Speakers

Many thanks to the leading Shroud expert speakers who came from all over the world!

With nearly 50 speakers from 10 countries, including the 1978 STURP team leader, John Jackson, this conference will be remembered for featuring a “who’s who” of worldwide Shroud leaders and advancing Shroud education. Numerous members of the clergy were present and among the speakers. Also notable experts were Dr. Giulio Fanti, Tristan Casabianca, Bob Rucker, Otangelo Grasso, and Pam Moon.

Recorded speaker presentations will be available on the SEEC YouTube channel.

Some of these speakers are available for speaking engagements. Please contact us if you would like to have a guest speaker give a talk to your group, event or church.

Key Topics

Explore scientific discoveries, historical paths, theological reflections, medical insights, and environmental factors related to the Shroud of Turin. Our experts provide comprehensive knowledge, deepening your understanding of this enigmatic relic.

Tentative speakers include the following world-renowned experts:

Scientific Analysis and Discoveries

The latest technological advancements in Shroud research
The ongoing debate on radiocarbon dating results
Methods used to study the image and material composition

Historical Path and Provenance

Theories on the Shroud's origins and early history
Key historical events and figures associated with the Shroud
The Shroud's journey from Jerusalem to Constantinople

Theological Reflections and Implications

The Shroud's role in Christian theology and devotion
Symbolism and significance of the Shroud in religious art
Reflections on the Shroud's impact on contemporary faith practices

Medical and Forensic Perspectives

Analysis of the bloodstains and wounds depicted on the Shroud
- Insights into the crucifixion process and its portrayal on the Shroud
- The intersection of medicine, forensic science, and historical analysis

Geological and Environmental Factors

The impact of environmental conditions on the Shroud's preservation
Studies on the linen fabric and its resilience over time
Conservation efforts to protect and maintain the Shroud

Myra Kahn Adams

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Myra Kahn Adams

Bio

Myra Kahn Adams is the Executive Director of the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit. Its mission is to host a permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit in downtown Washington, D.C. On the advisory board are two Shroud conference hosts, along with six speakers

The National Shroud of Turin Exhibit is a Sign From God Foundation project formed in November 2017 to promote Shroud of Turin education. In January 2019, Myra and the founding Sign From God board, comprised of Mark Antonacci, Russ Breault, and David Adams (with call-in help from Barrie Schwortz), convinced the Museum of the Bible to host their successful Shroud exhibit that opened in February 2022 due to a one year COVID delay. From that Bible Museum exhibit sprung the idea of a permanent Shroud of Turin Exhibit in Washington.

Since 1997, Myra has been keenly interested in the Shroud of Turin. She and her husband, David, were blessed to see it during the 2010 public exhibition and met Barrie Schwortz when he spoke to their tour group. Then, in 2015, they saw the Shroud again, the last time it was on public display.

Myra was born and raised Jewish, and in 1975, came to faith in Christ. She believes that the Shroud is physical evidence that God left behind for those who need physical proof to believe in Him.

Aside from her passion for bringing the National Shroud of Turin exhibit to fruition, Myra is a nationally known political and religious writer. Over the years, Myra has written numerous Shroud-related articles on Townhall, National Review, and RealClearReligion. What Myra calls her “second career” started in Florida in 2010 after spending decades in advertising and then as owner of a video production company in the Washington, D.C. area

Since January 2021, Myra has been a regular op-ed contributor to The Hill. Before that, her contributor credits included years at RealClearPolitics, National Review, Washington Examiner, The Daily Beast, and many more.

On the religious side, Myra writes a popular weekly Sunday Bible study series on Townhall.com that began in February 2020. Encouraged by Townhall readers, the studies were compiled into two books, “Bible Study For Those Who Don’t Read The Bible” and Part 2, with the same title.

Presentation Summary

“Why the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit is Important to Everyone Here”

What is the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit?
Where and when is it opening?
Who are our influential partners and collaborators?
Why and how you can join our efforts.

Jorge-Manuel Rodríguez-Almenar

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Jorge-Manuel Rodríguez-Almenar

Bio

President of the Spanish Center for Sindonology

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DATA

Born in the city of Valencia (Spain) on September 19, 1959.
Professor of the Civil Law Department of the University of Valencia since October 1, 1989. In July 1994 he won by competitive examination the position of Full Professor at the Faculty of Law of Valencia. Previously he had taught at the Faculty of Law of Castellón and at the Faculty of Economics of Valencia.
In 2016 he read his “Master’s thesis” at the Department of History of Art of the Faculty of History of the University of Valencia and in July 2017 -at the same Department- she defended her Doctoral Thesis “La Sábana Santa y sus implicaciones histórico-artísticas” (The Holy Shroud and its historical-artistic implications), obtaining the «Cum Laude» (being proposed by the Court for the Extraordinary Doctorate Award).

EXTRA-LEGAL ACTIVITY

The Centro Español de Sindonología (CES) (Spanish Center for Sindonology) was formally constituted on December 18, 1987, he became a full member of the same. On February 14, 1988 he was elected Vice President and on January 28, 2006, President.
Since its creation, in November 1989, he was a member of “EDICES”, Research Team of the CES, which works in the field of Sindonology.
Research Team of the CES, working on the analysis of the “Holy Shroud” of the Cathedral of Oviedo (a complementary relic of the (complementary relic of the Holy Shroud), being the first secretary of the team and later vice-coordinator of the team between 1989 and 2012.
He is curator of three Itinerant Exhibitions:
“HOLY SHROUD: A MYSTERY THAT REMAINS”, inaugurated in December 1991 at the Museum of the City of Valencia and completely renovated in 2003.
“The Holy Sudarium of Oviedo” which was inaugurated in the Cathedral of Oviedo during the Jubilee of the year 2000.
“THE HOLY GRAIL OF VALENCIA: THE REALITY BEHIND THE MYTH” created in 2023.
Since 2007 he is a Knight and “Master of Neophytes” of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (under the protection of the Holy See) being appointed Commander in 2010.
He is a member of several confraternities and in January 2024 he was elected member of the Board of Directors of the Brotherhood of the Holy Chalice of the Supper of the Cathedral of Valencia. Member of the Scientific Committee of the Holy Chalice Foundation.

Presentation Summary

THE SOUDARION OF OVIEDO (SPAIN): its reality and historical trajectory.

By Jorge-Manuel Rodríguez-Almenar. Degree in Law. PhD in Art History.

University of Valencia. President of the Spanish Center for Sindonology (CES)

John mentions among the linen cloths found in the tomb of Jesus “the sudarium (soudarion) that had been on the head of Jesus” (John 20, 7).

According to the manuscript of Saint Antoninus Martyr (570 A.D.) that soudarion arrived in Spain fleeing from the Persian invasion of the 7th century and ended up in the “Holy Chamber” of the cathedral of Oviedo to protect it from the Muslim invasion that the Iberian Peninsula suffered from the year 711 A.D. onwards.

That transfer is recorded in various historical documents and corroborated by a tradition of more than 1000 years.

Mark Antonacci

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Mark Antonacci

Bio

Mark has studied all aspects of the Shroud for more than 40 years. For over two decades, he has proposed that new, non-destructive or minimally-invasive tests be adapted and applied to the Shroud and various materials on it at their molecular and atomic levels. This testing would not only prove their ages, but what caused all the unique features throughout its unparalleled body images and blood marks. These new scientific techniques could even prove beyond a reasonable doubt whether an unprecedented radiating event occurred to the multiply-wounded, crucified corpse wrapped in this cloth, which not only encoded all of these features, but left unnatural and unforgeable evidence of when, where, and to whom all of these events occurred.

Mark is an attorney and has authored the two most comprehensive and substantive books on the Shroud, The Resurrection of the Shroud in 2000 and Test the Shroud in 2015. He is writing a third book titled The Shroud of Turin 101. Mark is also the founder and president of Test the Shroud Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation.

Presentation Summary

How to Easily Solve the Greatest and Most Controversial Questions of Science and Humanity

Nan Balfour

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Nan Balfour

Bio

Nan Balfour serves as a volunteer Shroud Ambassador for Pilgrim Center of Hope, a Catholic evangelization ministry located in San Antonio, Texas with a mission to provide opportunities to connect people to Jesus Christ and the Church.

Nan is a writer, speaker, and guide through the Who is the Man of the Shroud? museum exhibition permanently located at Pilgrim Center of Hope.

Nan presents on the Shroud locally at area churches, colleges and to women inmates at the county jail through her jail ministry. In 2024, Nan presented the talk, The Shroud as a Tool for Evangelization, at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.

Nan, wife, mother and grandmother, lives in San Antonio with her husband, Bruce.

Presentation Summary

A Journey With the Shroud

“A Journey With the Shroud” is a presentation based on the Othonia-approved Shroud of Turin museum exhibition, Who is the Man of The Shroud? which is permanently displayed at Pilgrim Center of Hope, a Catholic evangelization ministry in San Antonio, Texas.

This PowerPoint presentation is a journey of discovery weaving through a variety of disciplines including photography, forensics, botany, anatomy, art, world history, archeology, geography and theology that have probed this ancient linen burial cloth called ‘the most studied artifact in history.’

A Journey with the Shroud highlights the many striking similarities between what is known about the Shroud of Turin and the image of the man it bears, compared with what is known about the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ as told through the Gospel narratives.

Questions are posed, evidence is provided, the intellect is piqued… but the answer to the exhibition’s title is left for each to ponder: Who is the Man of the Shroud?

