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Privacy Policy
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Introduction
The Diocese of Paterson is committed to protecting the privacy and security of personal information entrusted to us. This Privacy Policy describes how the Diocese collects, uses, maintains, and discloses personal information in connection with its websites, parishes, schools, ministries, and related services. This policy applies to all individuals who interact with the Diocese, including parishioners, students, families, donors, and visitors to our digital platforms.
Purpose
The Diocese of Paterson collects and processes Personal Information solely to the extent necessary to carry out its religious, educational, charitable, and administrative functions. The Diocese does not collect Personal Information for commercial gain, and no Diocesan program or platform is designed to monetize the personal data of parishioners, school families, donors, or members of the public.
Scope
This policy applies to all whom collect, access, maintain, distribute, process, protects, stores, uses, transmits, disposes of, or otherwise handles personally identifiable information (PII), payment card information (PCI) or Protected Health Information (PHI) of The Diocese of Paterson’s members. Any agreements with vendors will contain language similar that protects the organization.
Policy
The Diocese uses Personal Information only for legitimate purposes consistent with the religious, educational, and charitable mission of the Diocese of Paterson. Specifically, we use Personal Information for the following purposes:
Religious Mission and Sacramental Administration- To facilitate sacramental preparation and registration (e.g., baptism, first communion, confirmation, marriage preparation)
- To administer religious education and faith formation programs
- To communicate with parishioners regarding parish life, liturgical schedules, and pastoral activities
- To coordinate pastoral care, counseling referrals, and chaplaincy services
Educational and School Administration- To process student enrollment and re-enrollment
- To communicate with parents and guardians regarding student welfare, academic progress, and school operations
- To comply with mandatory reporting obligations under New Jersey law and FERPA
- To administer health, safety, and emergency procedures
- To process tuition, fee, and financial aid transactions
Donations, Fundraising, and Financial Transactions- To process and record charitable donations, pledges, and campaign contributions
- To issue tax receipts and acknowledgment letters for IRS purposes
- To administer annual appeals, capital campaigns, and special collections
- To communicate fundraising priorities and opportunities to existing and prospective donors via HubSpot and eCatholic platforms
- To process tuition, event registration, and other financial transactions through Stripe, Stax etc.
Communications and Outreach- To send newsletters, bulletins, event notices, and other communications consistent with your stated preferences
- To respond to inquiries, complaints, and requests for information
- To administer email communications through the HubSpot CRM platform and Diocese SMS
- To manage social media and digital content on eCatholic-hosted websites.
Safety, Security, and Legal Compliance- To maintain the safety and security of Diocesan premises, events, and digital systems
- To detect, prevent, and investigate fraud, unauthorized access, and other security incidents
- To comply with applicable federal and New Jersey law, including mandatory reporting requirements
- To establish, exercise, or defend legal claims
- To comply with lawful orders, subpoenas, and regulatory requests from courts and government authorities
Internal Administration and OperationsPersonal Information will not be used for purposes materially incompatible with those described in this Section without prior notice and, where required by law, your consent.- To manage volunteer coordination, background screening, and Safe Environment compliance (consistent with the Diocesan Safe Environment Program)
- To maintain internal records, archives, and administrative databases
- To evaluate, improve, and develop Diocesan programs and digital platforms
- For internal billing, tax, and accounting purposes
Definitions
As used in this Policy, the following terms have the meanings set forth below:Standard Compliance- "Personal Information" or "Personal Data" means any information that identifies, relates to, describes, or is reasonably capable of being associated with an identified or identifiable natural person, including but not limited to name, address, email address, telephone number, date of birth, financial account information, and device identifiers.
- "Sensitive Personal Information" means a subset of Personal Information that includes government-issued identification numbers (e.g., Social Security number, driver's license number, passport number), financial account credentials, health or medical information, religious beliefs or affiliations, immigration or citizenship status, and, in the context of children, any Personal Information of individuals under the age of thirteen (13).
- "Covered Entity" means any parish, school, ministry, mission, office, or organizational unit operating under the canonical or administrative authority of the Diocese of Paterson.
- "Data Controller" means the Diocese of Paterson, which determines the purposes and means of processing Personal Information.
- "Data Processor" or "Service Provider" means a third party that processes Personal Information on behalf of and under the instruction of the Diocese. As used herein, Data Processors include HubSpot, Inc., eCatholic (a division of Lightfire Partners, LLC), Stripe, Inc., and Stax Payments, Inc.
- "Transaction Data" means personal data accumulated in connection with online giving, tuition payments, event registrations, or other financial transactions processed through Diocesan platforms, including data held by HubSpot, Stripe, Stax, and eCatholic.
- "Minor" or "Child" means any individual under the age of eighteen (18) years for purposes of Diocesan policy, and any individual under the age of thirteen (13) for purposes of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA").
