Our Faith Explained

Introduction

Our Faith Explained is a Bible study platform built around the Christian Catholic tradition. It provides scriptural texts, verse-by-verse commentary, cross-references, and daily spiritual content for personal reflection study.

This guide walks through the platform from the homepage to the reading interface. Each feature is shown with a screenshot where the relevant control is brought into focus and the rest of the interface is dimmed, so it is always clear where to look.

1. Homepage Overview

When you open the website you land on the homepage. It has three main areas: the navigation bar across the top, the daily content panel on the left, and the book library on the right.

Navigation bar

The bar at the top appears on every page. It contains:

• Home - returns to this homepage from anywhere on the site.
• Contact Us - opens a contact form.
• About Us - shows background about the platform.
• Profile - opens your account settings and notification preferences.
• Log Out - signs you out.
• Switch to Spanish - changes the interface language.
• The search icon at the right opens the global book search (Section 3).

Book library

The right side displays the book collection on two shelves, grouped by category. Click any cover to open that book in the reader. When you are logged in, a My Notes book appears at the end of the first shelf; it collects every note you create.

Daily content panel

The left side shows daily rotating content: the Saint of the Day, Proverbs, and the Prayer of the Day. Each has a Read More button. These are covered in Section 2.

2. Daily Spiritual Content

The left panel refreshes each day with three short readings, meant for quick daily reflection.

Saint of the Day

The top card names a different saint each day with a short excerpt. Click Read More for the full biography.

Proverbs

The middle card shows a daily proverb or wisdom saying. Click Read More to read the full entry.

Prayer of the Day

The third card provides a short daily prayer. Click Read More for the complete text.

3. Global Search

Global search finds any book in the library by title. It is available from the navigation bar.

Step 1. Open search and type

Click the search icon at the right of the navigation bar, then type the name of a book. Results appear as you type; you do not need to press Enter.

Step 2. Open a result

Each result shows a cover image and the book title. Click a result to open that book directly in the reader.

Creating an Account & Accessing Premium Content

An account gives you access to the website tied to your donation, along with the features that come with it. The steps below walk through it from start to finish.

Step 1. Start from the Login page

If you do not have an account yet, open the Login page and click Register Here to begin.

Step 2. Choose your denomination and donation amount

On the contribution page, first select the denomination that best represents you, then choose your donation amount. You may donate any amount you wish.

A donation of $30 or more gives you the option to create an account. When that option appears, you can choose No or Yes:

• No completes the donation only.
• Yes continues to account creation once the donation is complete.

When you open the denomination list, you can pick the one that best represents you.

Step 3. Complete your registration

After the donation is complete and you have selected Yes, the page opens the registration fields so you can create your account. Fill in your details to finish.

Step 4. Get access to your content

Once your registration is complete, you receive access to the website associated with your qualifying donation. This access is available for donations of $30 or more.

Managing Your Profile

The Profile page is where you keep your account details current and decide which daily reminders you want to receive. Open it from the Profile button in the navigation bar.

Edit your personal information

The fields at the top hold your account details, such as your name, parish, and city. Change anything that is out of date and your updates are saved to your account.

Manage your daily notifications

The notification settings let you choose which daily reminders you receive. There are three options, each with its own checkbox:

• Prayer of the Day - a reminder for the daily prayer.
• Quote of the Day - a reminder for the daily quote.
• Saint of the Day - a reminder for the daily saint.

Tick a box to turn that reminder on and clear it to turn the reminder off. You can enable all three, only the ones you want, or none of them. Your choices are saved with the rest of your profile.

4. My Notes

My Notes lets you attach personal notes to individual verses. Notes are saved to your account and collected in the My Notes book on the homepage shelf. This feature requires you to be logged in.

The workflow below has six steps, each shown with a single point of focus.

Step 1. Open the Add Note panel

Open a book and go to a chapter. Below the chapter title are two icons: a pen icon that opens the note panel, and a notebook icon next to it that bookmarks the current page. Click the pen icon to start a note.

Step 2. Select the verse

The note panel opens with a verse selector at the top, pre-filled with the verse you clicked. You can change it from the dropdown before saving.

Step 3. Write your note

Type your note in the large text area below the verse selector.

Step 4. Save the note

Two icons sit at the bottom of the panel. The floppy disk icon saves the note and closes the panel. The red icon cancels and closes without saving.

Step 5. The note indicator appears

After saving, a small indicator appears next to the verse in the reader, confirming a note is attached. It stays visible across sessions.

Step 6. View, edit, and delete in the My Notes book

Open the My Notes book from the homepage shelf. Each entry shows the chapter heading, the verse text, and your note.

Two icons below each note let you edit or delete it.

• Edit reopens the note for changes. Save again to update it.
• Delete removes the note permanently. This cannot be undone.

5. Reader Icon Guide

When a book is open, the reader shows a set of controls in the top toolbar and inline within the text. Each icon below is shown on its own, with the rest of the interface dimmed. The actual icon appears beside each heading.

6. Bookmarks

A bookmark saves your place in a book. There are two separate controls: one saves the current page, and the other returns you to it.

Save the current page

• Open a book and go to the page you want to save.
• Click the notebook icon below the book title, next to the Add Note (pen) icon. The current page is saved.

Return to the saved page

• Click the ribbon icon on the upper-left edge of the book, which sits partly outside and partly inside the page.
• The reader jumps back to your saved page.

Good to know

• The notebook icon next to Add Note saves the page; the upper-left ribbon returns to it. They are two different controls.
• Bookmarks are tied to your account and persist across sessions.

For saving specific verses with your own notes, use My Notes instead.

7. Commentary Controls

Most books include verse-by-verse commentary. There are three ways to control how much of it is shown.

Hide all commentary

The Hide Commentary icon in the toolbar turns off all commentary at once, leaving only the verses. Click it again to bring the commentary back.

Expand one verse (+)

Where commentary is collapsed, a plus icon next to "Show Commentary" appears below the verse. Click it to expand that one verse's commentary.

Collapse one verse (–)

Where commentary is visible, a minus icon next to "Commentary" appears. Click it to collapse just that verse's commentary.

These controls work together. You might hide everything to read a chapter through, then expand a few verses as you study them.

8. Features for Logged-In Users

Some features need an account. This table shows what is open to all visitors and what requires a login.

Creating an account

Click the Profile button in the navigation bar and follow the registration steps. Once logged in, your notes and bookmarks are saved to your account and available from any device.

Frequently Asked Questions

Troubleshooting