Our Lady Porta Caeli, Cistercian Monastery
Our Lady Porta Caeli, Gate of Heaven Cistercian Monastery, Nigeria
Beyond the noise,
a gate stands open.
In the heart of Nigeria, the monks of Our Lady Porta Caeli seek God through Holy Mass, the Divine Office, Lectio Divina, silence, community life and manual work.
Ut Deus Glorificetur
That God May Be Glorified
The world speaks loudly.
The monastery listens.
We are not separate from the world; we stand apart to pray for it.
Horarium
A day shaped by prayer.
Every hour returns the heart to God.
From the darkness before Vigils to the Great Silence of night, the horarium orders every hour toward God.
3:00 a.m.
Rising, Angelus and Vigils
The community rises in the night for Vigils, prayer of the heart and Lectio Divina.
5:30 a.m.
Lauds and Holy Mass
Morning praise and the Eucharist at the centre of the day, followed by breakfast.
7:30 a.m.
Morning work
Silent manual work on the land and in the house, that is labour offered as prayer.
10:45 a.m.
Study and classes
Scripture, the Rule and the wisdom of the monastic tradition.
11:45 a.m.
Sext, None and dinner
The midday hours of prayer, the community meal and siesta.
2:15 p.m.
Study and afternoon work
Class, then work and intervals until the day softens.
5:15 p.m.
Vespers, reflection and supper
The community gathers as the light lowers, then evening recollection.
7:30 p.m.
Compline and repose
The day closes. The Great Silence begins, and the monastery rests in God.
An hour of Adoration is kept at 7:00 p.m. every Friday, on Sundays and on solemnities. Sundays and holy days follow their own gentler rhythm.
Ora et Labora
The hands that rise in prayer
also labour in the earth.
At Porta Caeli, work is not an interruption of prayer, it is prayer continued through the body. The community grows its own vegetables, grains, and fruit, keeps poultry that feed the monks and help the poor around them, and tends the land with organic care: stewardship, not exploitation.
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
Psalm 46:10
What Shapes Our Life
Five pillars of monastic life.
We cherish and guard silence to listen to God’s voice and keep the heart recollected.
Prayer and silence are the foundational pillars of Cistercian life — designed to strip away distraction and foster an unbroken, receptive communion with God.
The Mass and the Divine Office are the centre of our day — work offered in praise.
Everything in the horarium revolves around prayer, reading, work and rest, so that the heart may stay with God through every hour.
We live under the Rule of St. Benedict and an Abbot, seeking God’s will over our own.
Humility and simplicity are intertwined virtues that strip away ego and complexity, freeing the monk to love God and serve the community.
Labour with our hands sustains the community and keeps us detached from excess.
The monks devote several hours each day to manual work — farming, poultry, the ordinary crafts of a household — performed in an attitude of inner silence and prayerfulness.
We remain in one place, bearing with one another in charity and patience.
A hidden life, offered for the Church and the world.
Porta Caeli - Gate of Heaven
Under the mantle of Mary.
Our monastery is dedicated to Our Lady Porta Caeli, Mary, Gate of Heaven. “Porta Caeli” expresses our calling to be a gate through which souls enter into deeper union with God through silence, prayer, and work. As Cistercians, we place our life under Mary’s protection and intercession.
Some callings begin
as a quiet restlessness.
A Cistercian vocation is not an escape from life. It is the offering of one’s whole life to God through prayer, community, obedience and work. Young men aged 18 and above who believe they may be called by God to this way of life are welcome to inquire.
01
Learn what Cistercian life means.
02
Understand the requirements and formation process.
03
Contact the vocation director.
Come and See
Do not only read about the silence.
Enter it.
A Come-and-See visit offers a structured experience of silence and contemplative prayer away from the noise of daily life. Visitors may join Holy Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, and give themselves to personal prayer, Scripture, work and spiritual direction with a monk.
Prayer · Silence · Scripture · Rest · Spiritual Direction
Prayer Beyond the Walls
Entrust your intention to our prayer.
The monks carry the needs of the Church and the world into the daily celebration of the Eucharist and the Divine Office.
Your intention is received privately by the monastery and is never published.
Prayer Request
Ask the monks to pray with you.
Your intention is received privately by the monastery and carried into the community’s prayer. It is never published.
Support the Hidden Life
Help sustain a life offered in prayer.
The monks work with their hands and live simply, but the generosity of friends and benefactors helps sustain the community, its hospitality, formation and service.
Support the monastery’s borehole and water needs for the community, its guests and its work.
Funding details available from the monastery
02
Help reconstruct the leaking sections of the chapel roof.
03
Help complete the perimeter wall and fencing.
04
Support books, education, healthcare and daily formation needs.
05
Help expand poultry, piggery and agricultural work.
06
Support solar energy and reliable electricity.
The Journal
From within the monastery.
News, reflections and glimpses into the prayer, work and community life of Porta Caeli.
Community Milestones · Archive - December 2025
On Sunday 7 December 2025 the Abbot General visited Porta Caeli, celebrated the inauguration Mass of the Foundation, and opened the Novitiate for the formation of new candidates.
Monastic Spirituality
From the Farm
Vocation Reflections
The gate remains open.
Whether you seek silence, prayer, discernment or a place to rest in God, Porta Caeli welcomes you.
Ut Deus Glorificetur
That God May Be Glorified.