Following an investigation, a Catholic priest named Father Andres Arango has resigned from his position for mistakenly using the word “We” instead of “I” during baptisms for over 20 years.
The church has declared all baptisms performed by him to be void. The announcement was made by Bishop Thomas Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix. The investigation found that Father Arango used the phrase “We baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” instead of the correct wording of “I baptize you.”
According to CNN, Olmsted clarified that the correct wording should be “I baptize you.” The priest has apologized for using the incorrect formula.
Arango resigned as pastor of the St. Gregory Parish in Phoenix on February 1, 2022. “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,” wrote Olmsted to parishioners last month. “This determination was made after careful study by diocesan officials and through consultation with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome,” read the statement.
Baptism is considered the first of the sacraments and the church confirmed that some people will need to repeat other sacraments. There are seven sacraments in the Catholic church, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, reconciliation, anointing the sick, marriage, and holy orders. “Through the Sacraments, God shares his holiness with us so that we, in turn, can make the world holier,” reads a statement on the website about sacraments.
Olmsted confirmed that people will have to be baptized again as the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2020 states that when baptism is conferred with the formula “We baptize,” it is invalid. He had baptized people in Phoenix and at his previous parishes in Brazil and San Diego, reported The New York Times.
“It saddens me to learn that I have performed invalid baptisms throughout my ministry as a priest by regularly using an incorrect formula,” said Arango in a message posted on the diocese’s website. “I deeply regret my error and how this has affected numerous people in your parish and elsewhere,” Arango added.
While Arango has resigned over the issue, Olmsted said it was an inadvertent mistake by the pastor and he didn’t mean any harm. “I too am sincerely sorry that this error has resulted in disruption to the sacramental lives of a number of the faithful. This is why I pledge to take every step necessary to remedy the situation for everyone impacted,” said Olmsted.
Arango, who began his career in Brazil in 1995, will continue as a priest and spend his time helping those who had invalid baptisms. The diocese has set up a separate website to help all those who are believed to have been conferred with an invalid baptism. The diocese also clarified that baptisms performed by Arango after June 17, 2021, are valid.
Katie Burke, the diocese’s spokesperson said some new baptisms have already taken place. Father Arango “remains a priest in good standing,” said Burke. “His voluntary resignation allows him to dedicate his full-time ministry to helping and healing the families who were affected by this error.”
“I ask that you join me in praying for Father Andres and for all of those who are going to be impacted by this unfortunate situation. I pledge to work diligently and swiftly to bring peace to those who have been affected,” wrote Olmsted.