MSI Press Blog

  Easter is the heart of Catholic life — not a holiday but a holy day , not a conclusion but a beginning. Catholics observe Easter with a rhythm that moves from darkness to light, from silence to proclamation, from waiting to rejoicing. 1. The Easter Vigil: The Night Everything Changes For most Catholics, Easter begins on Saturday night with the Easter Vigil , the most solemn and symbol-rich liturgy of the year. It unfolds in four movements: The Service of Light — A fire is kindled in the darkness, and the Paschal candle is lit. This candle represents Christ breaking into the night of death. The Exsultet — A soaring ancient hymn announces that this night is different from all others. The Liturgy of the Word — Scripture traces salvation history from creation to resurrection. Baptism and Confirmation — Adults entering the Church are baptized, confirmed, and receive the Eucharist for the first time. Easter is the Church’s birthing room. The Eucharist — The first Mass of t...

  What is a book jewel? A sometimes-overlooked book with remarkable insight and potential significance. Each month, we share near-daily, or as often as possible, reviews of the monthly book jewel - short, succinct reviews that can be read in 1-2 minutes with links to the reviewer by reviewers whose words are worthy of being heard and whose opinions are worthy of being considered. Sometimes a couple of minutes contains more impressive thought than ten times that many. We will let you decide that. This month's book jewel is  Easter at the Mission  by Sula, parish cat at  Old Mission . Description Discover Easter Through the Eyes of a Church Cat! Join Sula, the now-famous church cat, on a fascinating journey through the meaning and traditions of Easter in her fifth book! With her signature mix of history, Catholic dogma, and humor, Sula explores questions like: 🐾 What is Easter, and why is it called the Paschal Mystery? 🐾 Why do Catholics observe Lent, Ash Wednesday, ...

  We have been posting sad cat news recently. Figure it is time to reflect some happy days. The following video documents the life of sweet Sula (parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista), now buried at the Mission and a stop on the Mission tour (ah, yes, that is sad news, but her life was celebrated then and is celebrated nearly every day now -- that is good news). The video by Robert C. with Stacey Gentry definitely reflects happiness:  Sula - I Have You - YouTube Note: Easter is right around the corner. Don't forget to check out Sula's book, Easter at the Mission . Only one left in stock at Amazon, but they will have more right away. For more posts about Sula and her books, click  HERE . To purchase copies of Sula's books at 25% discount, use code FF25 at  MSI Press webstore . Want to read Sula's books and not have to pay for them? Ask your local library to purchase and shelve them. Sign up for the MSI Press LLC monthly newsletter (recent releases, sales/discou...