By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
Most of this obituary is taken from the website of the Augustinian friars, www.augustinian.org/news.
Augustinian Father Maximo Ortiz: Born Oct. 8, 1939; entered religious life Sept. 2, 1967; ordained a priest Sept. 14, 1974; died Oct. 12, 2016.
PHILADELPHIA | Funeral services were held in Philadelphia Oct. 15 and 16 for Augustinian Father Máximo Ortiz, who spent the last few years helping out in Miami parishes.
Father Ortiz, 77, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in August. He died Oct. 12 in the health care unit of St. Thomas Monastery, Villanova, Pa. He had been in religious life for 49 years and a priest for 42.
“He was a very kind and devout brother priest and shepherd who cared deeply about the salvation of others and took his own quite seriously as well,” said Father José Álvarez, pastor of Our Lady of the Lakes, Miami Lakes, where Father Ortiz helped out since coming to the archdiocese in 2010.
“He was always willing to help all people and the needs of our parish. He is very fondly remembered and much missed,” Father Alvarez said.
Father Ortiz was born Oct. 8, 1939 in Havana, Cuba. He attended Colegio de la Salle there from 1944 to 1952, and Cardinal Farley Military Academy, in Rhinecliff on Hudson, N.Y., from 1952 to 1956. He studied at the Universidad Catóica de Santo Tomas de Villanueva, Havana, beginning in 1956, and then at Villanova University, Villanova, Pa., from 1961 until 1963.
After receiving a degree in economics from Villanova, he worked for several years in his family’s business in San Juan, Puerto Rico, before entering the Augustinians. He was received into the order Sept. 2, 1967, professed simple vows a year later, and solemn vows Sept. 3, 1971.
He was assigned to Augustinian College, Washington, D.C., while studying at the Catholic University of America, where he received a licentiate in sacred theology in 1971. He also completed a master’s in theology at Villanova in 1970.
He spent his deaconate at St. Mary’s Parish in Lawrence, Mass., and was ordained there Sept. 14, 1974, by Humberto Cardinal Medeiros, Archbishop of Boston.
He remained at St. Mary’s as parochial vicar until 1975, when he pursued graduate studies in sacred theology at the Catholic University of America. After obtaining a doctorate in the field, he returned to St. Mary’s from 1978 to 1982.
Transferred again to Washington, he began work as a mental health chaplain at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. For over 25 years, Father Ortiz worked enthusiastically to offer pastoral care to the residents of St. Elizabeth’s large population. While he served the entire hospital population, his particular contribution was to the Spanish-speaking.
In 1990, he continued this ministry at St. Thomas of Villanova Monastery in Pennsylvania.
The move to Miami came in August 2010, when he was appointed prior of Casa San Lorenzo, the Augustinian friary on the grounds of St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens.
In February 2012, he began working at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, Golden Gate, while continuing to minister in the Miami area to the Spanish and Haitian communities.
In addition to Spanish and English, Father Ortiz spoke French, Portuguese and Italian.
He is survived by three sisters: Sylvia Ortiz Rodriguez, Cristina Ortiz Ramirez and Teresa Ortiz Krog-Hansen, 11 nieces and nephews and their children. Burial was in Mexico City.
