Cultivating silence, and in doing so making room for others and for listening. Living simply through prayer and work, in community and fraternity. These principles have been nurtured at the Abbaye du Val-Dieu since its origins. After the departure of the Cistercian monks in 2001, an association of local faithful was created to continue a community life inspired by Cistercian spirituality and rooted in the Gospel.
The Christian Community of Val-Dieu is an association of faithful recognised by the Diocese of Liège and connected with the Cistercian monks of the abbey of Lérins (Côte d'Azur). The community organises times of prayer open to all, as well as spiritual and volunteer activities that help maintain hospitality at the Abbaye du Val-Dieu, including the care of the park and abbey spaces.
Come and share a time of prayer with the Christian Community of Val-Dieu. These are restorative moments of silence, introspection and openness to others and to God. Prayer times at the Abbaye du Val-Dieu are celebrated in French and are open to everyone through the basilica entrance.
7h30
Laudes Tests
18h-18h40
Vespers + Eucharist
18h40-19h15
Lectio Divina
7h30
Lauds
17h15-18h
Worship
18h-18h40
Vespers + Eucharist
7h30
Lauds
18h-18h40
Vespers + Eucharist
7h30
Lauds
18h-18h40
Vespers + Eucharist
20h00
Prayer Meeting
7h30
Lauds
17h15-18h
Worship
18h-18h40
Vespers + Eucharist
8h
Lauds
18h-18h40
Vespers
8h30
Lauds
11h-12h
Eucharist
16h-16h15
Blessing
16h15-16h40
Vespers
The Cistercian monks of Val-Dieu led a simple life shaped by prayer, work and fraternal life. Their day strictly followed the Liturgy of the Hours, from matins before dawn to compline in the evening. Between the offices, they worked in the fields, in the workshops or on the upkeep of the monastery. Meals were taken together in the refectory, often in silence, while one monk offered a spiritual reading.
At the end of the 11th century, during the Gregorian reform movement, Benedictine monks sought to return to the sources of their tradition. In 1098, they left their monastery in Molesme with their abbot, Saint Robert, to found the abbey of Cîteaux near Dijon. They gave rise to an order that spread rapidly throughout Europe. Through a life of prayer marked by poverty, simplicity and separation from the world, the Cistercian monks sought to rediscover the pure spirit of the Rule of Saint Benedict. It was this spirit that inspired the founding of the Abbaye du Val-Dieu.
Saturday, June 27, through Sunday, June 28 Continuous reading of selected books of the Bible Prayer with the Community…
16 Mars 2026
MONDAY through FRIDAY: Mass and Vespers at 6:00 p.m. (except on Saturdays)
21 Janvier 2021
Welcome to everyone who would like to join us in prayer with the “Val-Dieu Christian Community.” (To attend the services, follow the signs from the Basilica.)
08 Juin 2020
L'écoute de Dieu passe aussi par la fréquentation des « trésors cachés » de toute la tradition chrétienne et du monachisme (les écrits des Pères de l'Église, des Pères cisterciens et des auteurs chrétiens). Ces trésors du christianisme ouvrent des chemins de conversion et de réconciliation. En se mettant à l'école de la miséricorde , l'être tout entier avec ses pauvretés, ses limites accepte de se laisser sauver par le Christ ! Il n'y a pas de communion sans conversion et celle-ci est nécessairement le fruit de la Croix du Christ et de l'action de l'Esprit Saint dans chaque personne ainsi que dans la Communauté.
Marcher ensemble, plutôt qu'individuellement, à la suite du Christ est une grâce d'Église. Notre famille de la Congrégation Cistercienne de l'Immaculée Conception (CCIC) de l'Abbaye de Lérins est un soutien dans cette démarche. Les nombreux échanges (retraites, séjours, correspondances…) sont de réelles « visitations » qui nous font goûter cette grâce communautaire. Vivre en Communauté ! Chacun à son rythme, sans aucun doute, chacun avec son histoire unique et irremplaçable, mais …ensemble !