Catholic Priest Resigns After Church Discovered Erroneous Rites During Baptisms

A Catholic priest has resigned in Phoenix for performing baptismal rites erroneously.

He was identified as Rev. Andres Arango who was performing baptismal rites for the last 20 years.

According to Bishop Thomas Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix, Arango was saying the wrong words during the rites, rendering it invalid.

When he poured holy water during the baptisms he performed, Rev. Arango would say: "We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

While it would initially seem that there was nothing wrong, there was an error at the start of the sentence. Rather than “we,” Arango should have said, “I baptize.”

By getting that word wrong, it nullified the entire ritual he performed.

"If you were baptized using the wrong words, that means your baptism is invalid, and you are not baptized," Olmsted wrote. "You will need to be baptized."

Despite the glaring error, Olmsted believed that Arango was unaware of the mistake and had no intentions to harm the faithful or deprive them of the sacraments.

The bishop went on to apologize to parishioners that resulted in the disruption of the sacramental lives of a number of the faithful.

Also, Olmsted explained that after careful study of diocesan officials, all of the baptisms Arango performed up until June 17, 2021, are presumed invalid.

Baptisms performed by Arango after that date are presumed valid and there is no need to repeat them.

Arango previously served in parishes in Phoenix, Brazil and San Diego, according to the Catholic News Service. The diocese has created a website for anyone who believes their baptism was invalid.

Arango asked parishioners for forgiveness when he announced his resignation as pastor of the St. Gregory parish in Phoenix that was effective starting Feb. 1.

"It saddens me to learn that I have performed invalid baptisms throughout my ministry as a priest by regularly using an incorrect formula," he said. "I deeply regret my error and how this has affected numerous people in your parish and elsewhere ... I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience my actions have caused and genuinely ask for your prayers, forgiveness, and understanding," Arango’s statement read.