MSI Press Blog

About the Book As Sula walks through her Mission home, she meets more than a dozen saints, In Saints I Know , she shares them with anyone who has an interest.  Saints I Know depicts 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 and, told through the eyes of the Mission's cat. The sections of the book include 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. In a final section, she gives some thought, as well, to future saints. Book Endorsement Pending Review of the Book This is a brand-new book so Sula is still waiting for reviews. Want to write one in exchange for a free copy of the book? Send a note to editor@msipress

Excerpt: Why Saints Are Important by Deacon Van Saints give us a model for trying to live as Christ teaches. He wants us to be kind and loving and generous and forgiving and humble and brave, to care more about giving than receiving, to want to serve instead of being served. It isn’t easy, but Christ doesn’t expect us to be perfect; he simply wants us never to stop trying. All of the saints weren’t all those things all of the time, either. Like us, they weren’t perfect, but they had qualities that set them apart, that made them more willing—and more able—to come closer to his ideals. They all spent much of their lives serving others. Many of them gave their lives for their faith in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: these are the martyrs whose sacrifices move us to honor their memory. We don’t have to look very hard to find evidence of the historic and ongoing importance of saints. Think of some of our well-known cities: St. Louis, St. Paul, St. Augustine, San

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

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

  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

  This week's book back story is about the book, Saints I Know , by Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission. From the publisher: This book was written by Sula's amanuensis to help the teens in her second-year confirmation class choose a saint's name; she had help from Deacon Van, the deacon at Old Mission San Juan Bautista. One point they wanted to make was that saints' were perfect (like teens, struggling to find their place in the world). The other is that there are a great many saints, not just the handful that become the traditional confirmation names. They wanted to give the teens a representation of saints who might be associated with the interests they had or the Franciscan nature of Old Mission SJB (noting more Franciscan saints than just St. Francis).  For other posts about Sula and her books, click  HERE . For other book back stories, click HERE .  Sign up for the MSI Press LLC monthly newsletter (recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list,

  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 century. H

  It seems appropriate that today's daily excerpt, on Caturday, would from a cat book -- Saints I Know by Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission -- and be about St. Gertrude, the patron saint of cats. St. Gertrude of Nivelles 626-659 St. Gertrude of Nivelles is the patron saint of cats, which is why sometimes I am tempted to say that she is my favorite saint. But I really don't have a favorite, they are all very special. Well, I talk to St. Francis each morning to find out what jobs I have that day so I suppose that does make him sort of extra special—especially since he is the patron saint of animals. If you think of my jobs as a mission, you might say I am a Mission cat with a different mission every day, thanks to St. Francis. Like St. Basil, St. Gertrude came from a family with many saints. Her mother was St. Itta of Nivelles, her father was St. Pepin of Landen, her sister was St. Begga of Ardenne. Unlike many other saints, St. Gertrude didn't come from a poor or humbl

  The following excerpt comes from Saints I Know by Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission. Appropriate for Caturday -- the book is "written" by a cat. Appropriate for this season -- Frasncistide is right around the corner. St. Francis of Assisi 1181-1226 Writing about St. Francis’s life is more a matter of deciding what to leave out rather than what to include. St. Francis did so much in his lifetime and became so meaningful to so many people that it is hard to fit him and his larger-than-life experiences onto just a page in a saints’ book. So, I will try to choose carefully. Though he became a favorite saint for many people, including the current pope who took his name, he did not start out as someone likely to become a saint. Like Deacon Van said in the prologue, perfection is not required for sainthood. Many imperfect people became saints. St. Francis exhibited a range of imperfections. Born into a wealthy family in Assisi, St. Francis grew up in an area of Italy that was at w

  Today is the feast day of St. John the Baptist, and Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission, has a book that is perfect for the day. The cover of Sains I Know shows the statue of St. John the Baptist in Sula's hometown of San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist). Here is Sula's description of SJB. 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