Three men, Sean Ray from the Diocese of Nashville and Alex Tucker and Nathan Jackson from the Diocese of Birmingham, were received by Abbot Marcus Voss as postulants at St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman during Vespers on Sept. 29, the 133rd anniversary of the founding of the abbey. Jackson was a parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Anniston and Tucker was a parishioner of St. Thomas Church in Montevallo. The postulancy period of 6 months is a time for a man to consider the call to the monastic life seriously and to enter into that way of life before beginning his year as a novice monk.