The Prison Angel: Mother Antonia’s Journey from Beverly Hills to a Life of Service in a Mexican Jail, By Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan. New York, Penguin Press, 2005.

The authors are two Washington Post reporters who were stationed in Mexico City. In early 2002, while researching a book on the criminal justice system, they heard about an "Irish nun" who lived in La Mesa prison in Tijuana, one of Mexico’s most brutal institutions.

Following up the story, they found a cheery little woman nearly 80 years old and indeed, Irish-American. She was born Mary Clarke, lived as a privileged suburban housewife in Los Angeles for 30 years, raised seven children, put on a habit at the age of 50 and went to live in the prison. She is now the foundress of a new religious order blessed by the Catholic Church, the "Sisters of the Eleventh Hour."

Never eager to talk about herself, over a lengthy series of interviews Mother Antonia (as she is known in Mexico) gradually revealed her life. Carefully cross-checking every bit of information about the nun, the husband and wife team concluded, "We had never heard a story quite like hers, a story of such powerful goodness. This was a tale that needed telling." Jordan and Sullivan tell it very well.

What shines through the pages of the book is a radiant joy that Mother Antonia takes in her life, despite a lifetime of poor health and two failed marriages. Her order was created to provide for the vocations that are felt by older women who may have experienced divorce or other tribulations and are now ready to give themselves wholly to God and their fellow man. With life expectancy increasing, the order fulfills a unique need.

The first chapter recounts a riot that took place in La Mesa in 1994. Mother Antonia, known as "La Madre," went into the darkened prison where several inmates had already been murdered and negotiated a truce. The second chapter is called "Hollywood Girl" and describes how Mary Clarke’s father, Joseph, became a wealthy businessman in Los Angeles. The pretty blond teenager was even invited to try a career in movies. She worked successfully as a salesman for her father, but as her wealth increased, so did her charity work.

Throughout her life Mary attended daily Mass, even when her status as a divorced and remarried woman kept her from receiving Communion. Her mentor became a Los Angeles priest, Msgr. Anthony Brouwers, who was known for his devotion to missions. When he died in 1964 the priest predicted that Mary would be destined for the "front lines."

In 1965 Mary set out with a truckload of supplies and medicines for La Mesa state penitentiary. In 1977 she sewed together a makeshift habit and showed up at the gates of La Mesa, never again to leave. In 1990 the nun, now known as Mother Antonia, received the blessing of Pope John Paul II on his visit to Mexico.

A special kind of mercy appropriate to our times is her sensitivity to the way in which appearance can mar one’s life. She has raised millions for dental work and cosmetic surgery to repair genetic defects or the results of violence.