MSI Press Blog

Photo by Stacey Gentry   Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas this year with a photo of Sula, parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista (and MSI Press author) from a past Christmas -- she passed away in 2022, but her spirit is still felt on the Mission grounds and in the Mission church. The creche is not the same without her. For more posts about and by Sula and her books, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com. Want to communicat...

c. 2005 - August 24, 2022   A public memorial – service and reception -- will take place Sunday, September 25, 2022 at 3:00 in the Mission gardens at Old Mission San Juan Bautista . All are invited. RSVP is not required but appreciated: RSVP to Leaver@aol.com . D etails are available and will be updated periodically at www.facebook.com/sulathecat or through the Mission bulletin and Gift Shop.   Memorial público y recepción por Sula, mascota de la misión de San Juan Bautista. Fecha: domingo 25 septiembre a las 3:00 pm . Están todos invitados. RSVP no es requerimiento, pero se les apreciaría que nos dejara saber su asistencia al correo electrono: Leaver@aol.com . Detalles estarán disponibles a www.facebook.com/sulathecat a también por el boletín de la misión y en el Gift Shop (la tiendita).  Thie above memorial information is included in this blog because plans call for Face Book streaming, open to all blog readers. Keep fingers and toes crossed and p...

  MSI Press authors, Sula Parish Cat and Shenan (CB) Leaver, at Old Mission San Juan Bautista Gift Shop office Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission, has written seven books, the most recent one, Sula and the Franciscan Sisters , released this month. Today, KSBW in Salinas, California featured Sula, her passing, and parishioner response -- along with quite a surprise at the first Mass after her passing. Listen to it HERE . For more posts about Sula and her books, click HERE For posts about Shenan and his book, click HERE .                                    Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  The latest book by Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission, has just been released. It can be purchased from Amazon at retail or on discount from the MSI Press webstore (msipress.com/shop). For more posts about Sula and her books, click HERE .                                          Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  Sula, parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista and prolific MSI Press LLC author, has her own youtube series, the Sula Diaries. Listen to one of the diaries HERE Read more posts about Sula, her battle with cancer, and her books HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

  Six years ago this week, Sula, parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista, had just embarked on her writing career when she was discovered by regional newspapers. The cutest stories appeared about her. HERE is one that appeared in the Morgan Hills Times;  HERE is one from the Gilroy Dispatch (photo above from that article, by Nick Lovejoy); and HERE is one from Benitolink . Sula went on to write six books. You can read about them HERE .

  (illustration by Zhenya Yanovich) New political realities aside, January 6 has always been a special day. In the orthodox tradition, it is the first day of Christmas; in the Christian tradition, it is the last day of Christmas. In celebration, we offer an excerpt from Sula's book, Christmas at the Mission: Epiphany The Bible   contains only 12 mentions of the wise men (magi) and the Star of Bethlehem, but over time they have captured nearly everyone’s attention. A Christmas pageant would not be complete without the three magi, or as they are sometimes called, kings. Many nativity scenes also include the three magi. Who were they? What did they see? What did they know? Why are we enthralled with them? Well, first, they saw a star. The star is called the Star of Bethlehem because when the magi followed it, it stopped in Bethlehem over the manger where Jesus lay. The magi came from the east, following the star. They seemed to know what the star meant because on the way, the...

  Well, this is not news. Sula has had a Face Book page for a few years new, long enough to gather nearly 800 followers. (You can be a follower, too.) What is on the page? Announcements about new books by Sula. She has published six. Sula's reactions to events at the Mission. Pictures of Sula with visitors. Photos and videos of Sula's adventures at the Mission. All lots of fun, endearing, charming, and heartwarming. Great pictures, great stories. Check out her FB page HERE .. Check out Sula's blog posts and pictures HERE .

  We thought that Sula at Old Mission San Juan Bautista was special -- she has hundreds, a few thousand actually, of followers on her Face Book page and fans who comes from other cities and states to visit her, but a stray cat that found her way into Southwark Cathedral in England years ago and lived there until she died recently was memorialized at a funeral service and laid to rest in the church -- and 7000 people viewed of her memorial service. One word only comes to mind: Wow! Read about the memorial service HERE . Read more about Doorkins Magnificat HERE . Read more Caturday posts HERE .