- Compliance Measurement
The DoP Technology team may verify compliance to this Standard through various methods, including but not limited to, business tool reports, internal and external audits, and feedback to the Standard owner. - Exceptions
All devices should be compliant with cyber insurance standards and local/federal governance standards. Any exception/outliers should be approved by the DoP Technology team in advance. - Non-Compliance
An employee found to have violated this Standard may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
Data Information and Storage for Chancery
We use your personal data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, you agree to the
collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Roman Catholic DIocese of Paterson (RCDOP) is committed to safeguarding the privacy of our users. We want to assure you that
we do not share your personal information with third parties. This privacy policy outlines how we
collect, use, and protect the information you provide to us.
INFORMATION COLLECTION:
We collect only the information necessary to provide and improve our services. This may include your name, email address and phone number. We do not sell, rent, or share this information with any third parties.
HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION:
The information collected is used solely for communicating with you as the intended party. We do not
share your information with external parties for marketing or any other purposes. Additionally, no
mobile or messaging consent information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for
marketing/promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.
We may use personal data for the following purposes:
• To provide and maintain our service, including to monitor the usage of our service.
• To manage your Account: to manage your registration as a user of the Service. The Personal
Data you provide can give you access to different functionalities of the Service that are
available to you as a registered user.
• For the performance of a contract: the development, compliance and undertaking of the
purchase contract for the products, items or services you have purchased or of any other
contract with us through the Service.
• To contact You: To contact you by email, telephone calls, SMS, or other equivalent forms of
electronic communication, such as a mobile application's push notifications regarding
updates or informative communications related to the functionalities, products or contracted
services, including the security updates, when necessary or reasonable for their
implementation.
• To provide you with news, special offers and general information about other goods, services
and events which we offer that are similar to those that you have already purchased or
enquired about unless you have opted not to receive such information.
• To manage your requests: To attend and manage your requests to us.
All messages you send through the Service, whether to us or other users, are stored on our servers.
Roman Catholic DIocese of Paterson (RCDOP) employs servers and services owned by third parties to retain these messages.
DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION
Roman Catholic DIocese of Paterson (RCDOP) does not share any client data with third parties for marketing, promotional
purposes, or any other purposes. Your personal information is kept confidential and is not disclosed
to any outside organizations, except as required by law or with your explicit consent. We may disclose your personal Information under the following limited circumstances:
• We have obtained your consent.
• We need to enforce our Terms of Service.
• We share information with partners or affiliates that have signed non-disclosure agreements
with us only to provide you with a specific service.
• We may provide such information to a company controlled by or under common control with
Roman Catholic DIocese of Paterson (RCDOP) for any purpose allowed by this Policy.
• We respond to subpoenas, court orders, or legal processes, or to establish or exercise our
legal rights, or the legal rights of others, or defend against legal claims.
• When we believe it is necessary to disclose Personal Information to investigate, prevent, or
take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, potential threats to anyone’s
physical safety, violations of Roman Catholic DIocese of Paterson (RCDOP) Terms of Service, or as otherwise required by law.
• We transfer Personal Information about you if Roman Catholic DIocese of Paterson (RCDOP) or its assets are acquired by
or merged with another company.
We may share aggregated, non-identifiable information with others without further notice to you, such as the total number of people who used the Service in a specific month or the total number of
messages sent during a particular period.
SMS terms
By providing your telephone number and submitting this form, you agree to receive text messages from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson about general diocesan information, event updates, account notifications, security alerts, and emergency notifications. Your consent is not a condition of purchasing goods or services. Message frequency may vary. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out or HELP for assistance. For support, contact the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson at 973-777-8818 or [email protected]. Please review our Privacy Policy at https://rcdop.org/privacy-policy and Terms of Service at https://rcdop.org/terms. By submitting the form, you consent to the collection and processing of your information as described in the Privacy Policy.
By opting in to receive SMS messages, you agree to the following: receive
SMS messages from Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson 973-777-8818 to provide updates and important information.
INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS
Your Personal Information may be transferred to and processed in locations outside of your state,
province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ from
those in your jurisdiction. We take steps to ensure that your data is handled securely and in line with
this Policy, regardless of where it is processed.
DATA RETENTION
We retain your Personal Information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this
Policy unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. We will also retain and use your
Personal Information as necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our
agreements.
COOKIES AND TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES
Our Service may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience. Cookies
are small text files placed on your device to collect information about your activity on the Service. You
can control the use of cookies through your browser settings, but disabling cookies may limit your
ability to use certain features of the page or Service.
YOUR CHOICES:
You have the right to access, correct, or delete your information. If you have any concerns or
questions about your data, please contact us at [contact phone number, email and address].
Policy Changes:
We may update our privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be communicated to you, and
your continued use of our services implies your acceptance of the updated policy. By using our
services, you agree to the terms outlined in this privacy policy.
Last updated: July 31, 2026