Privacy policy

Data controller

Personal information received through this website, in connection with the Basilica and the Brotherhood, is managed as appropriate to the purpose by the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Sorrows and Saint Anne of the Congregados (Irmandade de Nossa Senhora das Dores e Santa Ana dos Congregados), Avenida Central, 98, 4710-229 Braga, Portugal. Email: irmandadecongregados@arquidiocese-braga.pt. For general Basilica enquiries: congregados@arquidiocese-braga.pt.

Information we may process

Enquiries sent to the Basilica or Brotherhood office by email or form: name, email address, telephone number and message content.

Applications for Brotherhood membership: identification and information requested by the statutes, including date of birth, marital status, profession, address and relevant contact information.

Members’ restricted area: identification, account credentials, address, contact details, photograph, authorisation status and information needed for statutory membership management and access to private content.

Newsletter: email address and any other information voluntarily supplied on subscribing; subscription management and distribution may use Mailchimp.

Website use: technical information such as IP addresses, access logs, browser properties and cookies where needed for operation, security and, subject to applicable legal requirements, website analytics.

Purposes and lawful bases

Information is used to respond to enquiries, assess applications, manage membership, authorise access, secure the website, fulfil legal duties and send the newsletter when requested.

Depending on the purpose, processing may rely on steps requested by the data subject, legal obligations, appropriately assessed legitimate interests or consent where required. Information revealing religious beliefs receives special protection; explicit consent is requested for membership applications, while membership records are processed only where the specific conditions and safeguards for religious associations under the GDPR apply. Newsletter subscriptions are voluntary and may be cancelled at any time.

Access, service providers and third parties

Only authorised people may access information for the relevant purpose. Website operations may involve WordPress.com/Automattic and Jetpack, anti-spam protection such as Akismet, restricted-area software and email services. Mailchimp is used for newsletter subscriptions and distribution. External links to donations, maps, video and social media lead to third-party services governed by their own privacy policies.

Where service providers process data on behalf of the controller, applicable contractual and security obligations must be met, including adequate safeguards for any international transfers.

Retention and security

Information is retained only as long as necessary for its purpose and applicable legal or statutory obligations. Application data is held during assessment and notification of the decision; upon admission, necessary membership information is kept in accordance with statutory records and the membership relationship. Enquiry data is kept as needed for a response and follow-up; newsletter data until unsubscribing, subject to legal requirements. Suitable access restrictions and technical protections are applied.

Your rights

Under the GDPR you may request access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection and portability where applicable, and withdraw consent without affecting past lawful processing. Contact irmandadecongregados@arquidiocese-braga.pt to exercise your rights. You may complain to the Portuguese Data Protection Authority, CNPD.

Cookies and embedded services

The website may use strictly necessary session, authentication and security cookies, as well as preference or analytics cookies and external services where enabled. Non-essential cookies generally require prior consent. The specific cookie inventory and consent-management options will be made available through the cookie policy and consent manager after configuration is completed.

Updates

We may update this policy when website features or providers change. Last updated: 3 November 2026.