The Rt Rev Stephen Ortiger, abbot of Worth greatly valued in the Benedictine community – obituary
The Right Reverend Dom Stephen Ortiger, the former Abbot of Worth who has died aged 83, was a man of great gifts, both human and intellectual, which made him one of the most influential monks of his generation.
He was Head Master of Worth School, then Abbot of the monastery, and after his retirement as Abbot he expended his considerable energies in a variety of pastoral endeavours, through which he became widely known in Catholic circles, and much loved for his wise good sense, his ability to communicate the things of God, and perhaps not least his sense of humour.
Richard Ortiger was born on February 21 1940 in Delhi, India, where his father Joseph worked as an engineer on the Indian railways. His mother was Eileen, née Owen-Brown.
Richard was sent to the prep school attached to Worth Abbey in Sussex; at 13, he went to Downside as a scholar; and in 1958 he went up to Cambridge, winning an exhibition to read history at Emmanuel.
As an undergraduate he was active in the Catholic chaplaincy at Fisher House, being both secretary and president of the Fisher Society. On finishing university, he entered Worth as a novice, taking the name of Stephen in religion.
After his initial training and his profession as a monk, he was sent to the Catholic University of Fribourg, where he studied Church history for two years, and where he became proficient in German. He was ordained priest on December 16 1967, by Bishop Christopher Butler, a fellow Benedictine.
From 1967 Father Stephen taught in the secondary school attached to the Abbey which had opened in 1959, as well as holding various positions in the religious community. He was Novice Master and later Claustral Prior, as well as Housemaster of St Bede’s, and finally in September 1983 he became Head Master, a position he held for just over nine years. During his time, the school at Worth flourished.
After his retirement as head, Ortiger had a brief sabbatical during which he learnt to fly in California, gaining a private pilot’s licence. Flying remained a lifelong passion, along with photography. Shortly after his return from sabbatical, he was elected Abbot of Worth in July 1993.
His time as leader of the monastic community was a period during which the monks endeavoured to evaluate their contribution to the Church, and, in an era of falling vocations, to try to equip the monastery for the modern age. In this, Abbot Stephen, as he was known, was considered to be courageous and forward-looking, presiding over a series of wide consultations.
His advice and guidance were sought by many Catholic schools and religious communities finding themselves in similar situations. He was a governor of several Catholic schools, and he was constantly in demand as a retreat giver, particularly to Benedictine communities, many of whom were facing uncertain futures.
While every Benedictine monastery is independent, there is an umbrella body that oversees the English Benedictine Congregation, and Abbot Stephen was twice elected as First Assistant to the Abbot President.
As part of his duties, he was Visitor to monastic communities which had fallen into crisis.
Though often called out of the monastery, he was also assiduous in looking after its fabric, engaged in several building projects, and overseeing the welfare of its community. The Church of Worth Abbey and its attendant buildings, situated near Crawley in the north Downs, is an austere, modern, but very attractive complex, in part thanks to him.
On his retirement as Abbot, in 2002, after another sabbatical, Ortiger was appointed assistant chaplain at Fisher House in Cambridge. He was there for three and half years, in his old university, ministering to undergraduates and dons alike, before returning to the monastery and taking up the position of Episcopal Vicar for Religious in the local Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, liaising with all the religious orders working in the diocese.
As a retired headmaster, he was still much in demand speaking to conferences of headteachers, as well as later helping with the training of lay chaplains in Catholic schools in Surrey and Sussex. He was also a fixture on the annual diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes, where he became well known to many; despite his vast acquaintanceship, he never forgot a name or a face.
One of Ortiger’s greatest gifts was his natural rapport with people of all ages, especially the young. His friendly and anecdotal style of preaching and instruction was much loved. He was a man of prayer, as befitted a monk; his evident and guileless sincerity won him many friends; and his spiritual guidance was much sought after and appreciated.
In 2019, he was engaged more or less full time in helping out in the large parish of Bexhill-on-Sea. The next year, despite having passed his 80th birthday, he was made priest in charge at Our Lady Star of the Sea in East Preston, West Sussex, which was to be his last job.
In late 2023, he had a hip replacement; there were complications, and in mid-January terminal cancer was diagnosed.
A week before his death Stephen Ortiger had sent a serene and affectionate message to his friends, ending with the words: “Please keep me in your prayers. I have always believed in and relied on the inexhaustible mercy and love of God, now and always.”
The Rt Rev Dom Stephen Ortiger, born February 21 1940, died January 27 2024
