Privacy Policy

Domus Formation, Inc. Last Updated: February 7, 2026

Domus Formation, Inc. ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use any of our websites and services (collectively, the "Services"):

  • WeAreDomus.com (Domus Formation)
  • HearthAndAltar.com (Hearth & Altar)
  • HogarYAltar.com (Hogar y Altar)
  • EventideAndAltar.com (Eventide & Altar)
  • OcasoYAltar.com (Ocaso y Altar)
  • YoungDisciplesSociety.com (Young Disciples Society)
  • EmmausDisciples.com (Emmaus Disciples)
  • DeaconLife.com (Deacon Life)
  • community.DeaconLife.com (Deacon Life Community)
  • ParishPrayers.com (Parish Prayers)

By using any of our Services, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide

We collect information you voluntarily provide when you create an account, subscribe to a service, make a payment, contact us with questions or feedback, or refer others to our Services. This information may include:

  • Name and family name
  • Email address
  • Mailing address (if provided)
  • Diocese and parish affiliation
  • Ministry role (for parish-facing Services such as Parish Prayers, Emmaus Disciples, or Deacon Life)
  • Payment information (processed securely by Stripe - see Payment Processing below)

Usage Analytics

We collect anonymized usage data to improve our Services and understand how our community engages with our content. This includes:

  • Activity data: Pages visited, visit frequency, and time of access
  • Device information: Device type (mobile, tablet, desktop), operating system, and browser type
  • Engagement metrics: Login frequency and content viewing patterns

This data helps us improve content and features, understand peak usage times to ensure reliable service, and make informed decisions about future development.

User-Generated Content

If our Services include community features such as comments, forums, or discussion areas, we collect the content you submit.

2. Community Features and Member Profiles

Some of our Services include community features that enable members to interact with one another. Currently, this includes the Deacon Life Community at community.deaconlife.com, and may expand to other properties in the future. Because these features involve richer personal data and member-to-member visibility, this section describes how we handle that information.

Profile Information

When you join a community, you may provide additional profile information beyond your basic account, including:

  • Profile photograph
  • Biographical text
  • Ordination date (Deacon Life)
  • Diocese and parish affiliation
  • City and state
  • Phone number

Your profile photograph is resized and stored on our servers (as a 200x200 pixel thumbnail and a 400x400 pixel profile image). Original uploads are not retained after processing.

Member Directory Visibility

Community members are included in the member directory by default. Within the directory, other community members can see your name, profile photo, diocese, parish, ordination date, and bio. You control whether your email address and phone number are visible to other members through your profile settings. You may opt out of the member directory entirely at any time from your profile page. Opting out hides your profile from directory search and browsing but does not remove your name from posts or comments you have made.

User-Generated Content

When you participate in community features, we collect and store the content you create, including:

  • Feed posts (text and images)
  • Comments on posts
  • Forum threads and replies
  • Reactions (likes and prayer reactions)
  • Resource submissions (URLs and uploaded files)

Post images are resized for display (1200 pixel wide display image, 400 pixel thumbnail) and stored on our servers. Original uploads are not retained after processing. A maximum of four images may be attached per post, with a 5 MB limit per image.

Resource file uploads (PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and image files) are stored on our servers with a 25 MB size limit per file.

Post Edit History

When you edit a post, we retain the previous version in an edit history log. This history is used for moderation purposes and is not publicly visible.

Reactions and Engagement Data

We track reactions (likes and prayers) you give and receive, comment activity, and forum participation. This data is used to power notification features and is visible to other community members as described (for example, other members can see that you liked or prayed for a post).

Badges and Milestones

We may automatically calculate and display badges based on information you provide, such as ordination milestones calculated from your ordination date. Badges are visible on your posts, comments, and profile. Founding member status is assigned automatically based on when you joined the community.

Notifications and Email Digests

You choose your notification preferences for each type of community activity. Options include immediate email notification, inclusion in a daily or weekly digest, or no notification. We use these preferences to send you emails via our email service provider. You can change your notification preferences at any time from your community settings page.

Digest emails are sent at the following times:

  • Daily digest: 6:00 AM Central Time
  • Weekly digest: Saturday at 6:00 AM Central Time

Link Previews

When you include a URL in a post, our system may automatically retrieve preview information (title, description, and thumbnail image) from the linked page using standard Open Graph metadata. This retrieval is performed by our server at the time of posting and does not expose your personal information to the linked site.

