Photo: Getty
An Arizona priest resigned this month after the Diocese of Phoenix concluded that his mix-up of a single word during the baptisms he performed over his career made them all invalid.
In aletterposted to their website, the Diocese of Phoenix announced that Rev. Andres Arango had mistakenly used an incorrect word in each Rite of Baptism he performed until the error was noticed in June of last year.
Instead of saying, “Ibaptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” during his baptisms, Arango had switched “I” with “We.”
While seemingly innocuous at first, the oversight completely changes an important line in the “Baptismal Formula,” the diocese explained.
“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,” Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, said in astatement.
Google Maps
On their website, the Diocese declared that if anyone has been baptized using the wrong words, they are not baptized and still need to be. They compared it to a priest using milk instead of wine during the Consecration of the Eucharist, which would render it invalid because the milk would not become the Blood of Jesus Christ.
“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,” Olmsted said in his letter. “This is why I pledge to take every step necessary to remedy the situation for everyone impacted.”
Olmsted added that he didn’t believe Arango “had any intentions to harm the faithful or deprive them of the grace of baptism and the sacraments.”
Arango was a practicing priest for more than two decades,NBC Newsreported. According toCNN, he performed thousands of baptisms over his career.
In a separate statement posted to the diocese’s website,Arangoexpressed remorse for his mistake.
RELATED VIDEO: Deer Breaks into a Chruch in Michigan
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank God for having given me the opportunity to serve your community so many years ago,” he added. “You have all enriched my life beyond measure. It has been a blessing and an honor to have served and worked alongside people that I consider my dear friends and family.”
The baptism error could present other problems for those affected, the diocese said. Because baptism is the “entry point” for other sacraments, a nullified baptism would alsoinvalidateany confirmation, marriage and holy orders that came after it.
source: people.com
