Wednesday Liturgy: Follow-up: Faulty Trinitarian Formula

ROME, MARCH 8, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.

Pursuant to our Feb. 22 piece on an erroneous Trinitarian formula, a reader asked: "A minister of the Church, while performing a baptism, became slightly flustered by noisy children. He began the baptism with: 'I baptize you in the name of God the Father' then realized he had added a word but decided to keep going on the same track, presuming it would be OK from the validity point of view: ' and of God the Son and of God the Holy Spirit.' Was the baptism valid?"

Yes. Although the formula was not the official text, it contained all of the essential sacramental words and the additions did nothing to alter their meaning.

By this I do not mean to say that the minister may arbitrarily change the words, provided that he conserves the essential elements. Rather, I simply underline the fact that in this particular case the actions of a flustered minister did not affect the validity of the sacrament.