When it was discovered that Catholic priest Andres Arango of Phoenix, Arizona, had conducted the wrong baptismal rite during his two decades of service, he apologized to parishioners and resigned as pastor.

All of the children he baptized, many of whom are now adults, must now repeat the rite.

A common phrase used by Arango at the sacrament of baptism was, “We baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

But, as the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith notified the diocese, the use of the term “we” rendered the baptisms “invalid.” Instead of “we baptize,” Arango was supposed to use the phrase “I baptize.”

“In the specific case of the sacrament of baptism, not only does the minister not have the authority to modify the sacramental formula to his own liking, for the reasons of a Christological and ecclesiological nature, but neither can he even declare that he is acting on behalf of the parents, godparents, relatives or friends, nor in the name of the assembly gathered for the celebration, because he acts insofar as he is the sign-presence of the same Christ that is enacted in the ritual gesture of the Church,” the Congregation said, referring to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council.

According to Katie Burke, a spokesperson for the Church of Phoenix, while the diocese does not have an exact number of invalid baptisms Arango performed, the figure is “in the thousands.”

Bishop Thomas Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix addressed a letter to his congregation on January 14 advising them of the invalid baptisms. He stated that it is his obligation to be “vigilant over the celebration of the sacraments,” as well as “my duty to ensure that the sacraments are conferred in a manner” that is consistent with the Gospel and tradition’s norms.

“I do not believe Father Andres had any intentions to harm the faithful or deprive them of the grace of baptism and the sacraments,” Olmsted wrote in the letter. “On behalf of our local church, 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.”

This has included providing diocese members with background information on the situation as well as the option of scheduling another baptism so parishioners can be confident the sacrament is authentic.

“It may seem legalistic, but the words that are spoken, along with the actions that are performed and the materials used, are a crucial aspect of every sacrament,” the diocese posted on its website. “If you change the words, actions or materials required in any of the sacraments, they are not valid.”

Olmsted and other personnel, including Arango, agreed to meet with members who may be upset by the knowledge that their baptisms, whether preformed recently or many years ago, were not valid.

“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,” he wrote. “I pledge to work diligently and swiftly to bring peace to those who have been affected, and I assure you that I and our diocesan staff are wholeheartedly committed to assisting those who have questions about their reception of the sacraments.”

According to Burke, Father Paul Sullivan has taken over as administrator pro-tem of St. Gregory Parish.

Baptisms are already taking place for some of the impacted families, she added.

“The affected parishes were prepared to address the needs of their people in advance, so baptisms began not long after people were notified of invalid baptisms,” Burke told Newsweek. “Because they are currently ongoing, we do not have an exact number at this point.”

From 1995 to 2000, Arango, a former member of the Eudist community, served in Salvador, Brazil. Between 2001 and 2005, he worked for the Diocese of San Diego. From September 2005 through February 1, when his resignation became effective, he was a member of the Diocese of Phoenix.

“It saddens me to learn that I have performed invalid baptisms throughout my ministry as a priest by regularly using an incorrect formula,” Arango wrote in his farewell letter. “I deeply regret my error and how this has affected numerous people in your parish and elsewhere. With the help of the Holy Spirit and in communion with the Diocese of Phoenix I will dedicate my energy and full-time ministry to help remedy this and heal those affected.”

Image Credit: Getty

You were reading: ‘Invalid’ baptisms of Arizona priest may lead to rebaptisms for thousands of children: some are now adults