Archbishop Allen Vigneron | Archdiocese of Detriot

The Archdiocese of Detroit has issued a statement regarding the recently opened St. Roger Abbey, an organic French patisserie in Birmingham. The bakery is operated by individuals who present themselves as traditional Catholic nuns affiliated with the Fraternite Notre Dame.

According to the Archdiocese, the Fraternite Notre Dame began operating within its jurisdiction in 2018 without official permission. An investigation conducted by the Archdiocese was unable to confirm that the group is a legitimate Catholic religious order. In 2019, an advisory about the Fraternite Notre Dame was released to inform local Catholics.

The Archdiocese stated: "Each of us in the Catholic faith community has a responsibility to reduce error, avoid schism, and promote ecclesiastical communion. To that end, the Archdiocese of Detroit shares the following information about a new storefront in the Archdiocese of Detroit called 'St. Roger Abbey' that is operated by a group that presents themselves as Catholic nuns."

It continued: "St. Roger Abbey recently opened in Birmingham as an organic French gourmet patisserie. It is operated by a group that presents itself as an order of traditional Catholic nuns associated with the Fraternite Notre Dame. St. Roger Abbey was opened to support the work of the Fraternite Notre Dame in Detroit and elsewhere."

Further clarifying its position, the Archdiocese said: "The Fraternite Notre Dame entered the Archdiocese of Detroit without permission in 2018. Despite claims of being a traditional Catholic religious order, an investigation by the Archdiocese could not verify the truth of that claim. An advisory regarding the Fraternite Notre Dame was issued by the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2019."

The statement added: "In the interest of truth and to avoid confusion among the faithful, we must clarify that, as best we are able to tell, St. Roger Abbey and the Fraternite Notre Dame are not in ecclesiastical communion with the Catholic Church. While Catholics are not prohibited from purchasing goods at St. Roger Abbey or any similar establishment, they are advised to avoid any additional association with this group."

The Archdiocese concluded: "Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Let us pray that God will bring all Christian communities into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, so that may all be one (cf. John 17:21)."