Absurdly good website on vocations now online

Forgive me while I gush a bit about this website. I have long lamented the piecemeal approach Orthodoxy in America has taken to vocations. When I toured seminaries this year and last I was struck by how disconnected (despite efforts like OISM) seminarians were from each other, how the process of working through the process of discerning the call varied so much from parish to parish, and how many prospective vocations felt lost in the entrance process.

This site offers information on the seminaries in North America, distance education opportunities, an explanation of orders minor and major, the opportunities available for chaplaincy, as well as stories and news articles on the priesthood. I'm sure, as time goes by and the website expands, further resources will be available. Some ideas that come to mind are:

• How am I going to pay for this? Seminary, even with scholarships, is going to cost you something. The demands seminaries put on students make gainful employment very difficult. 
• What does this mean for my son? A resource for parents to understand the life of a seminarian and what sort of support they might be able to provide.
• What do I say to my priest? An outline of topics to discuss with your parish priest if you feel you've been called to the priesthood.
• When is a good time to visit? A calendar of "Come and See" weekend opportunities, contact information for scheduling a visit, and a list of questions that might be helpful to ask the faculty, staff, and seminarians while you're there.
• May I ask a question? From experience, wives often have more questions than the husbands do. Some women might be helped by a FAQ on childcare and school options, wives groups, housing choices, and healthcare resources.

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(antiochian.org) - June 1, 2011 – Today marks the launch of a unique new website in the Orthodox Christian world: Good Guys Wear Black.

“This is a vocations website,” says Fr. John A. Peck, the designer and maintainer of the site. “It is geared specifically for young men discerning a calling. There is almost no other information out there to help them discern, to show them how to think about such a vocation. Good Guys Wear Black fills that void.”

The site contains a multitude of challenging and provocative articles about the Holy Priesthood, pastoral work, front line challenges in parish ministry, and more. Information about the life, education, formation and struggles of taking on the Priesthood of Christ will be a regular feature. There are sections on each of the seminaries and theological schools which will hopefully expand with the cooperation of each school. A workbook for prospective theological students, to help them better discern their calling, will be available shortly.

Good Guys Wear Black is one of several websites built and maintained for general use by the Church by Fr. John A. Peck. Journey To Orthodoxy won last years “Best Domestic Site” award from the Eastern Christian Media awards, and Preachers Institute remains the world’s premier online Orthodox homiletics resource.

Media resources, graphic links, tiles and banners are also available here for inclusion on Orthodox blogs and websites. For more information, contact: Fr. John A. Peck at 928-777-8750 or frjohnpeck@yahoo.com.