A priest has resigned from a Catholic church in Phoenix, Arizona, after it was determined he incorrectly performed thousands of baptisms for decades by changing one word.

Father Andres Arango resigned from St. Gregory Catholic Church in Phoenix after it was determined he used the words “We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” instead of the correct phrase “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” according to Thomas J. Olmsted, the bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix.

“The issue with using ‘We’ is that it is not the community that baptizes a person, rather, it is Christ, and Him alone, who presides at all of the sacraments, and so it is Christ Jesus who baptizes,” Olmsted said.

Arango served as a pastor, parochial administrator, parochial vicar, and other religious titles in Arizona, California, and Brazil over the past 20 years. The Diocese of Phoenix said that because of his error, “all of the baptisms he has performed until June 17, 2021, are presumed invalid.”

The diocese told USA Today that Arango performed thousands of baptisms during his time “in his priestly ministry.” FULL STORY HERE