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Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, Inc. (STERA, Inc.)

Late Breaking Website News!

UPDATED JANUARY 21, 2010





Check here for important announcements and other Shroud of Turin Website news. This page will be updated whenever new page additions, articles and other resources are added. Each item carries a posting date indicating when it first went online. The most recent update appears at the top of the page and the most recent article is always first on the list. As you scroll through the page, you can review the items that were added this year in chronological order. You should find this an easy way to sample the evolving content of this website. Please note that any editorial opinions expressed on this site are solely those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Editor and Publisher.

Go to the 2009 Website News page to review the items that were included on the "Late Breaking Website News" page last year. Also available for review are the archived Website News pages for 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997 and 1996.

Shroud.com Celebrates 14th Anniversary!

Welcome to the 14th Anniversary update of the Shroud of Turin Website! This site first went online on January 21, 1996. This year is a particularly important one because the Shroud of Turin will be exhibited to the public for the first time in ten years from 10 April 2010 through 23 May 2010. But it is an important one for this website as well. This is the first year that the website is owned and published by the Shroud of Turin Education and Research Association, Inc. (STERA, Inc.), our new non-profit organization. Over the coming months, you will see some changes and improvements to the website that were simply impossible for me to do by myself, but become far more feasible for STERA, Inc. to accomplish.

I always write this part of the anniversary update last, because I don't know until the very end of the process exactly what materials will be included. Now that I've reached this point, I can tell you that you will find a number of items in this update about STERA, Inc. It is important for us to inform you of what is planned if we expect you to help support this website financially. Like any other non-profit, we will only be as successful as the generosity of our supporters.

As always, this anniversary update is a large one. In fact, I edited, modified, updated or created over 50 pages for this update! A few highlights include the creation of a Secure Contribution Form, where viewers can safely make online tax deductible contributions to STERA, Inc., a new paper about the Veil of Veronica by John Iannone, the availability of the printed Proceedings of the Ohio International Conference, the addition of the latest issue of the BSTS Newsletter, news of a Special Art Exhibit in Turin to coincide with the upcoming Shroud exposition and much, much more. In fact, there are so many new additions that I have created a Table of Contents so you can jump directly to the item below that you wish to read.

I am intentionally keeping my comments brief because there is already so much new material for you to digest. However, I could not end without thanking all of the scientists, historians, researchers and other Shroud scholars whose contributions have made this website the valuable resource it has become. Without their willingness to allow their work to be published here, this website would have very little value indeed. I also want to thank you, the viewer, for coming back to the site on a regular basis and providing me the excellent feedback that you do. I truly appreciate your loyalty and am deeply grateful for your continued participation and support. Thank you all!

Barrie M. Schwortz
Executive Director
STERA, Inc.

14th Anniversary Update Table of Contents:

Posted January 21, 2010

Tours To Turin Will Benefit STERA, Inc.

As I did for the previous Shroud exhibitions in 1998 and 2000, I will again be working personally with Canterbury Tours, Inc., an experienced pilgrimage tour company that has put together a variety of tours that include a visit to Turin during the 2010 Exhibition. I will meet with each tour group upon their arrival at the hotel in Turin, give each group a private Shroud presentation, have dinner and "hang out" with them and visit the Shroud with them the next day. Time permitting, we might also visit the excellent Sindone Museo (Shroud Museum) where many historical Shroud related artifacts are displayed. If you book any of the tours listed on the Canterbury Tours website, they will make all the necessary reservations to see the Shroud for you. You will NOT need to make the reservations yourself.

I will be in Turin from 10 May 2010 through 20 May 2010, so if you wish to be part of a tour that I personally meet with in Turin, you can book one within those dates. Of course, other dates are available if these don't fit into your schedule. You can find details about the specific tours and pricing/reservation information online at the Canterbury Tours Website. Please contact the company directly with any specific questions you might have or to book your reservations. Please book early as demand is high and space is limited.

