Anglican Consultative Council, after which he chaired the 1988 Lambeth Conference section titled "Called to Be a Faithful Church in a Plural World."
"Remembering his wonderful and gentle soul will forever remain in my heart," said longtime friend Octavia Miles, who first met Barbara and Fred Borsch in Chicago at Trinity Episcopal Church there. "Our lives have been intertwined since we were very young people."
Long a leader in the life of the Episcopal Church and the global Anglican Communion, Borsch was beloved by clergy, laity, and congregations alike, the latter of which he frequently called "power stations for the Holy Spirit."
At the time of his death, Bishop Borsch was professor of New Testament and chair of Anglican Studies at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, where he had served for the past decade. Previously, following his retirement in Los Angeles, he was interim dean of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and associate dean of the Yale Divinity School.
Prior to his election in 1987 as fifth bishop of Los Angeles, Borsch was dean of the chapel with rank of professor of religion at Princeton University. There he taught courses in history, archeology, and religions on the ancient world.
Previously Borsch served as dean, president and professor of New Testament at Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif. There Borsch was affectionately known as "Fred R. Dean," and joined students and fellow faculty members on the basketball court. A lifelong sports enthusiast, Borsch enjoyed regular jogging, swimming, canoeing, and playing tennis.
Educated at Princeton, Oxford, and New York's General Theological Seminary, Borsch held a Ph.D. from the University of Birmingham in England, conferred in 1966. He held a bachelor's degree in English literature from Princeton, earned in 1957. Ordained to the priesthood in 1960 in the Diocese of Chicago, Borsch first served in ministry from 1960 to 1963 as curate of Grace Church in Oak Park, Illinois. He was born in Chicago on Sept. 13, 1935, to Pearl and Ruben Borsch, an attorney.
As bishop of Los Angeles, Borsch served as chair or member of a number of boards of directors including Good Samaritan Hospital, Hillsides Home for Children; Neighborhood Youth Association; the Diocesan Investment Trust; the Cathedral Corporation; Diocesan Council, and the Corporation of the Diocese. Also he was chancellor of the Harvard-Westlake School; chair of Los Angeles Council of Religious Leaders (1993-1994); founder (1991) of Episcopal Urban Intern Program; co-founder (2000) of the Los Angeles Interfaith Environmental Council; and a director of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council (1992-2002).
Borsch was the author and editor of some 20 books, including two novels and ranging from his classic "Many Things in Parables" to the recent titles "The Spirit Searches Everything," "Keeping Faith at Princeton: A Brief History of Religious Pluralism at Princeton and Other Universities" (2012) and the poetry collection "Parade: Poems of Light and Dark and Light Alike" (2010).
Rest eternal grant to your servant Frederick, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him.
Together in Christ,
+ J. Jon Bruno
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