Pastor Resigns After Incorrectly Performing 1000’s of Baptisms

The Rev. Andres Arango was main a baptism at St. Gregory Catholic Church in Phoenix final yr when some folks within the pews heard a slight variation within the non secular ritual.

“We baptize you within the identify of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Father Arango mentioned, his voice echoing within the church as he poured the holy water.

However there was an issue.

Saying “we baptize” was incorrect. The Vatican instructs clergymen to say “I baptize,” and if it isn’t mentioned that approach the baptism is deemed invalid.

Church leaders investigated and decided final month that Father Arango had incorrectly carried out 1000’s of baptisms over greater than 20 years, which means these he had baptized in Phoenix and at his earlier parishes in Brazil and San Diego weren’t correctly baptized.

The oversight has brought about complications for these now looking for solutions about whether or not their defective baptisms have spilled over into different components of their Catholic religion. As an illustration, wouldn’t it have an effect on those that have been married by the church?

“Perhaps! Sadly, there isn’t a single clear reply,” the Diocese of Phoenix answered online.

Father Arango, who didn’t reply to calls on Sunday looking for an interview, apologized in a statement and mentioned he was resigning as pastor of the parish, efficient Feb. 1.

“It saddens me to study that I’ve carried out invalid baptisms all through my ministry as a priest by often utilizing an incorrect method,” he mentioned. “I deeply remorse my error and the way this has affected quite a few folks in your parish and elsewhere.”

Thomas J. Olmsted, the bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix, mentioned in a press release that he didn’t imagine Father Arango “had any intentions to hurt the trustworthy or deprive them of the grace of baptism and the sacraments.”

The Catholic News Agency reported on the botched baptisms this month.

Within the Catholic religion, a baptism is a sacrament wherein folks, usually infants, have water poured over their foreheads, symbolizing purification and admission to the Church. It’s a “requirement for salvation,” in line with the diocese.

Adhering to the baptismal method is “extraordinarily necessary to proceed the custom of the Church,” mentioned Neomi De Anda, a professor of spiritual research on the College of Dayton in Ohio.

“It’s not meant to be legalistic however about communion,” she added.

Certainly, the Diocese of Phoenix addressed the precise guidelines by creating an F.A.Q. part on its web site in regards to the case of Father Arango.

Simply as a priest mustn’t use “milk as an alternative of wine throughout the Consecration of the Eucharist” — when the Catholic religion says that the wine turns into the blood of Christ — a priest must also not alter the wording of the sacrament of baptism, the diocese mentioned.

The milk wouldn’t change into the blood of Christ, the diocese mentioned, and, equally, a wrongly worded baptism wouldn’t purify an individual.

Sandra Yocum, a professor of religion and tradition on the College of Dayton, mentioned that if a priest mentioned “we,” it will indicate that the supply of the grace of the baptism got here from the neighborhood, whereas saying “I” would appropriately assert that “it’s God doing this work of grace” by means of the priest.

“In baptism, a part of what makes it legitimate is the phrases which can be used, and in order that turns into important,” Ms. Yocum mentioned. Church officers might need been nervous about setting a precedent in the event that they steered “these phrases usually are not that necessary,” she added.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Religion, a Vatican workplace that interprets doctrine and handles instances of misconduct, replied firmly when requested in 2020 if it was acceptable to make use of “we.”

“Damaging,” it said.

That discover from the Vatican made another clergymen marvel if that they had been incorrectly baptized.

In 2020, the Rev. Matthew Hood of the Archdiocese of Detroit noticed a video of his personal childhood baptism and realized that the deacon had mentioned “we.” Father Hood, in addition to others who have been baptized by that deacon from 1986 to 1999, needed to then be correctly baptized.

In Oklahoma Metropolis, the Rev. Zachary Boazman additionally noticed a video of his childhood baptism and realized in September 2020 that the identical factor had occurred to him, too.

“It’s very laborious to gauge how usually this occurs,” Dr. Yocum mentioned.

Father Arango “stays a priest in good standing” and remains to be dwelling and serving within the Diocese of Phoenix, Katie Burke, a spokeswoman for the diocese, mentioned.

“His voluntary resignation permits him to dedicate his full-time ministry to serving to and therapeutic the households who have been affected by this error,” Ms. Burke mentioned.

Some members of St. Gregory Catholic Church, nonetheless, had needed him to stay their priest, and a petition was circulated to maintain Father Arango because the church’s pastor.

“Slightly than giving Father Andres the chance to remain at St. Gregory and rectify the scenario,” the petition mentioned, “he’s being faraway from a neighborhood that loves and cares for him.”

A video exhibits dozens of individuals attending a farewell celebration for Father Arango in January.

In his letter to parishioners, he wrote, “I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience my actions have brought about and genuinely ask on your prayers, forgiveness and understanding.”