Octavio Ortiz Arrieta was born on 19 April 1879 in
Lima as the eighth of nine children to Manuel Arrieta and Benigna Coya. He studied as a
carpenter under the
Salesians of Don Bosco since December 1893 but soon decided to become a
priest instead; but it was at this stage that his compatriots and superiors realized he possessed those qualities needed for the priesthood while Arrieta decided to become a priest under the Salesians. Father Pane once compiled a list of twelve names for potential Salesian vocations and upon reaching Arrieta's name figured he would make a good bishop sometime in the future. He joined the order for the
novitiate on 24 May 1898 at
Callao (initial profession followed in 1900) and made his perpetual profession in 1902 into the hands of
Paolo Albera which made him the first Peruvian-born Salesian. Arrieta was assigned to found a new vocational school in
Piura in 1906 and he was soon
ordained to the priesthood at the beginning of 1907. He was appointed as the director of the Piura houses from 1911–15 and there founded the "La Campanilla" magazine. He went on to serve as the director of the houses at
Cuzco (1915–20) and at
Callao (1920–21) houses after his ordination where he served for well over a decade.
Pope Benedict XV – on 21 November 1921 – appointed him into the
episcopate as a bishop and he received his episcopal consecration on 11 June 1922 from Giuseppe Petrelli before he could be installed in his new see. From the November appointment it had taken him a month to reach his see from Lima and arrived sometime in December. He became noted for his closeness to the people and he organized a series of spiritual retreats for them. Arrieta also taught them
catechism whenever it was possible for him to do so and also founded a diocesan newspaper for the faithful; he revitalized diocesan initiatives designed to restore the faith in the people and to empower them. He was a supporter of vocational initiatives and promoted them to empower prospective new priests and was a supporter of religious orders due to him being part of one himself. He was cheerful and welcoming and known for his amiable qualities; he undertook eight pastoral visitations and held three
diocesan synods as well as reorganizing the archives of parishes. His travels were sometimes dangerous and on two occasions he suffered serious accidents that both ended up with him falling into deep
ravines which confined him to hospital for prolonged periods due to
broken ribs and bones. The bishop twice declined appointments to the
Lima archdiocese because he wanted to remain close to his own people whom he had come to love and respect. The apostolic nuncio – on the behalf of
Pope Pius XII – had made the offer to him but he said that he was "married" to his see. This did not stop the pope who in 1953 titled him as a
Monsignor. His health started to decline into the 1950s and he died on 1 March 1958 after having had an operation around that time. He was interred in the diocesan cathedral. ==Beatification cause==