Dr. Fred Baltz

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Dr. Fred Baltz

Bio

Dr. Frederick W. Baltz is Pastor Emeritus of St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Galena, Illinois. He is the author of curriculum, numerous articles and books including Exodus Found (2020) dealing with the Exodus from Egypt, locating it in time with astronomy (April 23, 1446 B.C.) and in space, making the case for Timna, Israel, as the crossing point of the “Red Sea.” He appeared in the documentary, Red Sea Miracle, Part 2. Dr. Baltz has also written When the Bible Meets the Sky: The Star of Bethlehem and Other Mysteries (2021). He is a contributor to Patterns of Evidence (www.patternsofevidence.com). Dr. Baltz has presented papers for two international conferences on the Shroud of Turin. He resides with Cindy in Galena, Illinois, and they have four children and seven grandchildren.

Presentation Summary

What did Peter and the Beloved Disciple See in the Tomb?

This presentation will lay out some of the ways the description of Jesus’ empty tomb in John 20 has been understood. There was no typical way for the Gospel writer to describe such a scene, because it has occurred only once in history. Therefore, we must proceed with caution in translating the words and expressions in John 20, and look to themes within the Gospel for direction as we try to understand just what the evangelist meant. Of particular importance is the arrangement of the burial cloths. Does John tell us anything directly relatable to the Shroud of Turin? What, if any, are the points of contact between the face cloth and the Sudarium of Oviedo? The presentation will suggest that the face cloth was not spatially distant from the burial linens, but recognizable from the contour of the burial cloth within which the face cloth was still present.

Cesar Barta

Shroud Encounter

Featured Speaker

Cesar Barta

Bio

Barta, César, Physicist, University Complutense, Madrid, 1981

César Barta has developed his professional activity in the nuclear and electronic fields. At the final period, he worked as a test engineer in space science for more than 25 years. He devotes his free time to research and dissemination on the Holy Shroud, having taught courses and attended conferences both in Spain and in other countries in Europe and America. He assiduously collaborates with national and international specialized magazines. He has been involved in Shroud research following its 1988 carbon dating, and he is a member of the Centro Español de Sindonología (CES).

Presentation Summary

Two Presentations:

The Sudarium of Oviedo and coincidences with the Shroud

The Sudarium of Oviedo was placed around the head of a crucified man who had been crowned with thorns and traumatized, making it consistent with Jewish traditions of preserving and burying the blood shed by the deceased. If it is the head cloth described in John 20, it sheds considerable light on the passage from the cross to the tomb. Its possible path between Jerusalem and Oviedo and the dating by carbon 14 are analyzed. the various coincidences between the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo are suggestive and lead to consider very likely that both cloths were used on the corpse of the same person.

Was the Shroud irradiated with neutrons?
The hypothesis of neutron irradiation of the Shroud has been proposed since 1988 to explain the radiocarbon dating of the Shroud to the Middle Ages. It has been developed and discussed by several researchers. We propose some nondestructive tests to elucidate whether or not the Shroud of Turin received a neutron irradiation.

Michaela Barta

Shroud Encounter

Interpretive Dance

Michaela Barta

Bio

In his Letter to Artists, Pope St. John Paul II expressed, “Every genuine artistic intuition goes beyond what the senses perceive and, reaching beneath reality’s surface, strives to interpret its hidden mystery. Those who perceive in themselves this kind of divine spark which is the artistic vocation… feel at the same time the obligation not to waste this talent but to develop it, in order to put it at the service of their neighbor and of humanity as a whole.” Michaela Barta is answering the call to serve through her artistic vocation as what she calls a missionary of divine beauty. She desires to be moved and move others to love beauty, goodness and truth ultimately found in Christ who is Beauty incarnate. Michaela studied under John Adamson, Margot Marshall and Ballet Forte as a classically trained ballerina and holds a B.S. in University Studies with a dance concentration from Texas A&M University. Michaela danced professionally with companies such as SoMar DanceWorks, Sandra Organ Dance Company, Brazos Dance Collective, Encompass Dance Collective and Zion Dance Project. As a 10+ year dance instructor, Michaela has taught across the U.S. and on missions in Guatemala and in the Dominican Republic. She has choreographed various works for studios in Houston, TX and Pensacola, FL. Michaela’s missionary heart was formed as an evangelist through a two-year service as a NET Missionary and three years as a young adult minister. She is a certified SoulCore Instructor and in the certification process with the Theology of the Body Institute in Quarryville, PA. Michaela currently resides in Dallas,TX. She seeks to incarnate truth and goodness through beauty by dancing, performing, choreography, teaching, creative writing and speaking. To book her for your next ministry event or for more information, you can go to her website: https://mmbarta.wixsite.com/philokalia

Presentation Summary

“Recognition” is a contemporary ballet dance, or better expressed: a meditation through movement, based on John 20:11-18.

Jim Bertrand M Ed

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Jim Bertrand M Ed

Bio

Jim Bertrand, M Ed, has been giving Shroud presentations for the past 10 years across 30 states, as well as Canada and New Zealand. His passion is to share factual information with audiences of all types, and explain things in such a way that they can understand the science, along with spiritual significance of the Shroud. As a member of the American Confraternity of the Holy Shroud, headed by Dr John Jackson, he has never made a dime doing this. The Shroud is for everyone because the Resurrection is for everyone. The content for his talks comes mainly from The Shroud of Turin – A Critical Summary of Observations, Data, and Hypotheses which summarizes 4 decades of the Turin Shroud Center/Dr Jackson & Keith Propp research. His 39 years of science teaching experience has prepared him to share the message of the Shroud in a wide variety of venues – parishes (Catholic and Protestant), K-8 schools, high schools, universities, seminaries, religious communities, prisons, and other settings.

Presentation Summary

Uniting Shroud Truths With the Human Heart

By uniting truth with the human heart, we can nurture both body/mind and soul. The audience for this presentation will likely be an array of novices, Shroud experts, and everyone else in between. By covering a wide variety of Shroud features in detail, its history, medical/forensic evidence, open questions, and even the Shroud connection with the Mass, it is hoped everyone will come away from this presentation knowing more than they knew before this talk.

Russ Breault

Featured Speaker

Russ Breault

Bio

RUSS BREAULT has been researching and lecturing on The Shroud of Turin for over 40 years. His highly acclaimed presentation known as Shroud Encounter makes use of over 200 animated images and unfolds like a CSI investigation. He has presented nation-wide to hundreds of church audiences of all denominations. College and university presentations include Duke, Johns Hopkins, Penn State, Cal State, West Point, and many others.

He has appeared in several nationally televised documentaries and news programs including:

ABC: Interviewed for Good Morning America and World News Tonight

CBS: Interviewed for Mysteries of the Ancient World

CNN: Consultant for Finding Jesus episode on the Shroud.

History Channel: The Real Face of Jesus—A highly acclaimed two-hour documentary for which Mr. Breault was both advisor and a primary expert.

History Channel: Interviewed for History’s Greatest Mysteries hosted by Laurence Fishburne

EWTN: Interviewed as a primary expert for the documentary, The Holy Winding Sheet.

Breault was a key consultant to the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC for the development of a high-tech interactive exhibit on the Shroud in 2022 and was the most successful temporary exhibit in the museum’s history seen by over 85,000 visitors.

He has participated in numerous international conferences including the first United States Scientific Symposium in 1981 and three public exhibitions in Turin, Italy in 1998, 2000 and 2010.

He produced twelve episodes of The Shroud Report, a half-hour interview show with the world’s leading experts now seen on YouTube.

He is a long-time member of the Shroud Science Group, an international consortium of scientists and scholars dedicated to further research.

Filmed at Museum of the Bible, in 2023 he was awarded a gold Telly Award for Best Short Form Documentary based on his work with the Shroud of Turin.

Mr. Breault is the president and founder of the Shroud of Turin Education Project Inc., the mission of which is to: “Advance the knowledge of the shroud to a new generation.”

In June of 2024, Breault published his first book, SHROUD ENCOUNTER: Explore the World’s Greatest Unsolved Mystery. Available now on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and from his website: www.ShroudEncounter.com

Presentation Summary

Seven Secrets of the Sacred Shroud covers a variety of historical, scientific and theological proofs that further demonstrate the authenticity of the Shroud and how it should impact faith.

Why are the scriptures silent on the Shroud after the resurrection? Is there a “smoking gun” reference in the NT hidden in plain sight?
New evidence that shows the Shroud originated in the Middle East.
The significance of the face.
Theology of linen.
The Shroud as a proof of purchase.
The biblical requirement of three witnesses.
The promise of transformation.

Following Seven Secrets will be a presentation called The Shroud as an Able Apologetic: How to use the Shroud to reach your world.

This is a discussion of how to engage people using apologetic principles to consider the Shroud and thereby consider Christ himself.

Tristan Casabianca

Shroud Encounter

Featured Speaker

Tristan Casabianca

Bio

Tristan Casabianca, a respected historian and alumnus of Aix-Marseille University and the University of Hamburg, brings his expertise in the history of law to the study of the Shroud of Turin. Casabianca has contributed to critical Shroud research, particularly around the authenticity of the artifact and the reanalysis of the results of the radiocarbon dating.

Presentation Summary

One historiography and the other one on the C14

Nora Creech

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Nora Creech

Bio

Nora Creech has been interested in the Holy Shroud since the 1970s and is an experienced lecturer on the history, science, and pastoral implications of the Shroud. After earning an MBA, Nora worked in industry and raised her family. In 2018, she completed a Master of Arts in Faith and Culture from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX. This degree equips the laity to bring their faith into the public sphere to positively impact the culture. She then attended the year-long postgraduate course in Shroud Studies offered online and in English by the Pontifical University, Regina Apostolorum in Rome. Equipped with this background, Nora began assisting multiple organizations to develop and expand various Shroud exhibits and to develop educational materials on the Shroud. Nora is a part of the leadership team of “Othonia,” the international organization which educates people around the world about the Holy Shroud through exhibits, educational initiatives, conferences and lectures. Othonia has strong relationships with Shroud experts all over the world and is an authoritative source for the most up-to-date information on the Shroud, both from a historical and scientific perspective as well as the Holy Shroud’s links to the Gospel message.

