ON SEPT. 8, BISHOP KEVIN VANN, accompanied by Bishop Timothy Freyer and Bishop Thanh Thai Nguyen, blessed the construction of a new Shroud of Turin museum that will be opening this fall at Christ Cathedral’s Richard H. Pickup Cultural Center.
The 10,000-square-foot museum, called “The Shroud of Turin: An Immersive Experience,” will feature up-to-date information about the Shroud, its history, scientific studies and more. Through 360-degree theaters, new sacred art and Shroud replicas, visitors will have a greater knowledge and appreciation of the storied artifact, which is purported to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ.
“The Shroud of Turin: An Immersive Experience” is being co-presented by the Diocese of Orange and Othonia, an international team of specialists exploring the mystery of the Shroud of Turin. Pre-sale tickets are on sale now for the museum, which opens to the public on Nov. 19. Visit ShroudExperience.com to learn more and follow the museum Instagram and Facebook.
The blessing was livestreamed and is available on the diocese’s YouTube account, @OrangeDiocese.
“This is going to be something like you’ve never experienced before … we truly believe this will answer, for many, many people: Who is the man of the Shroud?” said Terry McGaughan, president of the Resurrection Center at Christ Cathedral, the nonprofit that is running the privately funded museum.
“This will help young people connect the dots about our faith by looking through the lens of the Shroud,” added Nora Creech, Othonia’s North American president.
Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., who heads the Magis Center of Reason and Faith, gave a brief talk about the unique properties of the Shroud: how it contains real human blood, has no paint or dyes of any kind, depicts crucifixion wounds that match Gospel descriptions, can be carbon dated to 1st-century Jerusalem and even contains evidence of a radiation event. He called the Shroud of Turin “the most scientifically tested relic in the world,” one which offers enormous potential for evangelization.
“It’s got supernatural explanation, the power of the Resurrection just written all over it, and written into the Shroud,” Fr. Spitzer said. “Science is not contradicting it; it’s basically revealing it.”
Bishop Vann remarked how the Shroud of Turin, and by extension Christ Cathedral’s museum about it, “reminds us that yes, Jesus lived and died and rose, and yes, He is still with us … it’s an exhibition of faith.”