The Curious Case of Father Arango
20 February, 2022
I'm relatively sure, dear and gentle reader, that you've heard of, read or seen the story about Fr. Andres Arango, a priest in the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona, who, over the course of nearly a decade, administered the sacrament of Baptism invalidly to thousands of unwitting people merely because of one word he had changed in the form of the sacrament. Rather than saying "I baptise you...", he decided to say "We baptise you...". The Diocese of Phoenix declared that all baptisms celebrated by him from 2013 to 2021 were deemed invalid, and this was confirmed by Vatican officials as well. Fr. Arango has since resigned as pastor of his parish and apologised for his mistakes.
To the unknowing, this my seem like nit-picking on the part of Church authorities on the diocesan level, and even at the Vatican, however, it is anything but. Words matter, and in the celebration of the sacraments, they matter very much. We believe that it is Christ who administers the sacraments through the minister of the sacraments. Thus, during Mass, a priest or bishop when consecrating the bread and wine does not say "This is His Body", or "This is the chalice of His Blood", but rather, "This is My Body" and "This is the chalice of My Blood". So it is with Baptism. It is Christ, not His Church, and not the minister of the sacrament who imparts the sanctifying grace of the sacrament. The sacraments are the actions and gifts of Christ to His Church for our sanctification and salvation. They continue His saving work in our world today, and are not merely ceremonies. No Bishop, no priest, no deacon has the right to change how a sacrament is celebrated and administered. Only the Pope has the authority to do such, and in the case of the validity of the sacraments, even he is bound to observe the proper form.
I cannot speak to the lessons taught to Fr. Arango when he studied in seminary in his native country of Brazil, but I'd bet that he was taught how to properly celebrate the sacraments according to the teaching and mind of the Church. I do not know what he was thinking when he decided to change the form of Baptism. Perhaps he thought he was being "cool" or "relevant", perhaps he wanted to stress the Church's role in the sacrament. Whatever the case, Fr. Arango created a mess for thousands of people. Only the validly baptised may receive any of the other sacraments. Thus, an invalidly baptised person cannot validly or licitly receive any of the other sacraments. So, that means, all these folk must be baptised validly, be confirmed, make their real first Holy Communion, and in the case of those who are married, be validly married in the Church. All because of one word.
Some might be tempted to say, in regards to this case, "Ecclesia supplet", the Church supplies, as found in Canon 144.1 in the Code of Canon Law, however, even that does not apply here. I am not a canonist, and cannot sufficiently explain the details, so I have provided this link to an excellent article which explains why, and is in total fidelity with the Catholic Church. https://canonlawmadeeasy.com/2020/10/01/ecclesia-supplet-making-invalid-sacraments-valid/
Words matter. Imagine taking an oath in a court of law, when you are asked to speak "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth", and you respond "Yeah, sure.". Not very convincing. Or make your wedding vows when asked by the priest if you take your spouse for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, all the days of your life, and you respond, "I suppose so". Not good enough, my dear and gentle reader.
When a deacon, priest, or bishop is ordained, he is reminded that in receiving the sacrament of Holy Orders, he is being conformed to Christ, our High Priest. The priest is not a man for himself, but for the people. He is merely a servant. Servants have no authority to change what their master has decided. Our Master is Christ, and His bride, the Church. As a servant, he follows orders faithfully, especially in serious matters, and the sacraments, my dear and gentle reader, are most serious matters. Despite my many faults and sins, I do my best, as a priest, to be faithful in giving the people entrusted to my care the grace of Christ and the pledge of eternal life by celebrating the sacraments according to the ritual of the Church with proper form and matter.
I can only hope and pray that the thousands of people effected by Fr. Arango's mistake, experience healing and peace. In apologising, he has also promised to "help remedy and heal those effected". I pray too for Fr. Arango, and for all priests, deacons, and bishops, that we may learn a sobering lesson from this messy case, and redouble our efforts in being faithful to Christ and His Church as we, unworthy though we are, celebrate the sacraments for God's Holy People.
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