The Man of the Shroud: An encounter with Jesus is ‘a great love story’

By Wendy Shaw

Lone parishioners, extended family groups and hundreds of Catholic school students wandered in awe through ‘The Man of the Shroud’ exhibition as it toured Tasmania from 21 July to 21 August.

Visitors spoke of being profoundly moved by the display and of their fascination with the science, history and scripture linked to the Shroud of Turin, believed by some to be the burial cloth of Jesus.

The free exhibition, which includes a life-size replica of the shroud and crown of thorns, began a month-long tour of Tasmania at the Church of the Apostles in Launceston on 21 July. The exhibition concluded on 21 August at St Aloysius College, Huntingfield.

The Archdiocese of Hobart and Catholic Education Tasmania (CET) arranged for the exhibition to visit the state following the Australian Holy Shroud Conference in Sydney at the end of June.

The exhibition was compiled by Othonia, a lay apostolate of specialists from the Science and Faith Institute at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum in Rome. It is supported by Aid to the Church in Need, a pontifical charitable foundation of the Catholic Church.

CET’s Director of Catholic Identity and Evangelisation, Martin Tobin, was excited at the opportunity to share the biblical, historical and scientific elements of the shroud with a wider audience.

“The image on the shroud really corroborates with the Gospel account of the passion, crucifixion and resurrection of the person of Jesus,” he said.

“The science of the shroud is something that we are growing in a deeper understanding, as scientific methods improve, and that is of interest to people who may not necessarily have faith but are searching. Sometimes the doorway to that searching is through science.

“For those who are people of faith, it is my belief that it will strengthen their faith as they contemplate the image of the man of the shroud, [which] I personally believe is the burial cloth of Jesus. But the exhibition doesn’t coerce anybody into that. It just presents the evidence and says think about it for yourself.”

Alongside the fascinating research and data, Mr Tobin said the exhibition was also a rare opportunity to contemplate the face on the shroud.

“It really is a powerful thing to spend time in silence, gazing upon the face of the man of the shroud,” he said.

“For many, it is a real encounter with the person of Jesus and it is a great story of love. The image speaks of somebody who underwent great suffering, but our Christian belief is that great suffering is a great act of love – the greatest act of love, really.

“So that gives people hope too, and that is the connection to Aid to the Church in Need who are assisting persecuted Christians throughout the world.”

CET Catholic Identity and Evangelisation team member, Mary Weston, said the feedback received had been overwhelmingly positive.

“We’ve found that many students and teachers have come through even without a booking once they heard about it,” she said.

“It’s been really encouraging to see how the word about the exhibition has spread, as well as the level of engagement from everyone.

“Many people don’t think very much about the specific details of Jesus’ crucifixion and death.

“But because of that, this exhibition has generated a lot of interest – especially with students who don’t usually get to hear about the Passion of Christ in a lot of detail, and which for them usually gets relegated to something that happens around a holiday period,” she said.

Parishioner Cheryl Croker, of Whitemore, was among the first to see the exhibition.

“It’s very moving,” she said. “It reaffirms and brings to life what we know from the gospels.

“I hope many more people will take advantage of the opportunity to see it.”

Students from Sacred Heart Catholic Primary in Launceston were the first school to visit.

Grade 6 students Mia, 12, and Tillie, 11, were interested in the results of forensic studies on the shroud, and how evidence aligned with what is recorded of Jesus’ body after death.

Lachie, 11, commented on the ‘clear’ image of a face on the shroud and of the exhibits of the nails and helmet-like crown of thorns used in the crucifixion.

Lachie said: “I feel like Jesus IS the man in the shroud.”

Caitlyn and Raphaella, both 12, agreed that the exhibition provided compelling proof that Jesus was the man in the shroud.

Madeleine, 12, was interested to learn that the shroud is one of the most studied artifacts in the world.

Savannah, 11, from St Finn Barr’s Catholic School at Invermay, said the exhibition was very interesting while fellow SFB student Isla, 10, noted that the evidence suggested the person in the shroud had a crown of thorns on his head, just like Jesus.

Thomas, 12, said the science and scriptures aligned to suggest that this is the shroud of Jesus.

Zane, 12, found the exhibition interesting.

“There are only some people in Australia who get to see this exhibition and we are lucky to be among the first kids to see it,” he added.