MSI Press Blog

    Today holds a quiet duality. On one side:  St. Patrick , the missionary whose legacy became a global celebration of Irish identity, resilience, and spiritual courage. On the other:  St. Gertrude of Nivelles , the contemplative abbess whose feast day shares the date — patron of travelers, gardeners, the recently departed, and (in modern devotion)  cats . Two saints, two temperaments, one date. 🍀 St. Patrick A figure of movement, mission, and outward action Associated with journeys, exile, and the courage to return His feast day became a cultural anchor for people far from home 🐱 St. Gertrude A figure of hospitality, sanctuary, and inward care Associated with tending the vulnerable — the living and the dying Her modern association with cats reflects her legacy of gentleness and guardianship 🌿  A Day of Both Boldness and Shelter March 17 becomes more interesting when you hold both saints together: Patrick represents  the road  — the call outwa...

  Recently released: audiobook edition of  Saints I Know  by Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission. Book description A description of the lives of 21 saints--in both their imperfection and perfection--chosen based on the relationship to a Franciscan Mission, Old iMission San Juan Bautista, told through the eyes of the Mission's cat. The sections of the book including saints related to the founding of the mission (St. Francis, St. John the Baptist, and St. Juniper Serra), the Holy parents (Mary and Joseph), saints whose statues are behind the altar in the Mission, patron saints of animals, patron saints of children, and the favorite saints of the parish priest. A final section addresses future saints.   For other posts about Sula and her books, click  HERE . For book reviews, interviews, and videos of this book, check out this book's title page at the MSI Press website: Saints I Know . To purchase copies of this book at 25% discount, use code FF25 at  MSI Press we...

  Sharing a picture of the late beloved Sula, parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista to wish everyone a: Happy Halloween Blessed All Saints Day Blessed All Souls Day Happy Dia de Muertos/Day of the Dead For more posts about Sula, click HERE .  One of her books, Saints I Know , as written especially for this time of year,  as was Dia de Muertos . For more Caturday posts, click  HERE . Read more  posts about cats . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC monthly newsletter (recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, author advice, and more -- stay up to date)   Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC?  We help writers become award-winning published authors. One writer at a time. We are a family, not a factory. Do you have a future with us? Turned away by other publishers because you are a first-time author and/or do not have a strong platform ye...

  We share a couple of items with you in honor of All Saints Day. (1) We would remind you of the book, Saints I Know , by Sula, parish cat at Old Mission (shown above with Our Lady of Guadalupe). It is a great resource for catechism students in choosing a saint's name. It is also a great resource for anyone wanting a collection of true stories about well-known and not-so-well-known saints. (2) Sula also wrote a book, Sula and the Franciscan Sisters (saints in waiting). (2) Today is the second anniversary of Carl Leaver 's birthday following his passing in 2021. Carl was co-founder and chief typesetter of MSI Press from 2003-2021. While he was born on All Saints' Day, he usually referred to himself as a "rotten pumpkin," being born the day after Halloween. Happy All Saints' Day. Read more posts for All Saint's Day here . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI...

  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...

Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission, has done it again, with her book that is all about Easter. Find all Sula's books in the MSI Press webstore, as well as at other online stores.  

Hello, My name is Sula, and I am the parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista. My first book, Surviving Cancer, Healing People: One Cat's Story , came out a couple of years ago. I am very grateful for  everyone who read and reviewed my book. All five stars! That made me so happy. More recently I have written three more books, one after the other, on slightly different topics. Many people had written to me, especially om my Face Book page , and told me that they like my books, but no one has written reviews. Reviews really help to get the word out. So, if you would like to write a review in exchange for a free copy of one of my books, just contact my publisher: info@msipress.com . Here are the books that need to be reviewed: Christmas at the Mission: A Cat's View of Catholic Customs and Beliefs Sula the Cat does it again! Sula, parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista, is a cat with a special mission: to comfort people in need. Every morning, she spends time ...