http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/faith_and_values/2016/03/04/0303-shroud-of-turin.html
church website:
http://stjameszanesville.diosohio.org
Church location:
(740) 453-9459
The church hosts 2 Shroud Encounter showings. The first, at 4 p.m. on March 12, will be followed by a reception and a small meal. The second, at 1 p.m. on March 13 will be preceded by an 11:30 a.m. lunch. Tickets, $20 for adults and $10 for children younger than 18, are limited. Reservations can be made by calling 740-453-9459.
But he is a believer.
Willmann, rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Zanesville, is among Christians who say the 14-foot linen piece likely is the shroud that covered Jesus' body before he was laid in a tomb more than 2,000 years ago.
"I really believe it's authentic, and that's inspiring," Willmann said. "We are all human creatures that look for proof of the existence of God, but God remains elusive. ... The shroud is one of those things that really makes us look hard."
Willmann's congregation will host a Shroud Encounter presentation this month to welcome the central Ohio community to the parish as it celebrates its 200th anniversary. "CSI Jerusalem: The Case of the Missing Body" offers 200 images in a big-screen presentation along with a life-size canvas replica of the shroud.
Presenter Russ Breault of Georgia leaves it up to each individual to determine what they believe.
"The question comes down to potential: This is either the most important artifact on the planet or it is the most ingenious fraud ever perpetrated," he said.
Breault has studied the shroud for more than 30 years and has viewed it three times in Turin, Italy, where it is housed. He said his mission is simple: To advance the knowledge of the shroud to new generations.
"Everyone knows about the pyramids. Everyone knows about Stonehenge. Yet, one of the most mysterious (icons) in the world is this linen cloth ... and there are millions of people who have never even heard of it," he said.
Though people in central Ohio might not be able to visit Turin, Willmann said he hopes the Shroud Encounter helps increase their faith.
"All the things that touch us are important, even the bad things, toward helping our faith," he said. "But the shroud is an incredibly good thing that enlightens us and reminds us that Jesus is real to us."
The shroud, owned by the Vatican, has undergone countless tests and has its share of believers and naysayers.
It bears an inexplicable image of a 5-foot-10 man with injuries consistent with Gospel accounts of Jesus' torture and execution — including puncture marks around the head and more than 120 scourge marks. It is stained with type AB blood from a male.
Such relics — items believed to be linked to holy people — are revered in the Catholic Church as well as associated denominations, Willmann said.
But he stressed that Christians of all backgrounds could benefit from learning about the shroud.
"People more and more are looking for a church that feeds their hearts and souls," he said. "They go to the church to seek and find Jesus; therefore, a relic of peace that has an imposition of Jesus upon it would be of interest to any Christian."
jviviano@dispatch.com
@JoAnneViviano
