MSI Press Blog

  Today, a Celebration of Life was held for MSI Press co-owner, typesetter, and cover designer par excellence, Carl Leaver, who died August 16, 2021.  Carl always said he was a rotten pumpkin, being born a day after Halloween, but November 1 is All Saints Day and the day after is All Souls Day -- pretty special timing. Carl's experience with cancer of unknown primary, which he killed him very rapidly (5 months), inspired Carl's Cancer Compendium and Cancer Diary. As for those saints and souls, check out Saints I Know and Dia de Muertos by that famous parish cat, Sula. Blog editor's note: As a memorial to Carl, and simply because it is truly needed, MSI  is now hosting a web page,  Carl's Cancer Compendium , as a one-stop starting point for all things cancer, to make it easier for those with cancer to find answers to questions that can otherwise take hours to track down on the Internet and/or from professionals. The web page is in its infancy but expected to expand i

  Yes, our book, Dia de Muertos is about the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead, that occurs the day after Halloween, but these days have much in common -- and not. One section in the book spells out these differences; check it out! For excerpts from Dia de Muertos and other information about the book, click HERE .

  The following is an excerpt from the description and history of the Day of the Dead as written by Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission in her book, Dia de Muertos. Los antiguos mesoamericanos, quienes comenzaron la costumbre de celebrar la vida de sus antepasados =cada año (el Día de Muertos) creían que la muerte es parte del viaje de la vida. La muerte no es mala, no es el final de la vida, sino el comienzo de una nueva vida. Nueva vida viene de la muerte, al igual que los nuevos cultivos en este valle agrícola en el que se encuentra la ciudad de San Juan Bautista surgen cada año para que nuestros maravillosos trabajadores agrícolas cosechen en beneficio no solo de nuestra ciudad, valle y estado, sino también para muchas personas en muchos estados de los Estados Unidos donde nuestro producto se envía todos los días. Tal vez esta interpretación de la muerte—de que sea parte de un ciclo de nacimiento y renacimiento, es la razón por la cual San Francisco se refirió a la muerte como “Herma

Hi, I am Sula, the Parish Cat. In honor of Caturday, I am going to invite you to join me on my Facebook Page  HERE   -- I have almost 800 friends now; you can be my friend, too, if you like read some blog posts about me HERE   -- all kinds of information: who I am, pictures of me, information about my book, and more: go discover! read the interview that Mudpie conducted with me when my book, Suriving Cancer, Helping People: One Cat's Stor y first came out HERE   -- it was fun; I think you will like it see  the stories about me on the Internet (from local newspapers, Guideposts Magazine, All Creatures Managzine, and more) read reviews about my books; you can a list of the reviews here Christmas at the Mission Dia de Muertos Easter at the Mission Saints I Know Surviving Cancer, Healing People: One Cat's Story Tale of a Mission Cat read some excerpts from my books HERE And, for some immediate reading pleasure right here, this is the Canticle of Sula that Stacy Gentry, my care pro

We have a few Spanish-language books and two authors, very different from each other, who write in Spanish. First, meet psychologist Fernando Ustman . Fernando focuses on transpersonal psychology; his works intersect with psychology, philosophy, spirituality, and the eternal.  His works include the books below: Read about this book HERE . Read about this book HERE . Read about this book HERE . Read more about Fernando and his books HERE . Now, meet Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista (Gata parriquial). Sula has published six books so far on theological topics that touch on the everyday lived experiences of Catholics and others. She has one book in Spanish, with a second one, about Catholic (Franciscan) prayers planned. Here is her Spanish-language book: Read about this book HERE . Read more about Sula and her books HERE . (Yes, when the prayer book comes out, it will automatically link here.)

  Every year, Sula, parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista, who takes care of the Mission, gift shop, and parishioners, dresses up for Halloween and has a great time greeting customers at the gift shop as well as at Mass. This year, Sula has done something special for Halloween. She has written a book, Dia de Muertos , about Day of the Dead that occurs at the same time, and she lists all the differences between the two holidays. See that except HERE . Enjoy Halloween, then curl up with Sula's book and get ready for Day of the Dead. For more posts from this blog and from the Internet about Sula, click HERE . For more posts about Day of the Dead, click HERE . For more posts about Sula's books, click HERE .

