A Peaceful, Loving, Friend & Companion to all in Wrentham and Beyond
Brother Dominic (George) Mihm was born in Washington, D.C. on August 12, 1919, the second of six children. After graduating from high school in 1938, he asked to join Maryknoll and was sent to Venard College in Clark’s Summit, Pennsylvania by way of preparation for their seminary. After the successful completion of his first year there, his Superiors suggested that his health might not hold up under the rigors of missionary life in foreign countries. He then returned to Washington, where he became the Assistant Manager of the carriers for the Washington Star. He later went to work with a construction company and could boast that he helped to build the Pentagon in his own hometown. On one occasion he hitchhiked with a friend up to New England to visit relatives there. Finding themselves one night stranded in a heavy downpour, they took refuge in a nearby monastery, which put them up for the night. It was at our Lady of the Valley, Trappist Monastery, Rhode Island, that he found his home and vocation in life – a Trappist monk.
On January 14, 1945, he was sent to the monastery of Our Lady of the Prairies in Manitoba, Canada for training in animal husbandry, which would remain his favorite work throughout his life. After six months he returned to the Valley to continue his work managing the barn. It was in his capacity of Dairy Manager that he was instrumental in the purchase of a farm in Wrentham in 1946 from the Garelick Dairy in Franklin, Massachusetts for the establishment of what would become the first convent of Cistercian nuns in the U.S.
Throughout these early years he continued to help the sisters at Wrentham after the inauguration of their monastery in 1949, paying periodic visits to inspect their herd. In early January his Abbot of Spencer, MA asked him to go to Wrentham for a few weeks. These “few weeks” would be transformed as if by magic into 40 years! And so, Dominic took up residence there and began to assist the sisters in their farm operation on a permanent basis. This would be the beginning of long years of dedication to the sisters and their monastery, to Wrentham friends and families.
In addition to his work on the farm, Dominic played a significant role in making contacts between the monastery and its neighbors in the Wrentham—Franklin area, often offering skilled assistance to farmers who needed help. Little by little Dominic became a beloved figure in the entire region. Many of those who came to know him offered their own services to help the sisters in their various needs. Dominic organized all these activities. A series of serious heart attacks in December 1986 caused him to cut back on heavy physical exertion and to give up his role as Director of Farm Operations at the convent. Undaunted by this limitation, however, he found other less strenuous ways to contribute, putting to good use his veterinary skills for the benefit of the sisters as well as of the monastery’s friends in the vicinity. One of his favorite chores up until a year or two before his death was the weekly collection of bread and pastry goods that had gone beyond their expiration date. These were donated to the monastery by several local bakeries for feeding the herd. Dominic saw to it that some of this was given to the needy. Any survey of Dominic’s activities would be incomplete without a mention of one of the activities closest to his heart for many years, the cancer support group of Saint Aidan’s Parish, Rhode Island. Not only did Dom participate in its regular meetings, but also he organized various activities of the group, such as a yearly visit to Saint Joseph’s Abbey. Most important of all, he visited members who were ill or dying. Faithfully he assis