The Roman Catholic Diocese of Essen has become the first in Germany to allow women to perform baptisms, citing a lack of priests.

While the church teaches that baptism is indeed necessary for salvation, God does not need us to complete a ritual in order to care for our children.

Ash Wednesday isn’t a holy day of obligation, but in English-speaking countries, it still has a powerful draw even for Catholics who are otherwise non-practicing.

As the Rev. Andrés Arango poured holy water over the heads of a dozen people on Thursday evening, it represented the beginning of a new ministry for him: healing and helping those he invalidly baptized.

Members of one of his former communities said they doubt that he used incorrect formulas for sacraments while he worked there, and many of them recall him fondly as one of the most important priests in their lives.

The Rev. Andres Arango’s error was in saying, “We baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” when he should have begun the sentence by saying, “I baptize you.”