Detroit — Archdiocesan Vocation Director Fr. Tim Birney can’t recall a single man who’s approached him about discerning the priesthood who hasn’t first checked out the archdiocese’s vocations website.



“So many of our potential candidates go to the website first before they call me,” says Fr. Birney.

So his decision to build a state-of-the-art website specifically for Detroit’s Office for Priestly Vocations was a no-brainer. The Priestly Vocations Office — which previously had its own web pages on the Archdiocese of Detroit website, keeping the parent site’s look and feel — launched its own site three weeks ago, and is even ringing it in with a contest in May for those who visit.

“It’s a tech world that we live in,” Fr. Birney says. “They’re plugged in, so we wanted to give them something to plug into.”

Visit It Check out the new Office for Priestly vocations website at www.detroitpriest.com. In May, visitors will have a chance to win $50.

Off-the-bat, users can see the new site —www.detroitpriest.com-- has the modern amenities. The home page features a photo gallery, a video of the most recent priestly ordinations, and links to the Vocations Office’s YouTube and Facebook sites.

The site’s menu bar takes visitors to extensive sections on topics such as the priesthood, seminary life, and the process of discerning a vocation. Each section, in turn, has various links to trustworthy Catholic sources.

“We tried to package all the resources that are available and make it all just a click or two away,” Fr. Birney says.

And if a visitor can’t find the answer to his specific question, there’s even an interactive form he can use to ask it himself.

As for the contest? Visitors can register at the site each week in May. During the month, a drawing will be held each Monday and the winner will receive $50.