Save the date: Monday, March 2, 2026 • 6:30 PM
Location: In the church
Presentation by renowned Shroud scholar Nora Creech
"Who Is the Man in the Shroud?"
Holy Angels Parish, in partnership with Othonia, warmly invites you to a special presentation on The Shroud of Turin, titled “Who Is the Man in the Shroud?” The study of the Shroud lies at the intersection of faith and science, offering believers and skeptics alike the opportunity to explore, question, and reflect on the mysterious image of a man bearing the wounds described in the Gospel accounts of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus.
The presentation will take place at Holy Angels Church on Monday, March 2, 2026, at 6:30 PM and will be led by Nora Creech, a graduate of Shroud Studies through Othonia, a nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to the Shroud of Turin. The evening will include a lecture, full‑size replicas of the Shroud, replicas of the weapons of the Passion, and a question‑and‑answer session.
The Shroud of Jesus
The Shroud of Turin, housed since 1578 in the Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista in Turin, Italy, is a controversial linen cloth made from flax, measuring approximately 14 feet by 3.5 feet. It bears a faint image of the front and back of a naked man, along with bloodstains consistent with the scourging and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the Gospel of John.
In the replica displayed on the wall, the faint front and back body images can be seen aligned along the central length of the cloth. The two brown parallel lines and patches along each side of the body image are the result of a fire that occurred in Chambéry, France, in 1532.
According to tradition, the crucified man—believed to be Jesus—was laid on his back on one end of the cloth, with the other end folded over his body. On December 4, 1532, a devastating fire at the Sainte-Chapelle in Chambéry, where the Shroud was then kept by the House of Savoy, caused molten silver from its container to burn through the folded cloth. These burns created the distinctive symmetrical marks that remain visible today.
Reference: The Shroud of Jesus by Dr. Gilbert Lavoie (book).
“Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
- John 20:27
What is the Shroud of Turin?
Different cultures have used burial shrouds for thousands of years to cover the bodies of those who have recently died. In a Jewish burial, family members usually wash the body before it is wrapped in a funeral garment. However, in the event of violent death with significant loss of blood, they do not wash the body; rather, they simply rap it in a large cloth called a "sovev" which means to surround or go around. Strips of cloth may also be used to bind the wrists, ankles, and sometimes a chin band to keep the mouth closed. Shrouds can be made with various materials. People with little means may use animal skins or wool. Wealthier families would use linen made from flax. In the case of the Shroud of Turin, everything seems to correlate with the burial of a man who died by violent death. The manufacture is of finely woven linen and is consistent with the biblical account of Joseph of Arimathea, "a rich man," who purchased the cloth for the burial of Jesus and laid him to rest in his own unused family tomb.
Reference: Understanding the Shroud of Turin by Russ Breault (book).
“After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.”
- John 19:38–42
Watch a video by Nora Creech, "Othonia Shroud Overview."
Video: The Shroud of Turin: History's Most Controversial Relic
Video by the History Channel. The UnXplained: The Mystery Behind the Shroud of Turin
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