Franz Xaver (Dominik) Assfalg was born on October 22, 1847, in Grundsheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany,to Johannes and Theresia (Ott) Assfalg. He had seven brothers and nine sisters. He died on January 27, 1922, in Banja Luka, Serb Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the age of 74. Dominik was the eldest son of a farming family and took over the farm after his father's death. In December 1877 he entered the Mariastern Abbey. At times he wanted to accompany Franz Pfanner to the mission to found the Mariannhill missionaries . After completing his studies, he was ordained a priest in 1888. In August 1888 he became prior and master of novices and in 1890 head of the orphanage. After Abbot Bonaventura Baier died in an accident in 1893, Assfalg was elected abbot on January 29, 1894. Jean-Baptiste Epalle from the Reichenburg Trappist Abbey installed him on April 15, 1894 and he received the abbot's benediction from Marijan Marković , Bishop of Banja Luka . Assfalg's motto was In Omnibus caritas , in all things love. During his service Mariastern grew into the largest abbey of the Trappist order [1]with 220 monks at times and had two dependent branches in Bosnia and a priory in Dalmatia, which, however, had to be closed for political reasons shortly before Assflag's death. The majority of the monks came from Germany, but a good number also came from Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. In 1897 he founded an Oblate school. He was the great-uncle of the later abbot of Mariawald Otto Assfalg . On June 4, 1920, he resigned from his post. 18 months later he passed away. Sister Maria Anna (Osfalg) Wicker
