Thousands may need baptism renewal after US priest errs
February 16, 2022
Father Andres Arango was performing the ritual with the words, "We baptize you," instead of the Vatican-sanctioned "I baptize you." Arango had been making the mistake during his entire priesthood.
Father Arango has had to step down from his role in the wake of the errorImage: Catholic Press Photo/CPP/IPA/picture alliance
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Thousands of Catholics in the United States may have to be re-baptized after it was discovered that an Arizona priest had got one word wrong in the blessing for over a quarter of a century.
Father Andres Aragno had been performing baptism rites with the words "we baptize you," rather than "I baptize you," which is the formula sanctioned by the Vatican. Thousands of baptisms conducted by him have thus been deemed invalid.
When did the Church realize?
Arango's error was identified in mid-2021, diocese spokeswoman Katie Burke told the AFP news agency on Tuesday.
"Father Arango was using the incorrect words from the beginning of his priesthood until it was brought to the attention of the diocese last summer," Burke said, adding that she believes the number of people baptized under the invalid rite to number in the thousands.
"I do not have an exact number of people baptized between 1995 and 2021, but I believe they number in the thousands."
'Invalid baptisms throughout my ministry'
Burke said that Arango has quit his regular job to "dedicate his full-time ministry to helping and healing the people who were affected by this mistake." She added that the parish was working with Arango to make arrangements to baptize people who had been baptized invalidly.
Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted confirmed that the baptisms were invalid after "detailed examination" and consultation with the Vatican.
Coming out in the Catholic Church
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The minister announced his resignation on Tuesday through the website of the Saint Gregory Parish in 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 said.
Other invalid baptisms
Arango's case is not unique. In 2020, a Detroit priest noticed in a video of his own baptism that a deacon had used incorrect words during the rite.
As a result, all baptisms performed by the deacon between 1986 and 1999 were deemed invalid.
In the Catholic Church, baptism is necessary for believers to access other blessings.
Windsor Castle's weddings, baptisms and burials
The British royals come together for joyous and sad times in the historic St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, where Prince Philip will be laid to rest.
Image: Jonathan Brady/AP/dpa/picture alliance
Service at St. George's Chapel
The funeral service for the Duke of Edinburgh will be held in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The chapel features magnificently carved oak choir stalls for the knights of the Order of the Garter, the highest order of knighthood in Britain, to which Prince Philip belonged. Above the pews hang the banners of its members, along with the coats of arms of over 700 former members.
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was the last major event at Windsor Castle. The couple chose St. George's Chapel for the ceremony in May 2018 because it is far from the hustle and bustle of London; the venue was reportedly also safer and easier to manage from a security point of view.
Image: Reuters/C. Jackson
Baptism of Edward VII
The tradition of weddings, christenings and funeral ceremonies in Windsor Castle's chapel dates back to the medieval times. St. George's Chapel was also used for more intimate family ceremonies, such as the 1842 christening of the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, the eldest son and second child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Image: The Print Collector/Heritage Images/picture alliance
Royal Mausoleum
Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840 — a love story that has been filmed many times. Victoria had a mausoleum built for her husband, who died at an early age, on Frogmore Estate near Windsor Castle, where she was also buried after her death in 1901.
Image: The Print Collector/Heritage Images/picture alliance
Princess Charlotte Monument
One of the most elaborate memorial sculptures in St. George's Chapel is Matthew Cotes Wyatt's cenotaph to the memory of Princess Charlotte. She was the only daughter of George IV and died in 1817 after delivering a stillborn boy. George had no other children, so the succession to the throne went to his brother, William IV, and later to his niece Victoria, who ruled the kingdom from 1837 to 1901.
Image: United Archives/TopFoto/picture-alliance
Sophia of Gloucester
The above drawing shows the funeral procession of Sophia of Gloucester arriving at St. George's Chapel in December 1844. Sophia was a great-granddaughter of King George II. Although the princess had several marriage proposals, she never married. She lived in Winkfield, near Windsor, and was the first royal family member to attend public appointments.
Image: The Print Collector/Heritage Images/picture alliance
State funeral of King George VI
Another day of mourning: On February 15, 1952, a carriage bearing the coffin of King George VI drew up at Windsor Castle. The king, a great-grandson of Queen Victoria's, was the father of Princess Margaret and the current queen, Elizabeth II. The procession was the first funeral of a British monarch to be broadcast on television.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore House
The British royal family has weathered many scandals. In 1936, after 10 months on the throne, Edward VIII abdicated so he could marry an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. His death in 1972 was mourned in St. George's Chapel, but he was buried on the Frogmore Estate.
Image: George W. Hales/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Much-beloved Queen Mum
The widow of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth II, known across the UK as "Queen Mum," died aged 101 in March 2002. Her coffin was transferred from Westminster Abbey to St. George's Chapel in Windsor, where she rests in the family vault alongside her husband, King George VI.
