Ad libbing Baptismal Promises during Mass?

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In our parish, whenever we have a baptism during Mass, the faithful are asked to renew their baptismal vows (promises?) where we repeat “I do” after each question.

Rather than read the standard baptismal promises, our Pastor chooses to improvise the baptismal promises (ie last Sunday he asked, “Do you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior”? and omitted any references to rejecting Satan, etc.)

Is this okay? Just wanted to know.

Again, thank you in advance for any insight! 🙂
 
I don’t think it’s permissible to do that, no. Our priest always reads from something.
 
No, ad-libbing the Renewal of Baptismal Promises is disallowed.

See Redemptionis Sacramentum 69:
[69.] In Holy Mass as well as in other celebrations of the Sacred Liturgy, no Creed or Profession of Faith is to be introduced which is not found in the duly approved liturgical books.

The Renewal of Baptismal Promises would be considered a Profession of Faith, I believe.
 
That’s not good. Sounds like a conversation is needed, etc.
:confused:
 
Togonon said:
In our parish, whenever we have a baptism during Mass, the faithful are asked to renew their baptismal vows (promises?) where we repeat “I do” after each question.

Rather than read the standard baptismal promises, our Pastor chooses to improvise the baptismal promises (ie last Sunday he asked, “Do you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior”? and omitted any references to rejecting Satan, etc.)

Is this okay? Just wanted to know.

Again, thank you in advance for any insight! 🙂
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no it is most definitely not all right. for RCIA there are 3 choices of the rite, but it is a rite, and must be followed as written and I can guarantee that opition is not in there.
run outside quick and check the sign out front to make sure you are in a Catholic Church. if there are times for bingo you should be okay, but you might want to double check he used the words you recall
 
puzzleannie said:
no it is most definitely not all right. for RCIA there are 3 choices of the rite, but it is a rite, and must be followed as written and I can guarantee that opition is not in there.
run outside quick and check the sign out front to make sure you are in a Catholic Church. if there are times for bingo you should be okay, but you might want to double check he used the words you recall
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Yes, unfortunately, those were the words verbatim (ie “do you accept Jesus as your, etc”). I remember thinking, “that can’t be part of it!” Each baptism, the rite varies as he improvises it and I get really confused as he mentions all manner of things as part of our baptismal promises.
 
Togonon said:
Yes, unfortunately, those were the words verbatim (ie “do you accept Jesus as your, etc”). I remember thinking, “that can’t be part of it!” Each baptism, the rite varies as he improvises it and I get really confused as he mentions all manner of things as part of our baptismal promises.
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he can’t do this, it might invalidate the baptism
please document, in writing, and contact your bishop
 
When I worked in an AF lab we had a number of MIL standards for making apparatus. We added one of our own: MIL-TDP-41 [Make It Like - The Danged Print - For Once] :D.

I think something similar should be added to the Liturgical Books.
 
promethius said:
No. It would possibly make it illicit, not invalid.
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nope if this was during baptism, if he did not use the proper words contained in the rite the baptism could be invalidated as well as illicit. he is playing fast and loose with all the rites including Mass, it seems, and this needs to be documented and reported to the bishop.
 
The valid form for the baptism is the use of the Trinitarian formula. The valid matter is water touching the crown of the head 3 times while the valid formula is used.

The rest of the rite is important (and really beautiful, imho), but not essential for validity. For example, in danger of death, the rest could be skipped, to (hopefully) be completed after the one to be baptized recovers sufficiently.

Changing the words of the baptismal promises isn’t, as others have posted, supposed to happen. But unless he changed the words of N… I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the child is baptized.
 
puzzleannie said:
nope if this was during baptism, if he did not use the proper words contained in the rite the baptism could be invalidated as well as illicit. he is playing fast and loose with all the rites including Mass, it seems, and this needs to be documented and reported to the bishop.
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If he said “I baptise you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” then the baptsim was valid, even if he did something illicit, but the OP made clear that this occured specifically during the renewal of baptismal promises of the congregation, so the point that it could invalidate the baptism in particular is moot.

Hence why I stated that it could render it illicit, but not invalid.
 
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