Presentation Summary

Providing an Impactful Shroud Exhibit in your Community

Othonia has developed a beautiful, engaging, and inspiring exhibit entitled “Who is the man of the Shroud?” The exhibit can be established in a permanent location, or it can be a traveling exhibit that moves between churches, schools, and community centers.

This presentation will discuss the purpose and objectives of the exhibit and how it was developed. Nora will also discuss how this exhibit can be made available in your community.

Fr. Andrew Dalton

Shroud Encounter

Featured Speaker

Fr. Andrew Dalton

Bio

Assistant Professor of Theology, Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum

Fr. Andrew Dalton, a Catholic priest and Shroud scholar, bridges scientific discovery and theological insight. He holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Shroud Studies from the International Center of Sindonology in Turin and teaches at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome. A global speaker on the Shroud of Turin, he has lectured across Asia and serves on the Board of Othonia, promoting Shroud research. He authored Fulfilled Israel: Matthew’s Plerosis Paradigm.

Presentation Summary

How the Body was Wrapped in the Shroud of Turin

Dr. Giulio Fanti

Shroud Encounter

Featured Speaker

Dr. Giulio Fanti

Bio

Dr. Giulio Fanti

Dr. Giulio Fanti, is a Professor of Mechanical and Thermal Measurements at the University of Padua, Italy, since 1996. He has contributed to space missions, including the Giotto Mission to Halley’s Comet, TSS-1, Mars ’94, and Cassini-Huygens.

A founding member of CISAS, he specializes in uncertainty analysis, finite element modeling, and thermo-mechanical optimization.

His current research focuses on the Turin Shroud, vision-based measurement systems, and structural diagnostics. Fanti has authored over 150 papers in Italian and international journals, lecture notes, and books. He has been involved in pioneering studies on the Turin Shroud and diagnostic methodologies.

Presentation Summary

“The lightness with which the test of C14/1988 for the Holy Shroud in Turin were carried out and a new interpretation of the results obtained”. “The lightness with which the test of C14/1988 for the Holy Shroud in Turin were carried out and a new interpretation of the results obtained”.

I will probably also be able to carry out some work on the fluorescence of one of the types of blood I found on the Relic.

Sean Fitzgerald

Shroud Encounter

Featured Speaker

Sean Fitzgerald

Bio

Sean’s interest in the Shroud of Turin began in 1983 after attending a high school presentation that left
a lasting impression. He went on to earn two Master’s degrees—one in Religious Studies and another in Theology—both from St. Joseph’s Seminary
in Yonkers, NY.

In addition, he holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Shroud Studies from the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome. Sean currently serves as the Director of Ministry Consulting at the
Augustine Institute.

He lives in Highland, NY, with his wife, Dawn. Married for 34 years, they are proud parents of five children.

Presentation Summary

The Shroud and the Catholic Faith

This slide presentation and lecture draw upon Scripture, history, and science to illustrate how the Shroud reflects the Gospels and Catholic Tradition.

Prof. José Carlos Espriella Godinez

Shroud Encounter

Featured Speaker

Prof. José Carlos Espriella Godinez

Bio

Jose’ Carlos Espriella Godinez is from Mexico city. He studied Chemistry at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) and obtained a Master degree at Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana with the Thesis “Separation of a racemic mixture of 4-Chloride Bencidrol using Nocardia Coralline. He is a chemistry professor at Escuela Nacional Preparatoria. and Mathematics professor at Tecnologico de Méxic. He has been a member of the Centro Mexicano de Sindonología (CMS) since 2000 and a member of the Instituto Superior de Estudios Guadalupanos (ISEG) in Mexico City since 2010.

In 2010, he attended to Franscatti Italy on Acheriopoyetical image conference and visited the Shroud.

In 2017 he presented “The Chemistry of the image imprinting process” at Pasco, WA.

In 2019 he presented “The possibility of Strange Quark Matter in the Turin Shroud” in Ontario, Canada.

Presentation Summary

In the first part I will discuss the arguments used by Marino and Benford to support the medieval patch hypothesis. After making the reconstruction of the herringbone weave after the C-14 was cut, serious doubts emerged to support the invisible patch hypothesis. In the second part I will study the Raes pyrolysis mass spectrum which according to Ray Roger presents evidence that the threads of the Raes sample were coated with a gelatinous substance of an aramic gum made of arabinose to match the color of the main part of the Shroud arguing that no other area showed the presence of this coating. Roger claimed that the spectrum confirmed the pyrolysis of pentoses sugars (arabinose) which in turn according to him proved that the threads were coated with the aramic gum concluding that the Raes sample contained part of the medieval patch. He based his arguments on the observation of a moderate 96-signal (furfural) and a low or absence of a 126 signal (HMF) arguing that pentoses (arabinose) does not produce any HMF. But after studying the totality of the signals observed at the spectrum, it is confirmed that indeed the cellulose of the linen suffered degradation while at the same time it shows that it is unlikely that the arabinose suffered pyrolysis at low temperature contrary to what Roger´s claim and so the conclusion that the Res sample is part of the medieval patch is not supported.

Otangelo Grasso

Shroud Encounter

Featured Speaker

Otangelo Grasso

Bio

Otangelo Grasso is a Swiss-Italian author, apologist, and researcher based in Aracaju, Brazil, known for his work on Christian apologetics and the Shroud of Turin. His YouTube channel, Christ – The Evidence, features debates and presentations on theology, science,
and faith.

In 2024, he published From Forensics to Faith, exploring the Shroud’s history, scientific analysis, and gospel correlations. Grasso also curates the website Reason and Science, offering resources on intelligent design and Christianity.

Through books, interviews, and the “Shroud Wars” series, he provides evidence-based defenses of faith, aiming to bridge science and belief for skeptics and seekers alike.

Presentation Summary

Three-Dimensional Reconstructions of the Shroud of Turin Man: From Photographic Negatives to AI-Enhanced Forensic Analysis

This study explores the transformation of Shroud of Turin research through the application of artificial intelligence and photogrammetric analysis. Building on foundational discoveries such as the VP-8 Image Analyzer’s identification of three-dimensional data in the Shroud’s grayscale image the paper documents a transition from analog photography to anatomically detailed, AI-driven reconstructions of the man depicted on the cloth.

The investigation integrates forensic pathology, Roman crucifixion evidence, and modern computer vision to enhance fidelity in both facial and bodily reconstructions. Key trauma signatures wrist nailing, thoracic laceration, scourge marks, and scalp punctures are shown to align coherently with historical and biblical accounts of crucifixion.

Validation through superimposition with the original Shroud image confirms the internal consistency of the reconstructions. The study also addresses methodological limitations, including data resolution, potential AI hallucinations, and the persistent uncertainty surrounding the image formation mechanism.

Ultimately, this paper offers confirmatory evidence that the Shroud image encodes detailed spatial and anatomical information consistent with a real, crucified man – presented through the most sophisticated reconstruction pipeline to date. It proposes that AI-assisted modeling does not resolve the Shroud’s origin debate, but significantly deepens our ability to interrogate its forensic and historical coherence.

Alfonso Sánchez Hermosilla

Shroud Encounter

Video Presentation

Alfonso Sánchez Hermosilla

Bio

Born in Cartagena, Murcia, (Spain) the 15th of January ,1962.

Medical and Surgery Degree in 1985 at the Medicine Faculty at Murcia University (Spain).

Family Medicine Specialist.

Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Forensic Anthropology at the San Antonio Catholic University (UCAM) of Murcia (Spain).

Forensic Doctor at the Legal Medicine Institute in Murcia (Assitant adress Cartagena) where also being Head of Section of Forensic Clinic, all submitted to the Ministry of Justice of Spain. (Government of Spain).

Director of EDICES, (Research Team of the Spanish Center for Sindonology).

Member of the Scientific Committee of the CISS, International Centre for Studies on the Sindone, in Turin, Italy.

Member of the Scientific Council of the Centre International D´Etudes sur le Linceul in Turin, France.

Presentation Summary

NEW FINDINGS ON THE SHROUD OF TURIN USING LEGAL AND FORENSIC MEDICINE

The investigation of the Turin Shroud using the methodology of Legal and Forensic Medicine has revealed the presence of a stain compatible with the exit wound of the spear in the right dorsal region. On the other hand, in the área of the syndonic image where the buttocks of the Man of the Shroud appear, there is a complex pattern of stains that do not appear to be blood; on the contrary, these stains are compatible with feces, and perhaps also urine.

RESULT OF THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF THE SOUDARION OF OVIEDO AND THE SHROUD OF TURIN

The results of the criminal investigation and the anthropological and anthropometric research on Soudarion of Oviedo an Shroud of Turin show the fact that the body proportions coincide in both Soudarion and Shroud, which is why, together with the concordance of de criminal investigation on both canveses, the hypothesis that Soudarion and Sindone covered the same person gains strength, since the statistical probability that two different men had the same anthropometric proportions, and moreover, the same lesions, in the same body regions, is very remote.

Mary Hines

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Mary Hines

Bio

Mary Hines was invited by Fr. Rinaldi to be his personal guest in Turin to view the Shroud in August 1978. Fr. Peter gave her twenty black and white Enrie slides and insisted she start lecturing about the Shroud right away.

As a medical technologist for forty years in mostly hematology, she was able to perceive the difference between the clotted and the coagulated blood on the Shroud and in pictures too which piqued her curiosity.

The Shroud has been her avocation for the last 48 years and she has lectured about the Shroud on four continents.

John Jackson Ph.D.

Shroud Encounter

Featured Speaker

John Jackson Ph.D.