How Community Data Is Shared with Other Members

Community features are inherently social. Other members of your community can see:

  • Your name, profile photo, and bio on your posts and comments
  • Your diocese, parish, and ordination date (if you have provided them)
  • Your reactions to their posts (e.g., "Deacon Michael prayed for this")
  • Your badge and milestone designations
  • Your directory listing (unless you opt out)

Your email address and phone number are never visible to other members unless you explicitly enable that visibility in your profile settings.

Community Data Retention

If you cancel your community subscription, your profile and posts remain visible to other members unless you request deletion. If you request account deletion, we will remove your profile information and anonymize your posts and comments (replacing your name with "Former Member") within 30 days. Forum threads you created will remain with anonymized authorship to preserve conversation continuity for other members.

Moderation

Community administrators may review, edit, pin, lock, or remove any user-generated content to maintain the community's standards and mission. Moderation actions are logged internally and are not publicly visible.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Provide and maintain your subscriptions and access to our Services
  • Process payments and send transaction confirmations
  • Send you content and service-related communications (such as daily reflections, login links, and account notifications)
  • Send occasional cards, thank-you notes, or other physical correspondence
  • Respond to your inquiries and provide support
  • Improve our websites, content, and Services
  • Comply with legal obligations

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

Service Providers. We share information with third-party companies that help us operate our Services, including our payment processor (Stripe) and email service provider. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

Aggregated Data. We may share aggregated, non-personally-identifying usage data with parishes or dioceses to help them understand engagement within their faith communities. This data cannot be used to identify individual users or families. For example, a diocese might receive a report showing "47 families in your diocese used Hearth & Altar this month" without any information about which specific families.

Legal Requirements. We may disclose your information when required by law, court order, or governmental authority.

Business Transfers. In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change.

5. What We Don't Do

  • We do not sell your personal information to third parties
  • We do not use third-party advertising trackers
  • We do not use your information for targeted advertising
  • We do not collect location data or personal browsing history outside our Services

6. Payment Processing

All payment information is processed securely by Stripe, Inc. We do not store your full credit card number on our servers. Your payment card details are collected and processed directly by Stripe. Stripe's privacy policy governs their use of your payment information. You can review it at stripe.com/privacy.

7. Cookies

We use essential cookies to maintain your login session and remember your preferences. These cookies are necessary for the Services to function. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

You can control cookies through your browser settings, though disabling cookies may affect your ability to use certain features of our Services.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active. If you cancel your subscription or your subscription expires, we retain your information so you can easily reactivate in the future and to maintain our relationship with you as part of our Catholic community. We may also retain and use your information to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

If you would like your data permanently deleted, please contact us at contact@WeAreDomus.com and we will remove your information within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.

9. Data Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your personal information. All of our Services use SSL encryption for data transmission. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you become aware of any unauthorized access to your account, please contact us immediately.

10. Your Rights and Choices

You have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you
  • Correct inaccurate information
  • Delete your personal information (we will process deletion requests within 30 days)
  • Opt out of marketing communications at any time
  • Cancel your subscription at any time through your account page or by contacting us

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at contact@WeAreDomus.com.

For California Residents

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), California residents have additional rights, including the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to request its deletion, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. To submit a CCPA request, please contact us at contact@WeAreDomus.com.

For Residents of the European Economic Area

If you are located in the EEA, our legal bases for processing your information include your consent, the performance of our contract with you (your subscription), and our legitimate interests in operating and improving our Services. You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. Domus Formation is based in the United States, and your data will be transferred to and processed in the United States.

11. Children's Privacy

Most of our Services are intended for adults. Account registration and payment require users to be 18 years or older. Some of our Services include content designed for families with children, but account management is the responsibility of the parent or guardian.

We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 without parental consent.

Young Disciples Society. Our Young Disciples Society property serves teenagers and young adults. In compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA):

  • We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent.
  • If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without appropriate consent, we will delete that information promptly.
  • Parents or guardians may contact us to review, correct, or delete their child's personal information, or to withdraw consent for further collection.

For users aged 13 to 17, we encourage parental involvement and collect only the minimum information necessary to participate in the service.

12. Third-Party Links

Our Services may contain links to third-party websites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those sites, and we are not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any site you visit.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of changes by posting the updated policy on our websites and updating the "Last Updated" date above. For material changes, we may also notify you by email. Your continued use of our Services after such changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:

Domus Formation, Inc. PO Box 43 Granite City, IL 62040 Email: contact@WeAreDomus.com

Domus Formation, Inc. Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus