Purpose

     To provide a safe environment through which St. Jude Catholic Church and School educate parishioners and site visitors regarding its ministries and practical exercises through which they may develop and strengthen a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. To protect the privacy of parishioners, our web site visitors, and our children.

[ Top ]

     All materials posted on the site should support the fellowship and ministries of St. Jude Catholic Church and School, the Fort Wayne/South Bend Diocese and church doctrine, or ministries that are supported by same.

     No content should be submitted for posting on the site that may subject St. Jude Catholic Church and School or the Fort Wayne/South Bend Diocese to claims of copyright or trademark infringement, or to claims for libel or slander.

     The church assumes no responsibility for the operation of events mentioned in the content of this web site which are not held under the authority of St. Jude Catholic Church or School. All children's events held by organizations under the authority of St. Jude Catholic Church and School adhere to strict guidelines for the protection of those children attending. Care must be taken when advertising special events for children and young people.

     Our web site is not available for general advertising, although we may include links to sites we think may be helpful to visitors.

     A copy of these guidelines and privacy statement shall be made available for review by site visitors from every parish and school web page. Generally this information will appear via hyperlink at the bottom of each page.

     The St. Jude Development Committee will designate the person(s) authorized to add or remove materials from the St. Jude Parish and School web sites. If more than one person is authorized, then one person will be designated by the Development Director as the Primary Site Administrator. The web site will continue to be under frequent review by the Development Committee whose decision over the inclusion of material, links, and any other content will be binding. Any material which the Development Committee and/or its representative(s) deems contrary to church doctrine and/or the mission statement of St. Jude Parish will be removed immediately (e.g., racism, sexism, etc.).

     Where any illegal activity appears on our web site, or when information regarding such activities is submitted via online forms or to parish e-mail addresses, the appropriate civil authorities will be immediately informed.

     While every effort is made to ensure that downloadable material will not result in any problems on a visitor's computer, St. Jude Parish and School assume no responsibility for any problems in the use or distribution of downloaded material. We recommend that our visitors scan all downloaded files for viruses.

     Where through error our web site in any way operates contrary to our stated policy we offer our sincere apologies and will rectify the situation as soon as we are notified of our error. Please notify us via email or call the parish office (260/484-6609) with any questions or concerns you may have.

[ Top ]

Protection of Church Community Members' Privacy

     Written or e-mail permission will be sought before any e-mail address or phone number other than that of the parish staff and church is included on the web site.

     Committee contact persons must file a signed release form with the parish office before personal e-mail addresses and contact phone numbers can be displayed on the parish web site(s). This waiver shall remain on file for a period of not less than 12 months following the last occurrence of this personal information on the parish web site(s).

     E-mail addresses will not be passed on unless requested by the sender. At no time will St. Jude Parish or School share a parishioner’s personal information with third parties. This includes names, e-mail addresses, phone numbers and mailing addresses.

     Parishioners, parish staff, or anyone with access to parish e-mail addresses will not participate in sending unsolicited e-mail (SPAM) to others via parish e-mail addresses. Noncompliance shall result in the immediate suspension of the offending party’s e-mail privileges pending review by the Development Committee and/or appropriate parties. When necessary, civil authorities will be informed.

     Names of staff members/teachers may be published. Personal information including non-parish contact information (personal e-mail addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, etc.) will not be published unless specifically requested by the staff member/teacher in the form of a signed release form filed with the parish office. Staff members/teachers may request removal of their name from the web site by notifying the parish/school office.

     Children and young people under the age of 18 will not be identified by personal details other than first name, or first initial and last name. These details include e-mail or postal addresses, telephone or fax numbers.

     Online forms are preferred for interactive communications from the site. E-mail links to individuals should be minimized. Whenever possible, forms should be set up to deliver information both to a member of the responsible committee and to the church office e-mail address. If e-mail links are used instead of forms, the committee member receiving any message pertaining to parish/school business should provide a copy to the parish office for the church's files.

[ Top ]

     Our site employs the use of cookies which capture the user’s Internet Protocol (IP) address for the purpose of determining the web pages viewed by visitors to our site. At no time is this information or personal information about our visitors shared with outside third-party organizations. Visitors may refuse the use of cookies by modifying the permission settings in their web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, etc.).

[ Top ]

     Photographs of individuals appearing on any parish/school web page should be minimized. Express permission from each individual in a picture must be obtained before it can be posted.  The Primary Site Administrator will have discretion concerning the size and placement of images on web pages.

[ Top ]

     Close-up photographs of children will be avoided so that no child can be readily identified by those who do not already know them. Stock photography of children not connected with the St. Jude Parish community may be used. Images of students or minors under the age of 16 connected with our parish will not be placed on St. Jude Parish web sites.  Where text on a page is not associated with an accompanying image (e.g., list of scholarship award winners), only first names, or first initial and last name of students may be used.  No other personal information about a student or minor is allowed, including email address, phone number, or home address.

