The Shroud shows what Jesus endured for our salvation
Nora Creech is a lecturer on the history, science, and pastoral implications of the Shroud of Turin, which many believe to be the burial cloth of Christ. Her educational background includes earning a Master of Arts degree in Faith and Culture from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, and completing a year-long course in Shroud studies offered online by the Pontifical University, Regina Apostolorum in Rome. She has consulted with a variety of organizations to develop and expand Shroud exhibits, is on the board of directors of the Shroud Center of Southern California, is a founding member of the National Holy Shroud Exhibit and is North American representative for Othonia, which promotes the Shroud around the globe.
Her current activities include working with the Shroud Center to present “The Holy Shroud, the Divine Mercy Image and Eucharistic Miracles” in the Christ Cathedral Arboretum at the Diocese of Orange’s Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove. Tickets to the April 6th event, which begins at 7:00pm, are free. Speakers at the event include Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, who will give a scientific presentation on the Shroud, and Adriana Acutis, the aunt of Blessed Carlo Acutis.
As Catholics prepare for Holy Week and the celebration of Easter, Mrs. Creech offered CWR readers an overview of the Shroud of Turin and its history, and how it can offer to us a better understanding and appreciation of the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ.
CWR: Please give us a brief overview of the Shroud of Turin.
Nora Creech: The Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth that is over 14 feet long and 3 feet wide. It has been conserved in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy since 1578, so that is why it is called “The Shroud of Turin”. It is blood-soaked, water-stained, burned and patched but most importantly, it holds the very mysterious image of a man who has been scourged, crowned with thorns, crucified and pierced in the side. It has been venerated for centuries as the actual burial cloth of Jesus.
The history of the Shroud before 1349 is a subject of great interest among scholars. There are various theories about how the Shroud came to be owned by a French knight in a small village in Northern France and historians are still piecing together the whole story. It is undisputed that the Shroud was put on public display in this small town before ownership was transferred to the powerful Savoy family. The Savoys eventually transferred the cloth to their new capital in Turin, Italy and it has been there ever since (except during a short time it was in hiding during World War II).
The Shroud was transferred to the person of the living pope in 1983—at the time it was Pope St. John Paul II—when the last king of Italy, the deposed King Umberto II, died. Today, the Shroud is owned by Pope Francis, but its custodian is the Archbishop of Turin.
