Like in Arizona, botched baptisms roiled Michigan church

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Like in Arizona, botched baptisms roiled Michigan church

By ED WHITE
February 21, 2022

DETROIT (AP) — One word caught the ear of a young priest a few years ago when his father shared a video of his 1990 baptism at a suburban Detroit church.

“Wait,” the Rev. Matthew Hood recalled thinking. “Something doesn’t seem right here.”

Indeed, an error by a deacon who said “We baptize” instead of “I baptize” spoiled Hood’s baptism in the eyes of the Catholic Church — and, in domino-like fashion, erased his other sacraments and meant that he wasn’t really a priest.

It was perhaps the most significant consequence from a controversy that emerged nearly two years ago at St. Anastasia Church in Troy, after the Vatican said the use of “we” invalidates baptisms in the Catholic faith.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-religion-arizona-michigan-detroit-379fec0946a7ad8b8d536f6871f28715


Father Matthew Hood is shown at Our Lady of the Rosary church Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, in Detroit. In 2020, one word caught the ear of a young Detroit-area priest while he watched a video of his baptism from decades earlier. "Wait," the Rev. Matthew Hood recalled thinking. "Something doesn't seem right here." Indeed, an error by a deacon had spoiled the sacrament — and, in domino-like fashion, meant he truly wasn't a priest. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. Utterly stupid when words have more meaning than intent.

[rampartc]

4. utterly ridiculous when god speaks latin anyway.

what a dumb thing to worry about

[RockRaven]

2. "It's leviOsa, not levioSA."

It's very important to get the spell incantations correct, according to some.

[Pisces]

3. Very funny!!

[Cuthbert Allgood]

6. This news story always makes me think of this classic:

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. Really? One word, one freaking word, can

invalidate a baptism?

[old as dirt]

7. Catholic Church baptism crisis is manufactured

The Catholic Church baptism crisis is manufactured. Faith is bigger than grammar. Amen.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2022/02/17/catholic-priest-baptism-words-sex-abuse/6813080001/

snip---------

Look beyond words, see the message.

In response to this news, several readers have directed me to a blog post by Rabbi Mike Harvey, in which he shares the fable of a poor, uneducated boy who attended synagogue with his father on Shabbat. The child could not read, but his mother had taught him the Hebrew alphabet. Moved by the beautiful service of chanted prayers, he joined in by reciting the alphabet, one letter at a time.

His father cautioned him to stop, but soon enough he was moved again to recite the letters, even louder. As Rabbi Harvey tells it, after catching the attention of everyone, the child prayed aloud:

“Ruler of the Universe, I know I am only a child. I want so much to sing the beautiful prayers to you, but I don’t know them. Please, dear God, take these letters of the alphabet and rearrange them to form the words that mean what I want to say to you, what is in my heart!”

Tears formed in the eyes of the father, the rabbi and the congregation. Together, they joined him. “Aleph, bet, gimmel, daled, hey, vav ...”

Amen, and amen.

snip---------