Chip Chick
Phoenix, Arizona. Everyone is human, and everyone, therefore, makes mistakes. What happens when you seemingly make one small mistake though that impacts thousands of lives?
Well, one priest named Reverend Andres Arango found himself in this exact situation after he got one word wrong in the thousands of baptisms that he performed.
After the Catholic Church found out about what appears to be just a small mistake, they said the baptisms that he performed in Arizona are no longer valid, and some marriages might even be at stake too, since baptisms are considered an “entry point” of additional sacraments like marriages or confirmations.
The Diocese of Phoenix took to their website to explain what the mistake was that Reverend Andres Arango even made in the first place.
So, when you get baptized, the proper thing to be said is, “I baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Although he was supposed to say “I”, Reverend Andres Arango said “we” and therein lies the major issue.
“If you were baptized using the wrong words, that means your baptism is invalid, and you are not baptized,” the Diocese of Phoenix pointed out. “You will need to be baptized.”
This small error leaves many sacraments now in question.
“After careful study, it has been determined that the form (words) Fr. Andres used for the sacrament of baptism has been incorrect, and all of the baptisms he has performed until June 17, 2021, are presumed invalid,” the Diocese of Phoenix clarified.
“Any baptisms performed by Fr. Andres after June 17, 2021, are presumed valid and do not need to be repeated.”
Reverend Andres Arango has held the role of pastor at the St. Gregory Parish located in Phoenix, though after all of this he has resigned from his position.
Although he’s no longer a pastor of that church, the Diocese of Phoenix confirmed that he is still “a priest in good standing.”
