Caspar Henry Borgess

Caspar Henry Borgess (August 1, 1826 – May 3, 1890) was a German-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the second Bishop of Detroit, serving from 1871 to 1887.

Biography Early life Borgess was born on August 1, 1826, in the village of Addrup, part of Essen in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (present-day Lower Saxony). He was the son of John Gerhard Borgess and Maria Anna Dinkgreve. He came to the United States with his family in 1839. They first resided in Philadelphia, where Caspar's uncle, Rev. Otto Henry Borgess, was pastor of Holy Trinity Church (1838–1845). The family finally settled in Cincinnati, where he attended St. Xavier College. His first assignment was as pastor of Holy Cross Church, the oldest church in Columbus. At the beginning of his decade-long tenure at Holy Cross, he became known for caring for the sick during the cholera epidemic of 1849. He even suspended a priest who published a letter about the St. Augustine's affair. However, the Vatican declined and he remained in office for another eight years. He submitted his resignation again on April 16, 1887, and this time it was accepted by Rome. He was buried in the churchyard of St. Augustine's Church but his remains were later moved to Nazareth College in 1906 and again to Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in 1939.