He said wrong words so ritual doesn’t count
HORRIFIED Rev. Andres Arango has resigned in disgrace after bungling thousands of baptisms over 25 years as a Roman Catholic priest, which officially means folks involved in the ceremony aren’t recognized members of the church!
According to church doctrine, the priest is supposed to say “I baptize you,” which calls upon the power of God. But Father Arango had been saying “We baptize you,” which indicates the community. That incorrectly worded “formula” doesn’t work spiritually, according to church officials.
The bungling Phoenix, Ariz., cleric realized his snafu after the Vatican sent
GLOBE / March 7, 2022 out a note last year notifying priests that the words, “We baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son of the Holy Spirit” are incorrect and voided the ritual.
In a Feb. 1 letter, Arango apologized to his congregation at St.
Gregory Catholic Church and urged those he’d baptized from 1995 to
June 2021 to seek out a legitimate ritual.
The bad baptisms could affect confirmations and Eucharists, the ceremony where bread and wine are taken symbolically as the blood and flesh of
Diocese of Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted (above) said he did not believe Rev. Andres Arango (far left) sought to deceive or harm parishioners
Arango had worked at St. Gregearlier
at St. Anne Roman Catholic Parish in Gilbert, Ariz., the St. Jerome Catholic Church in Phoenix, and also
in Brazil.
He’d also been director of the Newman Center at California’s San Diego State University.
His new job will be to give spiritual guidance to Catholics whose baptisms were ruled invalid so he can baptize them again, says a source.
Meanwhile, an online petition is asking for him to remain at St. Gregory, saying: “Catholics are taught that God forgives, is all loving, and shows compassion to everyone.
“It is important that the Phoenix Diocese emphasizes these virtues and shows its faithful what it truly means to be Catholic.”