Privacy Policy

Madonna Ministry is a Catholic parish located at 123 Parish Road, Town, County, AB1 2CD, United Kingdom. We are registered as a charity with the Charity Commission (Registration Number: [Charity Number]). The parish priest, Father [Name], acts as the Data Controller for the purposes of UK GDPR.

We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) under registration reference [ICO Reference Number].

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

• –Identity data: full name, date of birth, title
• –Contact data: home address, email address, telephone number
• –Sacramental data: records of baptism, confirmation, marriage, and other sacraments received
• –Family data: names and dates of birth of family members registered with the parish
• –Financial data: Gift Aid declarations and records of donations (but never card or bank account details)
• –Communication preferences: newsletter opt-in/opt-out status
• –Technical data: IP address and browser information if you use our website contact forms
• –Special category data: religious beliefs and health information (e.g. in connection with the Anointing of the Sick or bereavement support)

We do not collect special category data unless it is necessary for a specific pastoral purpose and you have given explicit consent, or the processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest under Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

We process personal data on the following lawful bases:

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected:

• –Parish register entries: indefinitely (canonical requirement)
• –Sacramental records: indefinitely (permanent canonical record)
• –Gift Aid declarations: 7 years from the date of the last donation (HMRC requirement)
• –Contact form submissions: 2 years
• –Prayer requests (non-canonical): 12 months
• –Event registration data: 12 months after the event
• –Email newsletter subscription: until you unsubscribe

After the relevant retention period, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

We will never sell your personal data. We may share it in the following limited circumstances:

• –The Diocese: we share relevant sacramental records with the Diocese as required by canon law and diocesan administration
• –HMRC: Gift Aid data as required by law
• –Our IT providers: website hosting and email providers, under appropriate data processing agreements
• –Emergency services: if there is an immediate risk to a person's life
• –Statutory authorities: where required by law (e.g. safeguarding referrals)

Under the UK GDPR you have the following rights:

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Data Protection contact at data@madonnaministry.org.uk. We will respond within one calendar month.

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, destruction, damage, alteration, or unauthorised disclosure. Access to the parish database is password-protected and restricted to authorised staff only. Paper records containing personal data are kept in locked storage.

Our website uses cookies. Please see our separate Cookie Policy for full details of the cookies we use and how to manage your preferences.

For any data protection queries, to exercise your rights, or to make a complaint:

• –Email: data@madonnaministry.org.uk
• –Post: The Data Controller, Madonna Ministry, 123 Parish Road, Town, County, AB1 2CD
• –Phone: 01234 567 890 (office hours: Mon–Fri, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm)

If you are unsatisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office:

• –Website: ico.org.uk
• –Helpline: 0303 123 1113
• –Post: ICO, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page indicates when it was last reviewed. Significant changes will be notified in the parish bulletin. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.