Bio

John Jackson holds a Ph.D. degree in physics from the Naval Postgraduate School (with a theoretical dissertation in General Relativity and Cosmology). He also holds BA degree in Religious Studies from the College of Santa Fe. He is a graduate of the four-year Catholic Biblical School and the two-year Catholic Catechetical School, both from the Archdiocese of Denver. He is currently the president of the non-profit Turin Shroud Center of Colorado (TSC) and president of the American Confraternity of the Holy Shroud (ACHS) of the Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs.

He was president and an on-site team co-leader of the non-profit Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP) during the 1978 scientific expedition in Italy to directly examine for five days and nights the Turin Shroud with approximately 30 volunteer scientists. He has participated in three scientific examinations in Spain of the Sudarium of Oviedo (1998, 2007, 2008), two examinations in Spain of the Coria Last Supper relic (2007, 2008) and the Saint John Lateran Last Supper Table relic in Italy (2016).

He has given over two thousand invited public presentations on the Shroud of Turin which include formal presentations at conferences (to include those presented internationally).

He has taught physics at the United States Air Force Academy as an Associate Professor of Physics, and at the University of Colorado both as an Assistant Professor and later as lecturer (teaching both undergraduate and graduate level courses). He has authored and coauthored many papers on Shroud and relic-related studies and has studied the Shroud for over 50 years.

Presentation Summary

Part A – The physics of the Crucifixion as indicated by the Shroud of Turin.

Part B – Scientific examination of an alleged documented thread relic from the Shroud using data primarily from the 1978 STURP examination.

Part C – Status of research regarding the validity of the 1988 radiocarbon dating of the Shroud.

Authors- John P. Jackson, Ph.D., Rebecca S. Jackson MBA., Keith E. Propp, Ph.D.

Rebecca Jackson

Shroud Encounter

Featured Speaker

Rebecca Jackson

Bio

Rebecca Jackson holds an M.B.A. degree in business from the University of Phoenix. She is a graduate of the four-year Catholic Biblical School and the two-year Catholic Catechetical School, both from the Archdiocese of Denver. She is currently the vice president of the Turin Shroud Center of Colorado (TSC) and vice president and director of communications of the American Confraternity of the Holy Shroud (ACHS) of the Diocese of Colorado Springs. She was born and raised as an Orthodox Jew and and for forty years and has contributed to the Jewish understandings of the Shroud. She has participated in three scientific examinations in Spain of the Sudarium of Oviedo (1998, 2007, 2008), two examinations in Spain of the Coria Last Supper relic (2007, 2008) and the Saint John Lateran Last Supper Table relic in Italy (2016). She has given formal as well as invited conferences at international conferences on the Shroud of Turin. She has authored many papers on Shroud and relic-related studies (some of which are included in Appendix 1) and has studied the Shroud for over 30 years.

Presentation Summary

First Century Jewish burial laws and customs

Selected Jewish concepts associated with burial laws and customs as they relate to the Shroud of Turin.

Dr. Jeremiah Johnston

Shroud Encounter

Featured Speaker

Dr. Jeremiah Johnston

Bio

Jeremiah J. Johnston, Ph.D., M.Div., M.A., B.A., “Dr. JJJ” is an elected member of the preeminent New Testament scholarly guild Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS – Society of New Testament Studies) and ministers internationally as president of Christian Thinkers Society. Jeremiah loves the local church and serves as pastor of apologetics and cultural engagement at Prestonwood Baptist Church and his scholarly affiliation is Senior Fellow of Christian Origins, Dallas Baptist University.

Jeremiah’s calling is to inspire Christians to be Thinkers and Thinkers to be Christians. Author of nearly 20 books, Bible studies, a study Bible; along with numerous articles and chapters + media appearances, Jeremiah is passionate about resourcing believers to give intellectually informed accounts for what they believe.

Jeremiah is published by Oxford University Press, E. J. Brill, Bloomsbury T & T Clark, Macmillan, Mohr Siebeck, LifeWay, Harper Collins/Thomas Nelson, Whitaker House, Post Hill Press, Destiny Image, Bethany House and Baker Publishing Group.

As a theologian, who has the unique ability to connect with people of all ages, and a culture expert, he has been interviewed numerous times and contributed articles across a spectrum of national shows, [including Fox News contributor, TheBlaze, CNN, CBS This Morning, Vanity Fair, Premier Christianity Magazine & Premier Radio, RELEVANT Magazine, DECISION Magazine, Salem Radio Network, and several other media outlets.][1]

Jeremiah is the over-stressed father of triplet boys! Married to his love, Audrey, for 20 years, and Dad to five children (ages 15–8) life is always punctuated by surprises.

Presentation Summary

The Shroud of Turin isn’t just one more “holy relic,” an object of unknown origins and dubious claims; it is an ancient artifact that has defied modern science. We must take it seriously, for it passes every test that has been put to it. The image in the Shroud does not reflect the portraits of Jesus in Medieval art. The wounds don’t match the depiction of the wounds of Jesus. The face of the crucified man in the Shroud resemble the earliest known portraits of Jesus, not the much better known portraits in the Medieval period. The Shroud contains microscopic pollen that is native to first-century Israel. The blood stains are those of a human who suffered trauma. No pious Christian artist of a later time could have known these things. How the image is present in the Shroud cannot be explained. And now, thanks to new Wide-Angle X-Ray Scattering (WAXS) dating technology the Shroud’s first-century date has been confirmed. The Shroud is an important historical artifact that should be studied along with all of the surviving evidence from antiquity that sheds light on the New Testament Gospels, on the activities of Jesus, and, above all, on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

In short, there is no compelling objection to the antiquity and authenticity of the Shroud of Turin. There is also no reason to think that the image of the man in the Shroud is anyone other than Jesus of Nazareth, who in the first century was crucified under the authority of Pontius Pilate, who was resurrected on the third day, and who appeared to Saul of Tarsus as blinding light. Given all that we know, we should conclude that the Shroud of Turin is indeed the burial shroud of Jesus and that this astounding artifact provides weighty evidence of the truth that his followers have proclaimed since that first Easter Sunday: “Jesus Christ is risen indeed!”

Dr. Kelly Kearse

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Dr. Kelly Kearse

Bio

Kelly P. Kearse

Knoxville Catholic High School

9245 Fox Lonas Road

Knoxville, TN 37923

[email protected]

B.S. Biology, University of South Carolina

M.S. Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University

Ph.D., Immunology, University of Kentucky

Following completion of postdoctoral fellowships at Johns Hopkins (Biochemistry) and NIH (Immunology), Kelly became a Principal Investigator at NIH (Immunology). After several years, he transferred to the ECU School of Medicine to have the opportunity to do both research and teaching. In 2000, he semi-retired from laboratory research to relocate to his original hometown and teach high school science, something that he had always been interested in doing. He has been a science instructor at Knoxville Catholic High School for the past 24 years. Kelly studies the Shroud as a subject important to both faith and science, with a specific interest in the properties of the bloodstains

Presentation Summary

Bloodstains on the Shroud of Turin: Part 1

Characterization of the bloodstains on the Shroud of Turin is a fundamental issue in the investigation and understanding of the cloth. A modern summary of our knowledge of Shroud bloodstain properties will be presented, including an updated immunological review containing the latest findings as of 2025.

Bloodstains on the Shroud of Turin: Part 2

Results will be presented that address various physical properties of the Shroud bloodstains including appearance, serum halos, and potential transfer mechanisms.

David Keys PhD

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

David Keys PhD

Bio

Dr. David Keys received a Ph.D. in Physics from Washington University in St. Louis, MO in 1984. For 38 years he worked in the field of Medical Physics, being involved in therapeutic and diagnostic radiation physics. For his work, he was named a Fellow by the American College of Radiology and by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Dr. Keys has published two books—Exploring the Belief in the Real Presence and Discovering the Fullness of Reality. In addition, he has delivered numerous talks on a variety of topics, including How Belief and Knowledge are Interrelated.

Presentation Summary

Denying, Doubting, Believing, and Knowing – Can We KNOW the Identity of the Man in the Shroud?

The Shroud of Turin is the most studied artifact in recorded history, but why? The primary reason for such a wealth of studies seems not to be a notable, interesting, scientific question concerning how the image was made, how old the artifact is, where it came from, etc. Rather, the true interest which drives all the studies seems to be to prove or debunk a single proposed idea that the image on the cloth is that of Jesus of Nazareth, circa 33 CE. Indeed, without the issue of Jesus of Nazareth, few would even know of the shroud’s existence.

Furthermore, this question is not provable as a math problem is provable, so one can only strive at best to obtain, based on one’s own knowledge, whether the proposition is true or false. But all Knowledge, that is, valid Knowledge, requires information from a trustworthy source—whether that source be measurement, experience, authority, reason, logic, etc., but how trustworthy must the source be? This paper will discuss the various degrees of Trust (Denying, Doubting, Questioning, Believing, and Knowing) associated with the Shroud and will apply that analysis to the question, “Is there sufficient Trust/Mistrust in one’s knowledge of the Shroud to be able to know or deny the Identity of the Man in the Shroud?”

Bill Lauto

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Bill Lauto

Bio

Bill Lauto obtained Shroud studies certification from Rome’s university of Science and Faith, the Pontifical Atheneum Regina Apostolorum, and OTHONIA, the International Center of Sindonology of Torino. He started following Jesus’ Shroud when he was 14, and currently is an assistant to the director of OTHONIA’s Shroud Apostolate Group, English (SAGE). His research into geological, celestial, and environmental factors, from 2,000 years ago coincide with the descriptions presented in the Gospels.

As an environmental and energy scientist operating GoingTrueGreen.com, Bill has a B.S. from St. John’s University, Energy Certification from NYIT, and SUNY. Bill has lectured extensively on energy and the environment internationally, including the Pontifical University of Science and Faith in Rome.

