This past August, Father Joe O’Connor ’99 was visiting the Rosary Hill Home to see Father Giles Dimock, OP, who is in hospice care. With his help, a group of Prince of Peace Household alumni quickly orchestrated a Zoom call, contacting dozens of graduates for a special virtual gathering with Father Giles.
While at Franciscan University, Father Giles was a theology professor and the advisor for Prince of Peace for over a decade. Now, 30 years later, he has become more than just a mentor from their college days—he is their spiritual father, and they are his spiritual sons.
From the quiet of his room in New York, Father Giles reconnected with nearly 40 former students on the call. They each shared updates from their lives—a new baby, a trip to Rome, prayers for a daughter’s upcoming surgery—and one by one repeated the sincere words, “I love you, Father.”
Albert Holder ’94 MA ’97 and Michael Wallace ’97 say Father Giles has remained in his spiritual sons’ lives. He has celebrated nuptial Masses, baptized many babies, attended ordinations, and constantly prays for their intentions.
“He had a unique Thomistic voice,” Michael says, recalling his time on campus. “He had the ability to hear what you were saying but then put your problem in the context of eternity. He had such an understanding of all the principles of theology, but he really loved that we had real problems. What does holiness actually look like? How do real men challenge each other?”
Challenging the young men of Prince of Peace was a task Father Giles took to heart.
“He loved how wildly imperfect we all were,” Michael says. “He would come to all our intramural games, pretend to watch, but would really be praying the Rosary under his habit. We needed the prayers.”
When he wanted to call the students to a higher standard, Father Giles would encourage them to “raise the tone,” and in the monastic tradition of his order, would frequently chant the phrase. His patient and genuine care directed them toward a God-centered maturity that transcended decades.
“He was a tremendous blessing to the University,” Albert says. “He has a deep love for the Church, the Church that is broken, made up of human beings. But the Church is where we have the sacraments, where we meet Our Lord. He pushed through the brokenness, always talking about life, that renewal begins from within, and that we have to love to bring about conversion.”
Albert was not Catholic when he came to Franciscan, but after meeting Father Giles, he quickly made the decision to be baptized. Later, Father Giles encouraged him to continue his studies at the Angelicum in Rome and introduced him to his future wife.
Albert says, “He’s the one who taught me that, with God, there is always an invitation. God’s a great respecter of reason—but he’s also inviting us closer.”
The fruit of Father Giles’ life was easily seen in that call in August, as Prince of Peace brothers from all ages and careers gathered to open their hearts to their friend and mentor.
“He once shared he was preparing for the end,” Michael says. “He was thinking about his funeral where his spiritual sons would carry up his casket—a representation of what he brought to the world.”
