Privacy

The Catholic Steps is a community built on trust. This page explains clearly what information is visible to others, what is visible only to signed-in members, and what is completely private to you alone. We want you to feel safe sharing your journey here.

Visible to Everyone (Public)

Public

·Your display name and profile photo
·Your diocese and city (if you choose to enter them)
·Whether you are available to sponsor others
·Your sponsorship style description (if entered)
·Your member-since date

This information appears on your public profile page and is visible to anyone who visits the site, including visitors who are not signed in.

Visible to Signed-In Members Only

Members Only

·Community posts you share on the Fellowship feed
·Prayer Wall intentions you post publicly
·Comments you leave on community posts
·Your friend connections (who you are connected with)
·Your accountability partner relationships
·Direct messages you send to other members
·Group messages within your groups

Only members who are signed in can see the Fellowship feed, Prayer Wall, and community interactions. Visitors who are not signed in cannot access these areas.

Private — Only You Can See This

Private

·Your step-by-step progress through the 12 Steps
·Your personal journal notes on each step
·Your private prayer intentions (marked private on the Prayer Wall)
·Your email address and account credentials
·Your full legal name (first, middle, last) — used only in the Sponsee Workspace header
·Notifications in your bell menu

Your step progress and journal entries are never shared with other members, sponsors, or the public. They are stored securely and are visible only to you.

Sponsorship Workspace

Members Only

·The Sponsee Workspace is shared between you and your sponsor only
·Messages, notes, and step discussions in the workspace are private to that pair
·The workspace header shows both full names (sponsor and sponsee) for clarity
·No one outside the sponsorship pair can view workspace content

If a sponsorship relationship ends, both parties retain access to the workspace history but no new messages can be sent.

Direct Messages

Private

·Direct messages between two members are private to those two members
·Group messages are private to the members of that group
·Messages are not moderated in real time, but may be reviewed if a member reports abuse

Notifications

Private

·Notifications (step completions, friend requests, prayer responses) are visible only to you
·The site owner may receive an administrative notification when certain events occur (e.g., new member joins), but the content of your personal activity is not shared

What We Never Do

Private

·We do not sell your data to third parties
·We do not share your personal information with advertisers
·We do not display your email address publicly
·We do not share your step progress or journal notes with anyone
·We do not use your prayer intentions for any purpose other than displaying them to you (and to the community if you mark them public)

If you have questions about your privacy or would like to request deletion of your account and data, please contact the site administrator through the Fellowship community page.