Under BBVpublishing.com, Bill published the historical novel, Upper Room, The Way: 33AD to 57AD, the first of a trilogy, which follows Jesus’ Shroud from Jerusalem to Italy today. All net proceeds are donated to charitable causes.

Presentation Summary

Due to environmental changes in our climate, science has been able to acquire additional data that propels us toward a more realistic estimate of dates and times for when Jesus was crucified. This discourse will present a collaboration between historical weather conditions such as relative temperatures, conditions on the ground, locations for the celestial bodies, with current weather physics, to match pre-recorded prophecies along with accounts of recorded conditions that took place at the time of the scene. Documented both by apostles and secular historians.

Additionally, new data from various studies, illuminate previous research on solar events, palynology, historical political time frames, Jewish calendar of religious events, dust storms of seismic origin, and civil twilight for telling time. One supporting factor will be data from research that cites earthquake parameters and data derived from archeologists studying geological formations in newly exposed layers of the Dead Sea. By incorporating research from disciplines such as environmental psychology, and understanding human behavior in relationship to time, we can establish key components for elements of events that are relevant to the Shroud of Turin.

Dr. Gilbert Lavoie

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Dr. Gilbert Lavoie

Bio

GILBERT R. LAVOIE, M.D. is a specialist in internal medicine, and occupational medicine. His latest book, The Shroud of Jesus and the Sign John Ingeniously Concealed was published in 2023 by Sophia Institute Press. In 2019, Dr. Lavoie and Tom D’Muhala completed the organization of the photo collection of Vernon Miller, the official scientific photographer of the 1978 Shroud of Turin Research Project. This collection is available worldwide on the internet at www.shroudphotos.com. Dr. Lavoie recently worked with the internationally known sculptor, Pablo Eduardo to produce a three-dimensional replica of the image of the man of the shroud. This exhibit is at Ave Maria University.

Learn more at Shroudstudies.org

Presentation Summary

A Medical and Scriptural Study of the Shroud of Turin: What does this all mean?

First, this paper presents empirical medical forensic data. This visual data establishes that the body of the man of the shroud was in three positions. Second, by placing these medical conclusions into the life of Jesus, a door is opened into new insights as to what John, the eyewitness, had written. This is John’s story, and it is only through his eyewitness of what he heard and saw that we can come to understand the meaning of the image of the man of the shroud. It all has to do with the sign that John ingeniously concealed. This will be discussed in detail.

Prof. Alessandro Malantrucco

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Prof. Alessandro Malantrucco

Bio

I was born and live in Rome, Italy. My qualifications: Baccalaureate in Philosophy and Theology, Licentiate and Doctorate in Spiritual Theology at Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. I teach Catholic Religion since 1994, since 2004 at Liceo Scientifico Statale “Vito Volterra” in Ciampino. I have dealt with the Shroud since 1979 in Roman Centre of Sindonology. I collaborated in the research of my father, Dr. Luigi Malantrucco, on physical causes of Jesus’ death based on Gospels and Shroud. I was a speaker at conferences in Orvieto in 2000 and Paris in 2002, and contributed to a study
in Dallas in 2005. I have published several theological studies on the Shroud.

Presentation Summary

The experience of Jesus’ death according to the Gospels and the Shroud.

The historical and human fact: from physical and psychological to spiritual dimensions.

Part of a research on the physical and psychological experience of Jesus’ death from a theological-spiritual perspective, based on the Gospels and the Shroud as documents, is presented. The approach is that of complexity epistemology and the methodology is transdisciplinary. The convergences that emerge from comparing data from the Passion narratives and other biblical texts with those detectable from the Shroud will be shown. The focus will be on Jesus’ physical suffering, causes of death, consciousness and emotions. An application created by students of the “Vito Volterra” High School in Ciampino, Italy, will also be presented, which aims to provide the scholarly community with a database of data and information on the Shroud.

Fr. Peter Mangum

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Fr. Peter Mangum

Bio

Very Rev. Peter B. Mangum is the pastor of Jesus the Good Shepherd Church in Monroe, Louisiana and is co-host of the 36 episode podcast, Who is the Man of the Shroud? His research in the Vatican Secret Archives has been published for international journals and conferences and he is honored to work closely with the Center for the International Study of the Shroud in Turin. This collaboration has fostered significant transatlantic initiatives for Shroud education. With Dr. Cheryl White, he curates the Richard Orareo Collection of rare artworks and artifacts related to the devotional history of the Shroud.

Father Mangum speaks to a variety of groups, including Catholic seminaries, seeing the Shroud as the most important tool of evangelization. Recent public talks include the Museum of the Bible, the Smithsonian Institution, and a major event for the Archdiocese of New York at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He also presented at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis on the topic of the Shroud of Turin. Father Mangum serves as the Episcopal Delegate for the Cause of Canonization and Beatification for the five Servants of God known as the Shreveport Martyrs. He features in The Five Priests, an award-winning documentary on EWTN and global streaming platforms, as well as in a forthcoming EWTN documentary on the Shroud of Turin.

Presentation Summary

Devotion: The House of Savoy and the Mirror of the Gospels

Emanuela Marinelli

Shroud Encounter

Video Presentation

Emanuela Marinelli

Bio

Emanuela Marinelli has degrees in Natural and Geological Sciences. He is a visiting professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome.

She has given lectures and has written articles; among these, of notable importance is Radiocarbon dating of the Turin Shroud: new evidence from raw data, with T.Casabianca et al., published on Archaeometry (2019). She took part in various conferences and telecasts. She wrote twenty-three books.

She received the gold medal of merit of Catholic culture, the international peace prize “Saint Paul VI Pope” and the honor of knight of the order of merit of the Italian Republic.

Presentation Summary

Contemplating the Shroud

by Emanuela Marinelli and Domenico Repice

In front of the empty shroud, John saw and believed. For more than 2,000 years, the tortured body and swollen face of the Man of the Shroud have moved and questioned. The video presents the pronouncements and spiritual thoughts with which many popes, bishops, saints, intellectuals and pilgrims have placed themselves in front of the Holy Linen, expressing their devotion with touching reflections. They have recognized in the Shroud an essential link with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in a path based on historical and scientific foundations. In this video, reason and faith merge, offering an original and precious tool on the mystery and meaning of the presence of the Shroud among us.

Joe Marino

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Joe Marino

Bio

Joseph Marino has a B.A. in Theological Studies from St. Louis University. He has researched, written and lectured extensively on the Shroud since 1977. He is retired from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, where he worked in the library system.

He has attended and lectured at numerous international Shroud conferences. He has authored two Shroud books, including an eight-hundred-page work on the controversial 1988 dating. He has also authored over one hundred Shroud articles. He has appeared on numerous TV programs, radio programs and podcasts.

He was on the board of the Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association (STERA) founded by the late Barrie Schwortz. After the sad passing of Schwortz, he took over as editor of www.shroud.com and much of the administration of STERA.

Presentation Summary

A Report on the Current Status of the Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association (STERA)

In 1996, the late Barrie Schwortz, the Documenting Photographer for the Shroud of Turin Research Project (STURP), founded [http://www.shroud.com,]http://www.shroud.com, which has grown to become the most extensive and thorough Shroud site in the world. In 2009, Barrie founded Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association (STERA), to which he donated the site and his other Shroud materials, which also includes the collections of multiple prominent researchers. This presentation will report on the present state of shroud.com and STERA, and a vision that the STERA board of directors has for the future.

Jack Markwardt

Shroud Encounter

Featured Speaker

Jack Markwardt

Bio

Jack Markwardt attended Rutgers University and, at Albany Law School, he edited the Law Review and received his Juris Doctor degree cum laude. While practicing law, he researched and authored many Shroud papers which he presented to international Shroud symposia. He has appeared on numerous Shroud-related broadcasts and, in 2021, he published The Hidden History of the Shroud of Turin, a book detailing the history of the Shroud from the time when it covered Jesus’ crucified body in his tomb to its acquisition by the House of Savoy in the middle of the fifteenth century.

Presentation Summary

1) In Defense of Sindonology
An assessment of the nature and purpose of sindonology, a
summary of its history and achievements, a response to charges
recently preferred against it, and a demonstration that it has
been, and is, concerned with only the academic study of the
Shroud of Turin.

2) A Historical Text Which Establishes the Tenth-Century
Existence of the Shroud of Turin
Presentation of historical evidence which establishes that
the Shroud of Turin existed in the tenth century, thereby both
supporting the case for the relic’s authenticity and repudiating its
1988 radiocarbon-dating to the period of 1260-1390.

Dr. Thomas J. McAvoy

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Dr. Thomas J. McAvoy

Bio

Tom Mc Avoy received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in 1961. He received a Ph. D. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University in 1964. He taught chemical engineering for 40 years, first at the University of Massachusetts (1964-1980) and then at the University of Maryland (1980-2004). Tom is currently Professor Emeritus in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department at the University of Maryland. He has published over 200 scientific papers. These publications include three papers in refereed journals, and one conference paper on his research on the ultraviolet induced fluorescence images of the Shroud taken by STURP photographer Vern Miller.

Presentation Summary

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Analysis of the Ultraviolet Fluorescence of the Shroud of Turin

STURP photographer Vern Miller took ultraviolet (UV) induced fluorescence photos of the Shroud in 1978, and in 2021 a color corrected set of Miller’s photographs was published. In 2023 spectral fluorescence data, reconstructed from Gilbert and Gilbert’s Shroud study, were published. In this presentation the AI statistical technique principal component analysis is used to reveal information contained in the fluorescence photos and data. The UV photos plus the spectral fluorescence data show that fluorescence intensity varies with location on the Shroud. This variation indicates that the molecular structure of the Shroud’s linen also varies with location. Exposure to radiation, including neutron radiation, is one potential cause of the variation.

