News & Information

Privacy Policy

The Diocese of Monterey understands that you care how information about you is used and shared. We appreciate your trust. We will protect your privacy and use any information submitted through our Web site carefully and sensibly.

We respect each site visitor's right to personal privacy. To that end, we collect and use information throughout our Website only as disclosed in this Privacy Policy. This statement applies solely to information collected on this Website.

How does the Diocese protect personal information?

When you make a contribution or purchase, we offer the use of a secure server. We encrypt all information you input before it is sent to us. Furthermore, all of the data we collect is protected against unauthorized access. This means that authorized Diocesan staff or bank employees/systems will be able to read your information. Your credit card information is protected and secure when used on our site.

Our Web server may automatically recognize information regarding your IP address, domain or e-mail address. This information is not viewed individually, but is used to automatically compile statistics through a software program. The statistical information we collect may be used to:

• improve the content and organization of our Web site
• create new features and/or content on our site to meet the patterns of use indicated by statistical analysis
• provide general statistical information, e.g. the number of visitors to the site and most-viewed pages

Some features of this Web site may use cookies, a file deposited on your computer to record information for your next visit. This information is recorded if you choose to alter your page viewing preference (for example, to choose large type), so that when you return your viewing preferences are intact, or if you choose to keep log-in information on your computer. At any time you can clear these cookies in your browser’s preferences (or tools) menu. The Diocese does not use cookies for any other purpose than to enhance your personal visit convenience.

Will the Diocese disclose private information it collects to outside parties?

If you supply the Diocese with your e-mail address you may receive periodic e-mail messages from us providing information and updates about the Church, our Web site, or notice of upcoming events and activities. In each case when you submit a form, you will be given the option not to receive such communication. If you mistakenly receive any communication you do not want to receive, please respond to the e-mail with a request to be removed from the list, and your request will be promptly fulfilled. We do not make the e-mail addresses of those who access our site available to other organizations nor do we sell this information to anyone.

If you supply the Diocese with your postal address on-line you may receive periodic postal mailings from us providing information on the Church, our Web site, or upcoming events or activities. If you do not wish to receive such postal mailings, please let us know by returning the mail to the originating department as “refused” and your name will be removed from the mailing list.

Persons who supply the Diocese with telephone numbers on-line may be assured that his or her telephone number will be kept in confidence by the Diocese and used only for the purpose for which you supplied it. Phone numbers will not shared with other organizations.

What is the difference between private and personal information?

Personal information is considered to be names, e-mail addresses, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, and any demographic or preferential information you may disclose for the purposes of online interaction, identification or participation in any Diocesan program or event.

Private information is considered to be financial information such as credit card or bank account information, communication indicated as confidential, or any information that is not routinely collected as a condition of participation in Diocesan programs or events.

The Diocese assigns a higher priority and a greater level of protection to private information over personal information.

What is not covered by this privacy policy?

All clergy (deacons, priests and bishops), mental health professionals, educators and many employees of the Diocese or Church institutions are legally-mandated reporters of suspected sexual abuse, child abuse, child neglect and elder abuse. California law requires such mandated reporters to report possible instances of these offenses to law enforcement agencies. Any disclosures of this nature are not covered by this privacy policy.

Requests by law enforcement agencies for information about site users deemed by Diocesan legal counsel to be legitimate and not in violation of constitutional principles will be supplied to law enforcement agencies.

Any user of this site indicating, threatening, admitting to or representing an act in violation of the law on this site or through an e-mail link contained on this site will be reported to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

What if I have a problem?

If at any time you believe the Diocese has violated this privacy policy, we encourage you to contact our general counsel Susan Mayer, at smayer@dioceseofmonterey.org so that we may quickly resolve the issue.