On the feet of Makonde plateau, Ndanda Abbey, a peaceful and spiritual sanctuary devoted to Our Lady Help of Christians, is located in the scenic Mtwara region of southeastern Tanzania. Established in 1906 as a mission station in the historically rich region of German East Africa, it is nestled within the expansive network of the Missionary Benedictine Congregation of St. Ottilien. Today, it serves as a vibrant home for over 90 monks, all deeply committed to living out their vows of service, prayer, and community life.

In 1954 four Benedictine Sisters of St. Alban from Germany, Diessen am Ammersee, were called to be Missionaries in South Africa in the Diocese of Eshowe in Kwa-Zulu-Natal. Until 2013, the main ministry in Eshowe was the care for and education of children at Little Flower Primary School, a school and boarding for Coloured Children during Apartheid (in South African terms children of mix… Learn More

Our community was founded in 1954 by four young monks from the Abbaye de la Pierre-qui-Vire (France), whose Prior was only 32 years old. The invitation came from the bishops of Madagascar, then a French colony. They settled in the mountains, on vast plots of land at an altitude of 1,500 m, a 45-minute walk from the first village.

The monastery remained very poor from the outset, in line with the founder of the Pierre-qui-Vire, Father Jean-Baptiste Muard. Recruitment was slow at first, as Catholics were unfamiliar with monastic life. Only the Benedictine sisters of Ambos… Learn More

St. Justina’s Monastery was founded 1st May 1982. While studying in Ireland Rev. Sr. Justina Anigbo, a Holy Rosary sister from Eke town in Udi Local Government Area in Enugu state came in contact with the monks of Mt. Mellary Abbey, a Cistercian Monastery in Cappoquin. She learned that there was a female branch of the Cistercian life. Sister Justina c… Learn More