[ Top ]

On-line Images of Students or Minors (age 16-17)

     Pictures of one (1) to three (3) students, are permitted as long as an appropriate release form has been signed by the parent/guardian of each individual shown in the picture. Pictures of four (4) or more students are permitted without a release form.   For any picture of students that is published on any parish/school web site, only a first name or first name and last initial of the students shown in those pictures are to be included with the image or in accompanying text. Where text on a page is not associated with an accompanying image first and last names of students may be used.  No other personal information about a student or minor is allowed, including email address, phone number, or home address.

[ Top ]

On-line Images of Parishioners (age 18 and over)

     Pictures of parishioners of majority age may be published without regard for whether those images contain one, two, or a group of individuals; however, the parish must obtain permission from the parishioner(s) shown in the picture, prior to publishing such images on the parish web site(s). Parishioners of majority age may be identified by first name, last name, or both.

Privacy Rights Regarding Electronic Mail

     The following steps will be taken by St. Jude Parish/School to ensure the privacy of electronic mail access:

     St. Jude Parish/School may choose to assemble an electronic mail database consisting of online addresses of employees. No information from such a list is to be provided to third parties/vendors who might use it to send unwanted electronic mail to parish employees.

     Personal e-mail addresses of employees are not to be distributed to students without the express permission of the employees involved. Employees may make these personal addresses available to others without consulting the parish office. A copy of any message received via personal e-mail address which pertains to parish/school business should be forwarded to the parish/school office for the church's files.

     E-mail addresses provided by the parish (e.g., employee@stjudefw.org) may be included on the parish web site(s) without the prior approval of the employee.  An employee may request removal of their parish e-mail address by notifying the parish office.

     Some electronic mail accounts may be generated by St. Jude Parish/School and maintained on the parish mail server. Under normal circumstances, those who maintain this server will in no manner read the electronic mail, outgoing or incoming, of account owners who are reading or sending e-mail while using school system computers. However, please be advised that recent court cases have determined that those accounts may be read by certain individuals in administrative or legal roles without infringing upon the personal liberties of users.

[ Top ]

     Web pages will be backed up twice daily by our server provider. Not less than weekly, the primary site administrator or their representative shall backup the entire site and remove the backup media from the premises.

     The church assumes no responsibility for material on web sites linked to from this web site, since St. Jude Catholic Church and School can exercise no editorial influence over such sites. However we will endeavor to avoid linking to sites which contain material unsuitable for children. The content of every external linked site shall be reviewed by the Primary Site Administrator or their appointed representative for acceptability prior to inclusion and not less than every three (3) months thereafter.

     Web pages containing any links to sites not contained on the server of St. Jude Catholic Church (external links) shall contain the following disclaimer:

"The link(s) to other web pages provided here are solely for the user's convenience. St. Jude Catholic Church and the Fort Wayne/South Bend Diocese assume no responsibility for, nor do they necessarily endorse, these web sites, their content, or their sponsoring organizations."1*

     Further, such links shall open a new browser window to indicate that the visitor is exiting the parish server and that the content is not contained on the parish web site.

     Web pages containing external links should also include at least one link to a child-content monitoring/filtering source (e.g., NetNanny, SurfControl, Heartsoft, etc.) for the convenience of our visitors.

[ Top ]

     There may be occasions when church employees, volunteers, or youth ministers wish to demonstrate the Internet to children or young people, or encourage them to access information online as part of an activity. When this happens, parish employees and volunteers are encouraged to follow these guidelines:

     Ensure that parent(s) or legal guardian(s) are aware of what their children or young people are doing and have given their permission.

     When demonstrations are being given, plan beforehand to ensure that all web sites visited have material that is appropriate for the age group taking part.

     Where children and young people are being encouraged to undertake subsequent searches on the Internet off-premises (e.g., at home), they should be encouraged to do so with the knowledge/supervision of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).

     Warn children and young people about the dangers of giving out personal details on the Internet.

     Ensure children and young people obtain parental consent if they wish to develop Internet friends into face-to-face friendships. Even then, they should always be accompanied on any first meeting.

[ Top ]

Guidelines for Minors Using the Internet

     Never tell anyone you meet on the Internet your home address, your telephone number or your school's name, unless your parent or guardian specifically gives you permission.

     Never send anyone your picture, credit card or bank details, or anything else, without first checking with your parent or guardian.

     Never give your password to anyone, even a best friend.

     Never arrange to meet anyone in person without first receiving the approval of your parent or legal guardian, and get them to come along to the first meeting, which should always be in a public place.

     Never hang around in a chat room if someone says or writes something which makes you feel uncomfortable or worried, and always report it to your parent or guardian.

     Never respond to nasty, suggestive or rude e-mails or postings in Usenet Groups, bulletin boards or chat rooms.

[ Top ]

Credits

1.  Adapted from recommended text approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding the use of external hyperlinks from parish/diocesan web sites.