Calaveritas de azúcar, junto con los juguetes, se dejan en los altares para los niños que han pasado. Las calaveritas de azúcar no se usan como símbolo mórbido, sino como un recordatorio caprichoso de la ciclicidad de la vida, por lo que están decoradas con colores vivos. Las calaveritas de azúcar representan un alma difunta, tienen el nombre escrito en la frente y se colocan en el hogar de la ofrenda o la lápida para honrar el regreso de un espíritu en particular. El arte de las calaveritas de azúcar refleja el estilo del arte popular—grandes sonrisas felices, glaseado colorido y adornos brillantes. ¿Le gustaría saber cómo hacer calaveritas? No son fáciles de hacer, y llevan mucho tiempo a preparar, pero el proceso es muy divertido y el producto vale la pena. Entonces, si esta listo para intentarlo, así es como se preparan : 1. Primero, necesitar á ·        polvo de merengue, compuesto de o    almidón de maíz o    claras de huevo secas o    azúcar o    ácido cítrico y

  You would be surprised where you might find some unique -- and tasty -- recipes. Some of more interesting books have some special recipes tucked inside them. See, for example... Dia de Muertos . Ever wonder how to make some of those yummy Day of the Dead treats? Sula has the recipes for you! Syrian Folktales . Muna has included more than a folktale from each region of Syria; she has also included recipes from each region of Syria. Maybe this is one of the reasons that this is one of our best-selling books. Girl, You Got This! -- you might be surprised -- contains healthy recipes for mothers-to-be who are paying involved in fitness activities. HOWEVER, unlike Amazon's stubborn classification of The Optimistic Food Addict as a cookbook, it is anything but. Dr. Fisanick, the author, shares personal stories of coping with overeating and provides much self-help and guidance to readers. There is not one recipe there! (Seek instead, recipes in the books listed above.) But, should be i

  Dia de Muertos is a holiday celebrated now throughout the world though is began a long time ago in Mexico. It is too good a holiday not to be adopted by others. Honoring ancestors is part of nearly every culture, but none does it quite as richly and publicly as the Mexican culture with Dia de Muertos.  The eating of specially prepared (yunny) foods at the graves of those who have passed, a sacred sharing, is a culmination of sorts of all the other activities that include: altars remembering the dead (Sula shown visiting one above) yummy, yummy, yummy food served at restaurants, eaten at home, shared with friends posadas (parades) around town - sacred and fun at the same time paper-cutting (really ornate) Sula's book, Dia de Muertos , contains a history, authentic recipes (!!!!), explanation of symbols, directions of how to make the paper cuttings, and lots and lots of pictures. Proofed by a Mexican priest -- Sula wanted to get it 100% right because, as with many other things, mis

Sula, parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista, has written six books about life, the Catholic faith, and being a Mission cat -- how they intertwine. Here are some reader comments on her books: Christmas at the Missi on I love these books told from the perspective of Mission Cat Sula I have ordered all three of them Easy read and very inspiring (Lenore Smith, Amazon) Dia de Muertos Brand-new, in Spanish, reviews pending Easter at the Mission What a delightful and beautiful work. This wonderful read speaks with clarity about the true meaning of Easter through the eyes of a truly magical earless cat named Sula. With gentle paws she nudges you and teaches in the most engaging manner. A special treat are the many photos of Sula, with the visitors to Mission San Juan Bautista. This is a book which will give you a special joy,knowledge and a feeling of peace.It is a special gift from a very special feline. ENJOY (Loryn Ross, Goodreads) Saints I Know &quo

Happy Cinco de Mayo! How about reading a book in Spanish today? From Parish Cat Sula -- Dia de Muertos From Fernando Ustman -- Las Historias de Mi Vida El Poder de lo Transpersonal Puertas a la Eternidad

Released yesterday! El Día de Muertos es una celebración muy importante, popular y solemne en San Juan Bautista, California, y en la Antigua Misión de San Juan Bautista, una de las misiones establecidas por los frailes franciscanos cuando se fundó California, y hogar de la gata parroquial, Sula. La comida, la oración y el recuerdo son parte de la celebración, al igual que las procesiones al cementerio. Sula es la gata muy querida de la Antigua Misión de San Juan Bautista, California, donde ministra a los feligreses y visitantes diariamente, una labor divina. Este libro es su sexto. Meet Sula on her Face Book page HERE . Book is available on line and at our webstore . Code FF25 gets a 25% discount at MSI Press webstore.