Pam McCue

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Pam McCue

Bio

Pam McCue is focused on the science and wonder of the Shroud of Turin. She began researching the Shroud intensely in 2014, after she retired as a senior executive in the DoD. Pam has Bachelor and Master’s degrees in electrical engineering, with 30-years of experience in defense science and technology.

Pam has presented the Shroud to groups at churches, schools, retreats, and public venues. She developed a mobile display and now displays the Othonia exhibit. She works closely with Othonia and supports the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit as they develop a permanent exhibit in Washington, DC.

Presentation Summary

The Science and Wonder of the Shroud of Turin

This talk summarizes the research and particularly the science of the Shroud to show the substance and WONDER and of it. Major topics include an introduction to the Shroud, the wounds on the Man of the Shroud and how they relate to Jesus, evidence of the Shroud through history and geography, and especially science of the inexplicable image. Expect to be amazed by what we know of the Shroud of Turin, the most studied object in history.

Pam Moon

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Pam Moon

Bio

Pam Moon has a mixed background! Her first degree was in English and History; she trained and worked as a nurse, has an MSC in Health Studies and then received theological education at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford (1998-2001).

She raised her family and worked in the parish alongside her husband, Phil, an Anglican priest. In 2008, she created the Shroud of Turin Exhibition, which features Barrie Schwortz’s life-sized replicas.

The exhibition uses the Holy Shroud as the visual aid to tell the Gospel story of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Pam, and those who have supported the work, have been blessed to show the exhibition in multiple different venues. It is scheduled to be at St. George’s R.C. Cathedral, London this Lent: 12th March – 21st April 2025.

Presentation Summary

The Folding and Blood Flow patterns on the Shroud of Turin; Their Historical, Medical and Spiritual Significance

The presentation at St. Louis will look at the background fire, water and crease changes to the Holy Shroud material and attempt to provide specific historical dates and explanations. This includes a brief examination of the changes to the radiocarbon date corner. On its journey from Jerusalem to Turin, the Holy Shroud influenced many people and Pam will offer evidence for this in the lives of Byzantine emperors (Justinian I, Romanos I, Constantine VII, Michael IV and Zoe Porphyrogenita) and the European rulers (Vladimir the Great, Anna Porphyrogenita, Olaf I, Harald Hardrada and Harold II).

The second half of the presentation will explore the blood flow patterns on the Shroud and what they teach about the wounds Christ suffered: the right cheek, the number 3 blood flow, the scourging, the hands and the position of the arms, the feet, both ventral and dorsal, and the spear wound. This will lead to an exploration of the methodology of crucifixion together with Biblical insights into the spiritual meanings behind the wounds.

Giuseppe Nardoni

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Giuseppe Nardoni

Bio

Nardoni Giuseppe
(Education electrotechnical engineer)
from 1960 to 1990
Research and Quality director of materials and diagnostic laboratory of ATB
Brescia (Italy) e manufacturer of petrolchemical and nuclear components.
Experience in high energy radiations-Betatron (Germany) an linear accelerators
Palo Alto – USA.
Research papers on diagnostics technology experience presented at National and
International conference. Actual Director of the Italian Journal Non-Destructive
Testing.
1991 upt do day President of I&T Nardoni Institute, company involved in advanced
in diagnostic technologies.
Appointment:
1978 founder and thirst President of the Italian Society for Non-Destructive
Testing.
1996-2008 President of ICNDT (International Committee for Non- Destructive
Testing).
2010-2020 Founder and President of Academia NDT International.
Shroud dedication interest
1978 Collaboration with STRUP team for radiography examination
1982 Organized Conference in Rome of Shroud with my professor Bollone
2015 Conference in Brescia of blood analysis of Shroud
2024 Workshop in Brescia on authenticity of the Shroud; in by author Robert Rucker

Presentation Summary

Quantistic Physics Model, Key Factor to Confirm the Shroud Is the Linen Cloth That Covered Jesus in the Tomb

A – Introduction to the quantistic model
e scienti c research made by STURP scientists directly on the Shroud during 6 days have
discovered three fundamental principles to support the quantistic model on the image formation
as indicated.
1. The density of the linen cloth from white-yellow-brown is proportional with the distance
body-Shroud; near contact brown, far yellow-white.
2. All the brilless have the same yellow colour; the contrast of brown colour is produced by
the over position each-others of the single yellow brilles
3. The density of the image is produced by the discoloration of the brilles
A simulation of this model has been produced

Mark Niyr

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Mark Niyr

Bio

Mark made his commitment to Messiah at age 18 after viewing a Billy Graham Crusade lecture from television.

After graduating from LBCC with a 4.5 GPA, Mark embarked on a career as a computer programmer/systems analyst for a large pharmaceutical company. Mark also attended a missionary training school to prepare for an outreach to Mexico.

Mark is of Jewish ancestry. As a Messianic Jew, Mark currently attends two Messianic Jewish congregations alternating between them every other sabbath.

During his twenties, Mark wrote his first manuscript delineating Jewish typology concerning the Messiah found within Tanakh (i.e. the Jewish scriptures). It has 200 pages.

During the year 2020, Mark published his first book. It is titled The Turin Shroud: Physical Evidence of Life After Death? (With Insights from a Jewish Perspective). The book has 222 pages and 287 notes of reference documenting every fact carefully delineated in the book. The book has become an Amazon.com best seller with a 4.5 out of the highest possible 5.0 rating. An abridged version of the book has also been published. It is titled: Excerpts From The Turin Shroud: Physical Evidence of Life After Death?

Mark also appeared on podcast video dialog to provide insights about the Shroud, and has written various other papers about the Shroud.

Mark plays guitar. In the past he performed with a band called The Nervous System for Friday night dances.

Another major passion was baseball. During high school Mark was the cleanup hitter on a team with a team leading .316 batting average while playing at Blair Field stadium (3,000 seat capacity)—the Spring training home stadium for the LA Dodgers and Angels. Our pitcher was Dave Frost, an eventual starting pitcher for the L.A. Angels.

Presentation Summary

The Jewish perspective lays the very foundation of the Bible itself. With this presentation we may gain insights and with a new and better understanding of the Shroud of Turin. The Jewish perspective provides answers to questions and may furthermore proffer surprising and inspirational insights from the hand of God.

Everything God does is mastered with precision and inspiration. With the Shroud of Turin we see God’s direct intervention pertaining to what ranks as potentially the most eminent event of all of human history. But key insights to this glorious handiwork may be hidden or misunderstood without the Jewish perspective.

Teddi Pappas

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Teddi Pappas

Bio

Theodora (“Teddi”) A. Pappas, J.D., is a criminal defense lawyer who earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, with a minor in History, from the University of Texas at Austin in 1991, and she earned her law degree from the University of Memphis in 1994. Teddi first learned about the Holy Shroud when she was around the age of 15 when she read the book by STURP team member Dr. Kenneth Stevenson and Dr. Gary Habermas called, “Verdict on the Shroud.” She has been fascinated by the Holy Shroud ever since. Over the decades, she would periodically do some light research concerning the Holy Shroud, however she has been intensely studying a vast array of subjects concerning the Holy Shroud for the past 4.5 years. She is both a member and a moderator for both the international Shroud Science Group as well as Shroud Science Group 1–both of which are owned by Professor Giulio Fanti of the University of Padua. She has been working on writing a book concerning the Holy Shroud for the book series by Professor Fanti on Christian Relics and Phenomena. Additionally, she is a board member with the Sign From God organization and an expert advisor for the exhibit team concerning the putting a permanent Holy Shroud exhibit in Washington, D.C. She has appeared on many podcasts discussing various matters concerning the Holy Shroud, and she has offered a lot of public commentary on several websites concerning Holy Shroud matters. Most recently, she published two papers–the most recent one being in a peer-reviewed medical journal and on the topic of the evidence for rigor mortis and cadaveric spasm on the Holy Shroud.

Presentation Summary

Follow the Evidence: The Turin Shroud’s Ultimate Confirmation of Jesus of Nazareth’s Divinity

The paper will discuss how we have evidence and arguments that can and should give us confidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead and is God. The evidence will include the Holy Shroud, but is not limited to it. However, this other evidence will provide context for, as well as strengthen, the arguments that the body images on the Holy Shroud were produced by a supernatural image formation process.

Massimo Paris

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Massimo Paris

Bio

Massimo Paris, of Broomall, PA, was born and raised in Rome, Italy. For over three decades he has studied, conducted research, and visited sites related to the Shroud. He went to Turin for the exhibition of the year 2000 and venerated it personally.

Massimo has lectured about the Holy Shroud of Turin, the Tilma with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Eucharistic Miracles, as well as other religious topics. Over the years, his research has been extended to artistic symbolism and theology of these subjects, which he shares through beautiful teachings, reflections, and meditations. Massimo’s academic education includes the study of Medicine and during his professional career as a certified tour guide, he also extensively studied archaeology, history of art, and languages. His passions took him to constantly deepening the study of theology, philosophy, and metaphysics, as well as many other areas of interest.

Presentation Summary

The Calvary, the Tomb of Christ and the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher – 2000 Years of History, Archaeology, Art, and Witnesses’ Accounts

In the first century AD, the locations of the rock of Calvary and of the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea were at two opposite edges, eastern and western respectively, of a quarry of stone which had been in use from the VII to the I century BC. At the time of Christ the bottom of the quarry had been transformed into an orchard, and some tombs had been excavated into the stone walls of the same quarry; the rock of Calvary was a small hill of stone which had not been quarried because of lesser quality (this explains John 19:41-42). Around the year 135 AD the emperor Hadrian, with the desire of deleting any memory of Christianity in Jerusalem, ordered that a platform had to be constructed on top of Calvary and the tomb in which Christ had been laid to rest, so that the two structures were buried under it; the emperor also ordered a temple bo be erected on the platform. The emperor Constantine, in 330 AD, mandated that the temple had to be demolished and a complex including the Rotunda of the Anastasis (Resurrection), the Triportico, and the Martyrium Basilica were to be built in its place. That was the beginning of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher which, although destroyed and reconstructed at least twice, still is in existence today.

