Caturday Vigil: Remembering Sula at the Threshold of Easter
On this Caturday, as the sun sets and the Easter Vigil begins, my thoughts turn to a very special cat who understood sacred time better than most humans ever could.
Sula, the beloved parish cat of Old Mission San Juan Bautista, was always the first in the pews on Holy Saturday. As twilight deepened and people began to arrive for the vigil, she was already there—settled, silent, waiting. She never made a show of it, never demanded attention. She simply was, her quiet presence grounding the space as if she’d been entrusted with keeping the threshold.
There is something uniquely moving about a cat in a church. Maybe it’s their natural stillness, or the way they blend into shadow and candlelight. But Sula didn’t just blend in—she belonged. She welcomed without words. She watched without judgment. She was a quiet companion to those arriving in anticipation and reflection, bringing a touch of warmth and life to a night built on hope and light rising from darkness.
Sula has since crossed the veil herself. But I can still picture her curled on the cool adobe floor, or perched with elegant solemnity in a wooden pew, the flicker of candles catching the gold in her eyes. Even now, I imagine that space still holds the memory of her presence—like incense in old stone.
This year, Caturday and Easter Vigil fall on the same evening. It feels like no coincidence. It feels like Sula is reminding us to watch, to wait, and to believe in the quiet miracle of returning light.
For those lighting candles tonight, perhaps light one, too, for the animals who’ve kept us company on our own vigils—those sacred souls in fur who’ve accompanied us in grief and celebration, in silence and in song.
Blessings to you this holy night. And to Sula—thank you for keeping vigil with us, year after year.
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