The really exciting news is that $200.00 of each full tour purchased will be donated directly to STERA, Inc., and each purchaser will receive a tax deductible receipt for a charitable contribution in that amount directly from STERA, Inc. If you choose one of the short tours being offered by Canterbury, a lesser amount (to be determined) will still be donated to STERA, Inc. and you will receive a receipt for that amount. This becomes the first formal fund raising effort by STERA, Inc. and what better event than an opportunity to actually see the Shroud of Turin!

I have also updated the special Tours To Turin page and added several more organizations offering tours that include a visit to the 2010 Shroud Exhibition. This provides you with alternatives in case the Canterbury Tours schedule doesn't meet your needs. If you are a professional travel organization planning to make tours available during the 2010 exhibition and are interested in being included on this page, contact this website via the Send Us E-mail page for more information.

Posted January 21, 2010

Make An Online Tax Deductible Contribution to STERA, Inc.

We are pleased to announce that you can now make tax deductible contributions directly to STERA, Inc. using your credit or debit card and our new online Secure Contribution Form. You can help support this website and get a deduction for a charitable contribution on your Federal and State Income taxes. If you prefer to mail your contribution, simply click on the following link for details: Mail a Tax Deductible Contribution to STERA, Inc.

As a token of our appreciation and gratitude for your support, any donor who makes a contribution of US$100.00 or more will automatically receive a Free Gift of two 8½" x 11" Shroud lithographs (one of the face and the other of the side-by-side dorsal and ventral images) by return mail. Supplies are limited so act promptly. Offer is valid only until our supplies are exhausted.

Posted January 21, 2010

New Paper On Veronica's Veil Added

This website has always been dedicated to providing information specifically about the Shroud of Turin. Over the years, I have limited the content to subject matter that was at least indirectly related to the Shroud. That allowed me to include information about the Sudarium of Oviedo, purported to be the cloth or napkin that the covered Jesus' face after his death and that bears stains congruent with some of those found on the Shroud. I have also published several excellent articles about the Veil of Manoppello, another controversial image purported to be either a painting or "not made by human hands" (and believed by some to actually be the Veil of Veronica). A third cloth reported to bear an image of Jesus (and sometimes confused with both the Shroud and the Manoppello) is the so-called Veil of Veronica, kept in St. Peter's Bascilica in Rome and occasionally displayed to the public from a balcony in the cathedral.

Today's update includes the addition of a new paper to the Scientific Papers & Articles page by noted Shroud scholar and author, John Iannone, a name familiar to Shroud researchers as the author of the 1998 book The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin: New Scientific Evidence. This latest article is titled, "The Veil of Veronica: Fact or Fiction?" and first explores the legend of the Veil from an historical and traditional basis. John then examines the opposing claims that the actual veil is in Rome or in Manoppello and reaches some interesting conclusions. You will also find links to this article and others about the Sudarium and the Manoppello on the Website Library page of the site.

Posted January 21, 2010

Ray Rogers Book Now Available As Download

A Chemist's Perspective On The Shroud Of Turin by Raymond N. Rogers
"A Chemist's Perspective On The Shroud Of Turin"

I am pleased to announce that "A Chemist's Perspective On The Shroud Of Turin." by Raymond N. Rogers, available in print since August 2008, is now available for immediate download in PDF format from Lulu.com. We hope this brings Ray's work to an even broader audience. The download version of the full color, large format 149 page book is available for just US$20.00. Click on the above link or photo to read a more detailed description of the book, preview the first 10 pages or place an order. Please note that if you wish to order the download version on the Lulu.com website, you must click the small download link found just below the "Add To Cart" button in the upper right corner of the page (As indicated by the red box in the graphic below):

Download Link shown in red
Posted January 21, 2010

2008 Columbus International Conference Proceedings Now Available

Proceedings of the 2008 Columbus International Conference - Edited by Giulio Fanti
Includes 35 WMV Video files on 2 DVD's

On August 14-17, 2008, the Columbus International Conference, titled "The Shroud of Turin - Perspectives on a Multifaceted Enigma," was held at the Blackwell Hotel at Ohio State University. Organized by Joe Marino and Sue Benford and sponsored by the Shroud Science Internet Group, the conference was dedicated to the late Raymond Rogers, STURP chemist, and his important contributions to Shroud research, and in part to commemorate the 30th anniversary of STURP's 1978 scientific examination of the Shroud. The conference attracted more than 85 attendees from Australia, Canada, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Panama, Spain and the United States and included around 40 presentations and open forum discussions. You can read more about the conference itself on the 2008 Ohio Conference page of this site.