  St. John the Baptist Early first Century A.D. The town of San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist), where our Mission is located, was founded on the feast day of St. John the Baptist, June 24 (the reason that most of my books have been released on June 24), and named after him. Our Mission was founded on that day, too. In the beginning, the two were very connected. St. John the Baptist is one of the best-known saints, even to non-Catholics. Even so, his exact birth dates are not known. He was born six months before Jesus, whose coming he foreshadowed, and was murdered in the last year of Jesus’s ministry, so we do know the approximate dates—the first 30 or so years of the first century. He was so young when he was killed, but for such a short life, he made a significant impact on the world. He influenced Christianity, Islam, and Baha’i—and perhaps other faiths. Here is what most history books will say about him: He was a Jewish itinerant preacher in the early first centur...

(drawing by Uliana Yanovich) What is Palm Sunday? Palm Sunday is the Sixth Sunday of Lent and the Sunday before Easter. It is a moveable feast because the date changes every year, just like the moveable feast of Easter. Palm Sunday starts Holy Week, the last week of Lent. On Palm Sunday, the priest is allowed to wear a color other than purple—but can wear purple if he wishes to. Palm Sunday is a joyous interlude in the somber season of Lent. I can almost always feel the joy of the parishioners, the priest, and those who serve for the Mass—the cantors, lectors, and altar servers. I get much petting on Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus’s triumphant ride on a donkey into Jerusalem. Jesus sent his disciplines into town to bring to him a donkey and a colt, and to tell the owner of the animals that the Lord needed them. A large crowd followed Jesus into Jerusalem, and they laid palm branches in front of him along the way. Some even laid their cloaks in front of him, making a ...

  It being Caturday and all, I thought I would share a cute drawing of Sula, parish cat at Old Mission, that I saw in the Mission Gift Shop when I visited today. Sula is beloved by parishioners and visitors alike. People draw pictures of her; they photograph her, and of course they hold and pet her. Sula is known for her appearance in two Guideposts Magazines and for the six books she has written to raise money for the Mission's retrofit (it is located in California, atop the intersection of three earthquake fault). To read more on the web about Sula, including her Guideposts stories, click HERE . To see posts about Sula and her books, click HERE .

  Sula is back on duty at the Mission Gift Shop at Old Mission San Juan Bautista on Sundays, but she is taking Valentine's Day off, but has sent greetings. Now in semi-retirement, in part because of health (she is fighting cancer for the fourth time), she spends Sundays ministering to people at the various Masses, helping out in the gift shop, and receiving pets, accolades, and gifts from those who love her.  On this Valentine's Day, relaxing at her godparents' house, where she is spending her retirement except for her Sunday duty days, Sula reiterates a tweet from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA): This Valentine's Day, help mend the broken hearts of unwanted and helpless animals who feel that they've been forgotten. Just $19 a month can help the ASPCA provide love and care for neglected animals across the country. Make an urgent gift TODAY. HERE is where to reach the ASPCA. You can read more posts by and about Sula and her boo...

  MSI Press author, Sula, parish cat at Old Mission, had a special visitor this week -- Ves, a young artist who drew a picture of Sula. In case you have not seen Sula's recent Face Book page, Stacey, Sula's personal photographer, took a video of Sula observing (overseeing) the Mission grounds before Mass this weekend. Very cute video, worth watching if you like cats: https://www.facebook.com/sulathecat/posts/3688009197959780 (There are also some other charming videos of Sula there.) Read more posts about Sula and her books HERE .

  No, not from writing. She is, in fact, right now working on her next book, Sula and the Franciscan Sisters, due out mid-February. She is retiring from full-time work at the Mission. Her cancer has returned (fourth bout), and while she has great veterinarian care, the combination of the gift shop and Mission being closed most of the week because of covid and Sula's need to heal, she now works only on Sundays. Not at Masses because none are open to the public right now; they are streamed until covid dissipates. She works part-time as a retiree at her gift shop home. You can follow her activities at her Face Book page HERE . If you want, you can like her and become part of her fan club. Posts about Sula, her life, her Mission, and excerpts from her books, with lots of photos are HERE .

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...