A Catholic priest in Arizona resigned after discovering he'd incorrectly performed thousands of baptisms for over 20 years A Catholic priest in Phoenix has resigned after realizing he'd been incorrectly performing baptisms for over 20 years, rendering the rite invalid for thousands of people. As he administered the ritual, the Rev. Andres Arango would say, "We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit." But the correct wording is "I baptize," according to the Vatican's instruction, Thomas J. Olmsted, bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix, wrote in a January 14 message. (T)he official Diocese of Phoenix website said that Arango's one-word alteration means that "all of the baptisms he has performed until June 17, 2021, are presumed invalid." In an open letter, Arango apologized for his error and announced that he'd resigned as pastor of the St. Gregory parish in Phoenix as of February 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 wrote. "With the help of the Holy Spirit and in communion with the Diocese of Phoenix I will dedicate my energy and full time ministry to help remedy this and heal those affected," he added. https://www.insider.com/arizona-pas...tized-thousands-people-incorrectly-2022-2?amp
I went here to try to find a more catholic point of view on the question: Invalid baptisms: A Catholic explainer about the facts and the fears | Catholic News Agency I can already imagine the congregants in my church saying, "that's why we're Protestant!" I get it, that it's important to be pedantic about the sacrament to protect it from evolution over the centuries. But the legalism is going to cause a lot of people a lot of heartache and suffering. While the diocese tries to reassure people through its website that God's grace won't necessarily be withheld, that seems like pretty tepid comfort.