Jason Pearson

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Jason Pearson

Bio

Jason Pearson is currently co-developing the immersive exhibit experience for “The Resurrection, Through the Shroud of Turin” at Christ Cathedral in Orange County, a groundbreaking museum installation opening in 2025. As an active member of the Southern California Shroud Center, Pearson brings extensive museum experience from interactive development projects at prestigious institutions including the Getty Center, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and the Mercedes-Benz Heritage Center. He served as co-producer of the 2024 documentary “The Shroud: Face-to-Face” and has contributed to over 81 Hollywood productions, including The Passion of the Christ, The Chronicles of Narnia, Reagan, and Ben-Hur. A multifaceted creative strategist and writer, Pearson began his career in the music industry creating album art for David Bowie, Miles Davis, and Aphex Twin before co-founding Blender Magazine, which became the first digital publication to be archived by the Smithsonian and Victoria & Albert Museums’ permanent collections. Pearson also founded Online Giving, a fundraising technology platform acquired by Sequoia Capital-backed Starwire, and recently established FiveHive Studios. Jason just celebrated his 30th anniversary to Melinda and together they have five children including triplets.

Presentation Summary

The Resurrection Through the Shroud of Jesus

Learn how a new immersive Shroud museum experience opening later this year at the Christ in Orange County will tell the story of the Shroud and the Resurrection in new ways bridging cultural and generation divides.

This three-part presentation series offers attendees intimate access to the strategic thinking, creative process, and ambitious vision behind this multi-room immersive experience designed to engage over one million visitors in five years. The talks will reveal how the development team approached the complex challenge of creating a world-class museum encounter that simultaneously serves devout pilgrims, curious skeptics, and casual cultural tourists through cutting-edge 360-degree projection technology, interactive displays, and enhanced storytelling.

From audience segmentation research that identified distinct visitor motivations to the technical innovations enabling virtual time travel through ancient Isreal, these presentations will demonstrate how immersive technology can transform sacred artifacts into transformational experiences. Attendees will discover the pedagogical strategies behind converting brief museum visits into lasting spiritual encounters, the design principles that guided the creation of virtual sanctuaries within physical spaces, and the ambitious goal of reaching individuals who may never have encountered the story of Jesus and the resurrection. This behind-the-scenes exploration reveals how the intersection of faith, science, and digital innovation is creating new possibilities for education and evangelization in the 21st century.

Dr. Pedro Peinado

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Dr. Pedro Peinado

Bio

– Member of EDICES (Research Team of the Spanish Centre of Sindonology)

– Responsible for EDICES data analysis in the study of Soudarion and Soudarion-Soudarion correlation.

– PhD student at the University of Oviedo. Thesis on the mathematical structure modelled in the Oviedo Shroud of Oviedo.

– PhD in Educational Technology. University of Murcia. University of Murcia (2018)

– Degree in Business Administration and Management. University of Murcia (2003)

– Master MBA. Murcia Business School (2003)

– Official Master’s Degree in Elearning and Social Networks. International University of La Rioja (2013)

– Mathematics and Research Methodology Teacher. IES Los Albares (Cieza)

– Giner de los Ríos National Award for Educational Quality. Secondary Education, Scientific-Technical Area with the project ‘Planting numbers’. Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (Spain) and BBVA Foundation, 2017.

Presentation Summary

Mathematical correlation of potentially duplicated surfaces in Turin Shroud and Oviedo Soudarion

Blood stains have been identified, both in Síndone and Sudarium, potentially originating from the same staining points, as they are located in similar anatomical positions.

In a first phase, the relative distances, linear and angular, were measured between 16 points, 8 on the front of the head and 8 on the nape of the neck.

Correlations were obtained with different indexes: Pearson, Spearman and Kendal with strong and very strong values.

When analyzed in the light of the methodology adapted on the basis of lophoscopy, a science that studies the papillary ridges for identification purposes, it is concluded that both cloths wrapped the same head, according to practically all the judicial systems in the world.

Three-dimensional modeling of punctiform wounds in Oviedo Soudarion and their complementary ones in the Turin Shroud.

A mathematical model has been developed in two phases:

The first one, the parabolic modelling in the plane of the punctiform wounds (33) of the Oviedo Soudarion, belonging in hypothesis to wounds of a crown of thorns. In addition, 16 points were taken on the forehead of the Turin Shourd.

In the second phase, they were extrapolated to space by estimating the third coordinate of each selected point, thus generating a three-dimensional cloud of 49 points.

In addition to the three-dimensional modelling of the wounds, obtained by merging the points of the Shroud and the Soudarion, it is noteworthy that the dimensions of this model in space coincide with the anatomical measurements of the head in both cloths, obtained by our team, with a negligible error.

Mike Pietrzyk

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Mike Pietrzyk

Bio

Married to Pam Pietrzyk for 54 years. Live in Vinton Virginia. I have been reading the Bible daily for 50 years. Retired from a successful venture in the Restaurant Business of 50 years.

Written 2 books:

1+1= God. A confirmation on why I believe what I believe.
Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life. Atheism is the Lost, Lie and Death. A direct challenge to the atheist belief.

I had a real supernatural experience in which my Angel spoke to me in a loud voice with a warning on what was going to happen and what I needed to do. I included this supernatural experience in my books.

I was led to learn about the Shroud in 2018. I reached out to shroud .com regarding questions and Barrie Schwortz responded. Over the following years I developed a personal relationship with Barrie as he helped me to understand specifics of the Shroud.

I read 5 books on the Shroud of Turin. I spent hundred of hours researching many videos on the Shroud. Of course, I viewed so many videos with Barrie.

Virginia Catholic regional newspaper did a front-page story on me and my presentations on the Shroud in April 2024.

From 2022 to 2024 I have given 30 Shroud presentations. This includes return visits for Shroud presentations to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. So, I Guess I am an “International Speaker”.

It looks like by May 2025; I will have given 10 more presentations for total of 40 presentations. Interesting note is that all 40 Shroud Presentations have been at no cost. The message is more important.

Presentation Summary

Barrie Schwortz is saving souls through my presentation

Developing a personal relationship with Barrie Schwortz.
Realizing the validity of the Shroud of Turin through Barrie’s testimony and videos.
Shroud of Turin is a tool to help people understand how much Jesus loves them.
My personal research of the Shroud.
Formatting my Shroud presentation, so the audience has some perception of the mysteries of science and the physical abuse the man endured.
I desire to give as many Shroud presentations so people can open their hearts to Jesus.
Barrie’s work, research and slides provide the means for me to give presentations on the love Jesus has for them.

Guy Powell

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Guy Powell

Bio

Guy R. Powell is a marketer, historian, Christian, and author of The Only Witness: A History on the Shroud of Turin, a historical fiction novel on the history of the Shroud of Turin. The Shroud of Turin, one of the most debated religious relics, is central to Powell’s research, which spans 20 years. His focus, especially over the past five years, has been on the history of the Shroud following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Powell enjoys speaking on the Shroud’s connection to the Gospels and its significance in Christian history, exploring both scientific and faith-based perspectives.

Presentation Summary

Tracing the Origins: The Evidence for Influence of the Shroud of Turin on Medieval Christian Art
This paper explores the hypothesis that the Shroud of Turin influenced medieval Christian depictions of Christ. By analyzing various Christ Pantocrator and other depictions from before the 14th century, the paper presents evidence suggesting that the Shroud predated the medieval period and served as a model for these depictions, despite the 1988 radiocarbon dating indicating a medieval origin (AD 1260 to AD 1390) for the Shroud.

Tracing the Origins: The Evidence of the Tradition of the Mandylion Through Analysis of Medieval Christian Art
This paper examines the tradition of the cloth and related images now known as the Mandylion. Throughout the ages it has been a venerated image of Christ’s face, possibly distinct from the Shroud of Turin, highlighting its portrayal in medieval Christian art. Through historical accounts and art analysis and contrasting it with the Holy Shroud it explores the Mandylion’s possible origins, traditions, and its journey from Edessa to Constantinople and possibly further. The study concludes that despite shared features and historical conflations, the Mandylion and the Shroud are, with a high probability, separate cloths with unique iconographic identities. It also concludes with a low probability that the Mandylion is an acheiropoieton made by Jesus as tradition espouses.

Keith Propp Ph.D.

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Keith Propp Ph.D.

Bio

Dr. Keith Propp holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Kansas, specializing in space plasmas and computational physics. He has supported research at the Turin Shroud Center of Colorado and served as logistical director for the American Confraternity of the Holy Shroud. A longtime collaborator of Dr. John Jackson, he has studied the Shroud of Turin and other relics, participating in multiple scientific examinations. An expert in computer simulations and radiation transport physics, he contributed to U.S. military research. He has coauthored numerous studies and helped design experimental apparatus, including for crucifixion research.

Presentation Summary

The Sudarium of Oviedo —- A Revamped Perspective

Utilizing established observations, photography in particular, a new analysis of the use of the cloth in the transport of the body from Crucifixion to the Tomb suggests a source of the cloth and exposes significant correlations with the crucified body evidenced by the Shroud of Turin.

Al Reed

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Al Reed

Bio

I graduated from General Motors Institute(Flint, Michigan) in 1973 with a degree of Bachelors of Industrial Engineering. When I graduated I continued to work (Detroit, Michigan) for General Motors, most often doing plant layout and production machine design. In the 1970’s and early 1980’s I was part of the Fisher Body Division of General Motors.

