A gangster turned into a pastor? Unlike most mob stories that end in tragedy, the dramatic life story of Rocco Morelli is a tale of total triumph.

"I was a Mafia wise guy—rich, powerful, and greedy," Morelli says of his former life in his book Forgetta 'bout It. "I was arrested and imprisoned.

But when released from prison, I was a changed man."

La famiglia (the family) ran "Little Chicago," Morelli's hometown of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, nicknamed for its mob connections.

According to Morelli, the Mafia bosses on the east coast all had ties to the family in Little Chicago. "The Mafia curse was passed down to me from my great-grandfather. I was doomed from birth to be an heir of the mob."

Morelli became a cop at age 19, but at the same time he nurtured his love for the underworld.  "I became a player, eventually messing up my mind with drugs and alcohol. Less than 10 years later, I had the world in the palm of my hands. I was part of the action and the boss gave me the opportunity for membership." That boss told Morelli, "Kill Tony and you're made!" He needed an ironclad alibi. As he was about to do the hit, something happened that changed his plans and his life forever: Morelli met God the Father and said no to the Godfather.

Morelli now speaks his message of a changed life to prisoners, at-risk youth, and the lost around the world.