MSI Press Blog

  The story behind Dia de Muertos is pretty simpe, really. Sula, the parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautist a, already had published five books about the Mission and about Catholic customs and beliefs, all of them in English. The parish, however, was pretty equally divided between English speakers and Spanish speakers with two Masses each Sunday in each language and holiday and holy day Masses bilingual. (The community of San Juan Bautista is a pretty evenly divided bilingual community, as well.) Sula, the parish cat, was present at all Masses. She was beloved by all parishioners. The "Sula books" were written to help raise funds for a very expensive retrofit requirement. (The church sits atop the intersection of three major fault lines and has twice fallen from earthquakes high on the Richter scale). Although most Spanish speakers in the parish could understand English, they felt left out of the Sula project. They wanted a book that spoke to their community in their lan

  Dia de Muertos by Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission is available for those who want to know more about and to celebrate Day of the Dead. This book has it all -- history, recipes, paper-making instructions, pictures -- inn a simple, easy read. Amazon has only one left, but MSI Press has a number available through its webstore . 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 .

  Blessings on Dia de Muertos wished to all by MSI Press and the late Sula (parish cat at Old Mission) -- hey, she can do that, this is the day that the souls who have passed on come back for a bit. Listen HERE to a short video about Sula and Day of the Dead. 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 .   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. 

  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 .

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. 

  Excerpt from Harnessing the Power of Grief : What other cultures can teach us   Proximity to other cultures offers opportunities to adopt much of their wisdom into our own culture. Paul C. Rosenblatt, a psychologist, tells us that cultures are not static. They are in a state of change (some more than others) with many individual differences. [Rosenblatt] [1] A Buddhist, a Jewish person, an African American, a Protestant, will grieve in the unique ways of their cultures. Variations exist among subgroups (based on lifestyle and income, religious variations within and between denominations), intermarriage, and cross-cultural influences. Consequently, we all are bumping into one another, learning from one another, loving one another, reading about one another, and interacting with one another.   Funerals and memorial services in Western culture tend to stand alone, like shooting stars in the night. They may be memorable and beautiful, but then we are left with the rest of the ni

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

  Yep, it's Caturday, and we want to share, somewhat anonymously for privacy reasons, a bit of the recent trials and tribulations of Sula, the parish cat at Old Mission who has written six books. Sula has both a big fan club -- you can even join it on her Face Book page HERE -- and quite some renown, thanks to both own publications and publications about here, which you can read about HERE (pick and choose the ones that might most tickle your fancy). To briefly encapsulate the history: 1. Sula arrived as a kitten, perhaps somewhere around age 1, at the Old Mission, which really is the only action in her little town. 2. After a few years spending much time outdoors in this sunny California town, Sula developed skin cancer on her ears. They were trimmed. The cancer came back. Her ears were removed. You can read her story about that experience in her book, Surviving Cancer, Healing People: One Cat's Story .  3. Elizabeth Mahlou related Sula's story to Guideposts Magazine , wh

  In today's shared post, Diana Keathley ( GodSway ) provides some interesting thoughts about how differing cultures honor their dead: " Day of the Dead -- A True Celebration ." Quite appropriate for today, Dia de Muertos, a very important celebration that began in Mexico and is an important part of the culture of San Juan Bautista, California, home to MSI Press. Awards New York Book Festival finalist Hollywood Book Festive finalist For more posts about Diana and her book, 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 se

  At this time of year, we like to point out a unique resource -- Dia de Muertos by Sula. More information than you will find on the web -- and accurate, too.  history - traditions - recipes - photos  For more posts about this book and excerpts from it, click HERE . 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 .

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