August 9, 2013 // Local

U.S. scientist who studied Shroud of Turin to speak at St. Anthony, Angola

Todays Catholic

The Shroud of Turin is seen on display in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, in this 2010 file photo. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

ANGOLA — J. Dee German, a member of the U. S. scientific team that travelled to Turin in 1978 to perform comprehensive testing of the relic, will speak on the topic at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church on Thursday, Aug. 15, at 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. in the parish hall, 700 West Maumee St., Angola.

The Shroud of Turin is an ancient church relic kept in Turin, Italy and believed by many to be the cloth used by Joseph of Arimathea to wrap Christ’s body after the crucifixion. In 1978 a select team of U.S. scientists from the Air Force, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, NASA, and several private companies spent five days and nights performing dozens of scientific tests on the Shroud in Turin. The purpose of these activities was to determine the nature and composition of the shroud image and seek answers to the many unresolved and controversial theories about the Shroud.

In his 45-minute presentation, German will explore the nature of the image and cloth, Biblical correlations with its features, its history, the 1978 tests and conclusions, and current research on the shroud. He will follow with a discussion of what this work has meant to him spiritually.

German comes to Angola at the invitation of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church and in particular parishioners Joe and Barb Caruso and Liatt Peters who have heard German speak on numerous occasions and are excited to having German share his knowledge and insight into this most interesting of church relics with residents of northeastern Indiana.

The presentation is free and open to the public.