A.J. Neal Publishing has announced the release of A Thousand Hands But One: How GOD Prepared a CATHOLIC Chaplain For the Surrender She Never Expected, a memoir by former Catholic chaplain Laura Riccardi that explores the intersection of faith, loss, and divine preparation. The book arrives at a time when many are grappling with the long shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, which separated countless families and forced people to confront mortality in isolation. Riccardi's story offers a poignant reminder that even in the most devastating circumstances, grace can be found.
For years, Riccardi held the hands of patients at their bedsides, offering prayer, comfort, and Christ's presence. Yet when her own husband, Len, was hospitalized during Covid-19, his was the one hand she could not hold. Rigid hospital protocols kept them apart as he became gravely ill and died alone. That painful irony—a chaplain who had ministered to so many, yet could not be present for her own spouse—forms the emotional core of the memoir. It also underscores a universal truth: human hands inevitably fall away, but God's grace remains.
In A Thousand Hands But One, Riccardi shares stories drawn from her years in hospital chaplaincy. As she ministered to others, those encounters quietly prepared her for what was to come in her own life. Together, these experiences brought her face-to-face with the book's central spiritual lesson: surrender to God's will. The memoir is not merely a recounting of grief but a testimony to the transformative power of trust when the path ahead is uncertain.
Cynthia Zack, composer and host of Mary, Mother and Queen of the Divine Will on Radio Maria, said, "This is a story of spousal love both on earth and as the Bride of Christ—a story for every soul seeking understanding of God's eternal plan, with lessons for us as a people and as a nation." A Benedictine monk and priest of more than 50 years who has known Riccardi for many years and asked to remain anonymous added, "A Thousand Hands But One is more than a memoir. It is a testimony to the grace of surrender—to trusting God when the path ahead is uncertain."
The book is published by A.J. Neal Publishing of Jackson, New Jersey, and is available in paperback and ebook editions through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers. Readers can learn more at www.athousandhandsbutone.com. The publisher, founded by author Christopher Holl, is dedicated to bringing distinctive stories and ideas to readers across fiction, memoir, faith, and culture.
Riccardi's Catholic life and ministry have included eighteen years of formation with the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites, fifteen years as an RCIA catechist, seven years as a hospital chaplain, and five years cohosting Radio Maria's Mary, Mother and Queen of the Divine Will. She is also an award-winning former teacher, mother of four, and longtime homeschooling mom.
Amid a cultural moment often marked by division and despair, A Thousand Hands But One offers a counter-narrative: that suffering can be met with surrender rather than bitterness, and that loss can become a doorway to deeper faith. For those who have experienced isolation, grief, or unanswered questions, Riccardi's journey affirms that where human hands fall away, God's grace remains.