The company reorganized and I was transferred to Saturn. I relocated to Tennessee as I helped design the brand new assembly plant. I was “retired” in 2001 as the Saturn Division was not making money. I have worked as a delivery driver since then. In 2024 I retired completely.

While I was beginning my senior year in 1971, I became a Christian while alone in my dormitory room. I have been a changed person ever since. I have studied the Bible and other Christian books carefully. In 1975 I was able to make a tour of Israel. In 2015 I was to travel to Italy with a group led by Dr. John Jackson. Our group saw the Shroud and Dr. Jackson gave us several classes.

I also have written a book “King Edgar: A Life of Regret” finished in 2015. Our family had toured Scotland and found that ancestors of my wife traveled this man Edgar who was briefly named king of England in 1066.

My wife is Barbara, we married in 1979. Our two children are a son Eric and a daughter Kirsten. Our son is married and has nine children, while Kirsten is engaged.

Presentation Summary

My feeling is that my presentation is already more complete than any other presentation that I have seen to date. When I began to study the

Shroud in 2015 it was immediately clear to me that this Shroud came from Christ. I could identify miracles so in the presentation I name five miracles on the Shroud. I have put these in a countdown sequence. Since I have been to Jerusalem I have re-illustrated the crucifixion, entombment, and resurrection sequence. I offer two ways of proving the authenticity of the Shroud. The conclusion of the presentation offers the meaning of the Shroud.

I also have a Questions and Answers presentation which covers open items and details. The Recommendations presentation is where I offer my thoughts on what direction continuing Shroud research should proceed. I would recommend that these two presentations follow the main presentation for the audience at the conference.

Fr. Domenico Repice

Shroud Encounter

Video Presentation

Fr. Domenico Repice

Bio

Fr. Domenico Repice, Catholic priest, obtained the License in Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, where he is completing a PhD on the relationship between the Holy Shroud and the theology of the image. He is co-founder of the associations In Novitate Radix, (www.innovitateradix.it) and Amici Romani della Sindone. He organized many conventions about the Holy Shroud. He published several articles and the book Quattro percorsi accanto alla Sindone.

Presentation Summary

Contemplating the Shroud

by Emanuela Marinelli and Domenico Repice

Bob Rucker

Shroud Encounter

Featured Speaker

Bob Rucker

Bio

Robert A. Rucker (Bob) earned an M.S. degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan, and professional engineering (PE) certificates in nuclear engineering and in mechanical engineering. He worked for 38 years in the nuclear industry performing nuclear analysis computer calculations for design of nuclear reactors, criticality safety analysis, and statistical analysis of experimental measurements. Since 2013, Bob has been doing research and presentations on the Shroud of Turin. He has written 39 papers that are available on the research page of his website www.shroudresearch.net, including papers 33 and 34 to explain the carbon dating and image formation.

Presentation Summary

“The VCRB Hypothesis to Explain the Image Formation and Carbon Dating”

The Vertically Collimated Radiation Burst (VCRB) hypothesis was developed by identifying 27 evidences related to images, then following this evidence where it led. The resulting hypothesis is consistent with the evidence related to the images, makes predictions that are testable and falsifiable, and can explain multiple mysteries of the Shroud. This hypothesis proposes that a radiation burst from the body caused a high frequency alternating current in the fibers that caused the discoloration on the fibers that caused the images. This radiation burst included neutrons that produced new C-14 on the cloth which shifted the carbon date in the forward direction.

Larry Stalley

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Larry Stalley

Bio

Bio: Larry Stalley served the Church as a teaching pastor for 44 years. As a Bible exegete and theologian, he has written extensively concerning cryptic references to the Shroud in the New Testament.

At this Conference he will be speaking on two cryptic texts that bear witness to the existence of the Turin Shroud during the period of the Apostolic Church.

His recently published book provides exegeses for cryptic references to the Shroud by no less than four canonical authors: Divine Testimony for the Resurrection: Hidden References to the Holy Shroud in the Bible, volume 7 in the Shroud series edited by Giulio Fanti and published by Jenny Stanford out of Singapore.

Presentation Summary

Why the Image on the Shroud is “the Sign of Jonah” Jesus Promised

The identity of “the sign of Jonah” has remained a puzzle for centuries. This exegetical paper reveals how the solution is not difficult to discern once the correct questions are asked. Answering those questions reveals how the image on the Turin Shroud is the probable solution to this typological metaphor and, thereby, validates the Cloth’s existence within the early Church of the first century.

Can I Get a Witness? The Image on the Shroud as “The Testimony that God Testified Concerning His Son” – 1 John 5:4-13

Perhaps the most enigmatic passage in the entire New Testament is the one associated with the Apostle John’s cryptic riddle: “This is the One who came by water and blood…” (1^st John 5:6a). What did the Apostle mean? Why is he so cryptic throughout the verses that follow? How has his statement been understood by interpreters historically? This presentation will address those questions. An in-depth exegesis will reveal why the most plausible solution to this puzzling passage lies with the Holy Shroud and its miraculous image!

William West

Shroud Encounter

Video Presentation

William West

Bio

William West has been a journalist for 50 years. He worked for 18 years on the national newspaper, The Australian, in positions including legal writer and higher-education editor.

He was the publisher of Australia’s first online news magazine, The Australian Observer, the founding editor of Education Review and has been an editor and journalist on several other national and international publications.

He has written three books about the Shroud: Riddles of the Shroud: Questions Science Can’t Answer; The Shroud Rises, As The Carbon Date Is Buried; and The Shroud Puzzle Solved: How You Can Be Sure It Is Jesus.

Presentation Summary

Reaching out to the media: Suggestions on how to spread the truth about the Shroud

One of the great strengths of the Shroud of Turin is the astonishing amount of scientific research that has been carried out on it – but all this research can also be one of the Shroud’s weaknesses. When it comes to spreading the truth about the Shroud, it is extremely difficult to escape the ongoing conversation that is dominated by scientists. One of the problems is that anyone who seeks to spread the facts about the Shroud is under pressure to demonstrate to scientists that they have a grasp of the enormous body of evidence that has earned the Shroud the reputation of being the most researched artefact in history. The other problem is that the vast percentage of “ordinary people” did not study science beyond the age of 16. My first attempt at providing an easy-to-follow introduction to the Shroud – Riddles of the Shroud: Questions Science Can’t Answer – was well received, but I thought I could do better. My second attempt: The Shroud Rises, as the Carbon Date is Buried, was better, but even now, I feel the truth can be made even clearer, in a way that can be easily grasped by all ages. This talk seeks to share some basic ideas on how we can all do better.

Cheryl White Ph.D.

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Cheryl White Ph.D.

Bio

Cheryl H. White, Ph.D. is a professor of history at Louisiana State University at Shreveport, where she holds the endowed Hubert Humphreys Professorship. She serves on the board of directors of the Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association (STERA), and has published original research from the Vatican Secret Archives related to the history of the Shroud. Dr. White served as the historical consultant on the Shroud of Turin exhibit developed for the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., and has given several presentations there. She is a frequent guest lecturer for the Smithsonian Institution. Her most recent Shroud presentations include World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal and the National Eucharistic Congress last summer. She is a regular commentator for programming on The History Channel and features in an EWTN Shroud documentary.

Presentation Summary

The Shroud of Turin and the Royal House of Savoy
For over 500 years, the House of Savoy was owner and primary custodian of the Shroud of Turin. As a religious relic of primary importance in the Christian faith, this distinction offered more than prestige. It provided future scholars with a documented history that transects the spiritual and secular realms.

Janis Winchester

Shroud Encounter

Guest Speaker

Janis Winchester

Bio

Janis recently received a graduate certificate from the year-long Rome Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, Science and Faith Institute, in Shroud Studies.

She attended the 2014 International Conference on the Shroud of Turin, in St. Louis MO. Presented information about the Shroud of Turin at the 2019 International Shroud Conference, Redeemer University, Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. The 2017 International Conference on the Shroud of Turin, Pasco, WA. And, the 2018 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Janis is a Forensic Scientist (retired), with over 38 years in law enforcement working in the Crime Lab, Inspector General’s Office, and Training for Law Enforcement. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, American Society of Questioned Document Examiners, and International Association for Identification. She has a BA from the University of Florida and an MS from the Florida State University. Janis has traveled extensively to study about the Shroud of Turin.

Presentation Summary

Digital Imaging – More Evidence that the Shroud of Turin Is Authentic – You Decide!

Three areas of research conducted by the author confirm significant findings about the Shroud of Turin. First, the use of digital imaging software furthers the work of Dr. Petrus Soons, of an object detected under the chin of the Man of the Shroud. Second, the use of photographs of the Shroud of Turin compared with images taken of the original Sudarium of Oviedo confirms the findings by the EDICES, that the coincidence of the two were at one time used on the same person. Third, the research on the analogue VP-8 Image Analyzer and oscilloscope, support the evidence for the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin for the wounds of the Passion and Crucifixion as compared with the historical and biblical evidence. Additionally, the author has used four different VP-8 Image Analyzers and oscilloscopes, and each confirms the unique 3-Dimensionality of a photograph of the Shroud of Turin.

Evidence – the Shroud of Turin is Authentic – You Decide!

An analysis of the photos of the Shroud of Turin, the review of scientific tests, the travel to view, from a distance, the original Shroud in Turin, Italy, demonstrate the combination of overwhelming unique and significant identifying characteristics as evidence found on the Shroud, and the impression of the man who suffered a violent death, as a mirror image of the death of Jesus Christ.

The fields of both Science and Religion contribute to this analysis of the direct and indirect evidence, the visible and the invisible evidence, and the historical facts that contribute to the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin. Peace, you decide!