Thousands of baptisms in Arizona invalidated because of one word the priest said wrong

Pastor Andres Arango of Saint Gregory Catholic Church in Phoenix changed one word in the rite, making baptisms performed there invalid, reports The New York Times.

Photo: Shutterstock

The Reverend Andres Arango was conducting a baptism at St. Gregory Catholic Church in Phoenix last year when some people in the pews heard a slight change in the religious ritual.

“We baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” Father Arango said, his voice echoing through the church as he poured the holy water.

But there was a problem.

Saying "we baptize" was wrong. The Vatican orders priests to say "I baptize", and if it is not said so, the baptism is considered invalid.

Church leaders investigated last month and found that Father Arango had wrongly performed thousands of baptisms over more than 20 years, meaning that those he baptized in Phoenix and his previous parishes in Brazil and San Diego were not baptized. properly.

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The oversight has caused headaches for those who are now seeking answers to the question of whether their erroneous baptisms extended to other elements of their Catholic faith. For example, will it affect those who have been married by the church?

"May be! Unfortunately, there is no single clear answer,” the diocese responded online.

Father Arango, who did not return calls for interviews on February 13, apologized in a statement and said he was stepping down as pastor.

“I am saddened to learn that I performed invalid baptisms throughout my ministry as a priest, regularly using the wrong formula,” he said. “I deeply regret my mistake and the impact it has had on many people in the parish and elsewhere.”

Thomas J. Olmstead, Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix, has stated that he does not believe Father Arango "had any intention of harming the faithful or depriving them of the grace of baptism and the sacraments."

In the Catholic faith, baptism is a sacrament in which people, often infants, have water poured on their foreheads to symbolize cleansing and acceptance into the Church. According to the diocese, this is a “need for salvation.”

Keeping the baptismal formula is “extremely important to the continuation of the tradition of the Church,” said Neomy De Anda, professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton in Ohio.

“It’s not legalism, it’s communication,” she added.

Indeed, the Diocese of Phoenix has addressed specific rules by creating a FAQ section on its website about Father Arango's case.

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Just as a priest must not use "milk instead of wine during the consecration of the Eucharist" - when the Catholic faith says that wine becomes the blood of Christ - a priest must not change the wording of the sacrament of baptism either. Milk will not become the blood of Christ, the diocese said, and in the same way, an incorrectly formulated baptism will not cleanse a person.

Sandra Yokum, a professor of faith and culture at the University of Dayton, said that if the priest said "we," it would imply that the source of the grace of baptism comes from the community, while the word "I" would correctly state that "it is God doing this work of grace" through the priest.

“In baptism, part of what makes it valid is the words used, and so that becomes important,” Yocum said. “Church officials might be concerned about setting a precedent if they suggested that “these words are not that important.”

The Vatican's office, which interprets doctrine and handles cases of misconduct, firmly answered the question in 2020 whether "we" is acceptable.

"Unacceptable," the message said.

This notification from the Vatican made some other priests wonder if they had baptized incorrectly.

In 2020, the Rev. Matthew Hood of the Archdiocese of Detroit saw a video of his childhood baptism and realized the deacon had said "we." Father Hood, as well as others who were baptized by this deacon from 1986 to 1999, were then to be properly baptized. In Oklahoma City, the Reverend Zachary Boazman also watched a video of his childhood baptism and realized in September 2020 that the same thing had happened to him.

"It's very difficult to estimate how often this happens," Dr. Yokum said.

Father Arango "remains a priest in good standing" and still lives and serves in the Diocese of Phoenix, Diocese spokeswoman Cathy Burke said.

“His voluntary resignation allows him to fully dedicate his ministry to helping and healing families affected by this mistake,” Burke said.

However, some members of Saint Gregory's Catholic Church wanted him to remain their priest, and a petition was circulated to keep Father Arango as pastor of the church.

“Instead of giving Father Andres the opportunity to remain at St. Gregory's Hospital and improve his situation, he is being removed from the community that loves and cares for him,” the petition states.

The video shows dozens of people who came to say goodbye to Arango's father in January.

In his letter to parishioners, he wrote: "I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by my actions and sincerely ask for your prayers, forgiveness and understanding."

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