NEW PROVIDED BY
A.J. Neal Publishing
Sept. 14, 2026
JACKSON, N.J., Sept. 14, 2026 /Christian Newswire/ — A.J. Neal Publishing announces the release of A Thousand Hands But One: How GOD Prepared a CATHOLIC Chaplain For the Surrender She Never Expected, a new memoir by former Catholic hospital chaplain Laura Riccardi about how years of ministering to the sick and dying prepared her for the greatest trial of her life—and surrender to God’s will.
For years, Riccardi held the hands of patients at their bedsides, offering prayer, comfort and Christ’s presence. She never imagined those encounters were preparing her for the day when the one hand she desperately wanted to hold would be beyond her reach.
When Riccardi’s husband, Len, was hospitalized during the Covid-19 pandemic, rigid hospital protocols kept them apart as he became gravely ill and died alone. After years spent accompanying others through illness and death, Riccardi found herself confronting profound loss from the other side of the hospital walls.
In A Thousand Hands But One, Riccardi shares stories drawn from her years in hospital chaplaincy. As she ministered to others, those encounters were quietly preparing 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.
“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.
Heartbreaking yet hope-filled, Riccardi’s memoir bears witness to the message at the heart of her journey: Where human hands fall away, God’s grace remains.
About Laura Riccardi
Laura 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.
A Thousand Hands But One is available in paperback and ebook editions through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers.
SOURCE A.J. Neal Publishing
Media Contact: Christopher Holl, Publisher, info@ajnealpublishing.com, 732-598-6218, www.ajnealpublishing.com