Our Lady Porta Caeli — Cistercian Monastery
Visit & Retreat · 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.
The Retreat
What a visit holds.
Visitors join the celebration of Holy Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, and give themselves to personal reflection, the reading of Scripture, the life of penance, and — where desired — spiritual direction with a monk.
Guests live within the monastery’s own rhythm: the bells, the silence, the work and the prayer of the community become the shape of your day.
Prayer · Silence · Scripture · Rest · Spiritual Direction
A Day With the Community
You keep the hours with the monks.
The day begins before dawn with Vigils and closes with Compline and the Great Silence. Guests are welcome at every office and at Holy Mass.
Practical Details
Planning your stay.
Come-and-see visitors normally stay from a few days to a week. The monastery has guest accommodation for retreatants and visitors.
[To be confirmed by the monastery: suggested offering, arrival times, group visits, provisions for women guests, and enclosure guidelines. These details will be published once approved.]
Finding Us
The road to the monastery.
Owerre-Akokwa, Ideato North L.G.A., Imo State — on the boundary with Umuchu, Aguata L.G.A., Anambra State, in the south-east of Nigeria.
[Google Maps link to be added once supplied by the monastery.]
From Enugu
106 km
about 2 hrs 15 mins
From Awka
45 km
about 1 hr 05 mins
From Owerri
55 km
about 1 hr 20 mins
From Onitsha
46 km
about 1 hr 15 mins
From Asaba
80 km
about 1 hr 40 mins
Begin
Ask about a visit.
Tell us who you are and what kind of visit you hope to make. The monastery will reply with dates and practical guidance.
The gate stands open for the weary.
Whether you come for a day of quiet or a week of discernment, you are welcome to pray with the monks.