Thousands of baptisms over the past two decades have been invalidated by the Catholic Church because the priest who performed the rituals said one wrong word during the Christenings.
Father Andres Arango of St. Gregory parish in Phoenix, Arizona resigned from his position following an investigation into the matter.
"It saddens me to learn that I have performed invalid baptisms throughout my ministry as a priest by regularly using an incorrect formula. I deeply regret my error and how this has affected numerous people in your parish and elsewhere," Arango wrote in his letter of resignation.
Bishop Thomas Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix explained that Arango would say, "We baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Instead of saying "we," Arango should have said "I" as instructed by the Vatican.
"The key phrase in question is the use of 'We baptize' in place of 'I baptize,'" Olmsted said in a letter to parishioners. "The issue with using 'We' is that it is not the community that baptizes a person, rather, it is Christ, and Him alone, who presides at all of the sacraments, and so it is Christ Jesus who baptizes."
The error means that thousands of baptisms performed by Arango before July 17, 2021 are presumed invalid and must be repeated.
"If you were baptized using the wrong words, that means your baptism is invalid, and you are not baptized," the diocese said on its website. "You will need to be baptized."
Additionally, because baptism is the first sacrament, an invalid baptism therefore invalidates any subsequent sacraments -- including confirmation, Eucharist and marriage.
"If your baptism was invalid and you've received other sacraments, you may need to repeat some or all of those sacraments after you are validly baptized as well," the diocese said.
The church has established a website for anyone who believes they had an invalid baptism. Any baptisms performed by Arango after June 17, 2021, are presumed valid and do not need to be repeated. The diocese is also working closely with Arango and the parishes at which he was previously assigned to notify anyone who may have been baptized invalidly.
"I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience my actions have caused and genuinely ask for your prayers, forgiveness, and understanding," Arango said in his resignation letter.
Olmsted added that Arango did not act in bad faith and he had no intentions to harm parishioners.
"I too am sincerely sorry that this error has resulted in disruption to the sacramental lives of a number of the faithful," he said. "This is why I pledge to take every step necessary to remedy the situation for everyone impacted."
Arango, who was ordained in 1995, remains a priest in good standing in the Catholic Church. He plans to dedicate his energy and full-time ministry to helping and healing those who were invalidly baptized.
Related
Related
