In a memoir that explores the intersection of faith, loss, and divine providence, former Catholic chaplain Laura Riccardi recounts how years of holding the hands of the sick and dying left her unprepared for the one hand she could not hold: that of her husband, Len. A Thousand Hands But One: How GOD Prepared a CATHOLIC Chaplain For the Surrender She Never Expected, published by A.J. Neal Publishing, released on September 8, 2026, and is now available in paperback and ebook editions.
Riccardi spent seven years as a hospital chaplain, offering prayer, comfort, and what she describes as Christ's presence to patients at their bedsides. Those encounters, she writes, quietly prepared her for a trial that would test her faith in ways she had never imagined. When Len was hospitalized during the Covid-19 pandemic, rigid hospital protocols kept them apart. He became gravely ill and died alone—a loss that forced Riccardi into a deeper surrender to God's will than she had ever known.
The book's central spiritual lesson is that of surrender—trusting God when the path ahead is uncertain. "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," said Cynthia Zack, composer and host of Mary, Mother and Queen of the Divine Will on Radio Maria.
A Benedictine monk and priest of more than 50 years, who has known Riccardi for many years and asked to remain anonymous, called the memoir "more than a memoir. It is a testimony to the grace of surrender—to trusting God when the path ahead is uncertain."
The implications of Riccardi's story extend beyond personal grief. In a time when many continue to grapple with the emotional and spiritual toll of pandemic-era separations, her account offers a framework for understanding suffering through the lens of faith. It also underscores the often-overlooked role of hospital chaplains, who provide spiritual care in moments of extreme vulnerability—a role that Riccardi's narrative shows can be both a preparation for and a mirror of one's own trials.
Riccardi's background includes eighteen years of formation with the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites, fifteen years as an RCIA catechist, and five years cohosting Radio Maria's Mary, Mother and Queen of the Divine Will. She is also an award-winning former teacher, a mother of four, and a longtime homeschooling mom.
A Thousand Hands But One is published by A.J. Neal Publishing of Jackson, New Jersey, an independent publisher founded by author Christopher Holl. The company's catalog includes works spanning fiction, satire, memoir, faith, culture, and family. The book is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers. For more information, visit www.athousandhandsbutone.com or the publisher's website at www.ajnealpublishing.com.
Heartbreaking yet hope-filled, Riccardi's memoir bears witness to the message at its core: where human hands fall away, God's grace remains.
