In a new memoir, former Catholic chaplain Laura Riccardi shares how years of holding the hands of the sick and dying prepared her for the one hand she could not hold—that of her husband, Len, who died alone during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Thousand Hands But One: How GOD Prepared a CATHOLIC Chaplain For the Surrender She Never Expected, published by A.J. Neal Publishing, explores the spiritual lesson of surrender to God's will through Riccardi's personal and professional experiences.
For years, Riccardi offered prayer, comfort, and Christ's presence at patients' bedsides. Yet when Len was hospitalized with COVID-19, rigid hospital protocols kept them apart as he became gravely ill and died alone. The memoir draws on stories from her chaplaincy to show how those encounters quietly prepared her for that moment. The central message is that where human hands fall away, God's grace remains.
The book has received endorsements from figures such as Cynthia Zack, composer and host of Mary, Mother and Queen of the Divine Will on Radio Maria. Zack described it as “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 asked to remain anonymous, called it “more than a memoir. It is a testimony to the grace of surrender—to trusting God when the path ahead is uncertain.”
Riccardi's background includes 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 major booksellers. The book's official website is www.athousandhandsbutone.com. The publisher, A.J. Neal Publishing, is an independent company based in Jackson, New Jersey, founded by author Christopher Holl. Its catalog includes works such as The Kano, The Teacher, & The Lola: A Filipino-American Fable and The Schiff Who Cried Wolf…Blitzer.
This memoir matters because it offers a timely reflection on grief, faith, and the limits of human connection during a global health crisis that separated countless families. It also highlights the often unseen emotional and spiritual labor of chaplains, who accompany others through suffering while carrying their own. By framing her story as a lesson in surrender, Riccardi provides a narrative that speaks to anyone grappling with loss and the search for meaning in uncertain times. For more information about the publisher, visit www.ajnealpublishing.com.