One of the main presenters at the conference and a prominent member of the Shroud Science Internet Group, Prof. Giulio Fanti took up the difficult task of editing and compiling a printed Proceedings of the event. And the result is truly spectacular. The 8 1/8" x 11½" (20.7 cm x 29.2 cm) paperback book contains 478 pages and includes all the papers presented at the conference, hundreds of photographs, program notes and additional information and weighs over 2 pounds (1 kilogram)! As an added bonus, Giulio compiled the videos produced by Russell Breault during the conference (originally posted online at Russ' www.shrouduniversity.com website) and included them on TWO DVD-ROMs that are provided as a bonus with the printed proceedings.

Giulio has graciously donated a number of the books to STERA, Inc. (and shipped them to us here in the U.S. at his own expense) so that we could make them available for sale on this website. I am pleased to announce you will now find them listed on the Website Store page of this site. STERA extends its gratitude to Giulio Fanti for his kindness and generosity.

Posted January 21, 2010

British Society for the Turin Shroud (BSTS) December 2009 Newsletter Added

The British Society for the Turin Shroud page has been updated to include the text of the most recent issue (December 2009, No. 70) of the BSTS Newsletter. As regular website viewers already know, the newsletters always include relevant articles, book reviews, news from Italy and much more. Newsletter editor Mark Guscin (www.markguscin.com) also includes a full color, high quality photographic feature in each issue, (although I usually reprint a text only version on this website). See below for information on joining the BSTS so you can receive the full color, fully illustrated printed versions of the newsletter.

BSTS Issue No. 70 includes a number of interesting new articles. First is an article titled, "Information About the Upcoming Exhibition," that was taken from the official Shroud website. It answers questions about the exhibition that many people have been asking. That is further amplified by an excellent article by Mark Guscin titled, "What Else To Do In Turin" that describes some of the most important and well known points of interest in the Turin area. That is followed by an article titled "How the Shroud Was Made, According to Luigi Garlaschelli," (with an introduction by Mark Guscin). Next is an article featuring a new sculpture based on the Shroud by Dutch artist Jan Marinus Reijnierse, another excellent article from Ian Wilson's archives titled, "Templecombe Panel Painting: late 13th century?," (that includes full color illustrations) along with News from Italy, Letters to the Editor and much more.

For those of you who might be interested in a membership in the BSTS (which includes a subscription to two printed issues of the Newsletter per year) see the printable BSTS Membership Application for details. The newsletter is published semi-annually, usually in June and December, and the text is reprinted on this website in the Acrobat PDF format, but without the photographs or illustrations.

Posted January 21, 2010

Editorial Review Policy

Since this website first went online, I have been the primary decision maker in determining which papers were published on the site and which were not. Of course, in most cases I was able to call upon acknowledged experts in the appropriate disciplines to review the more technical papers for scientific or historical accuracy and credibility. Although not a formal peer review process, it did help insure that the website published only credible materials. In the end however, these important decisions were mine.

Now that STERA, Inc. has taken over the website and I have the benefit of a Board of Directors and other participants to work with, I am establishing an Editorial Review Committee to help make these decisions. This committee will be comprised of scientists, historians, Biblical experts, linguists, etc., and will review all papers submitted for publication. Although this will not be a formal peer review process either, it will take this important responsibility to a higher level. Over the past few months I have received a number of interesting papers that I was holding for consideration under this new system, but there was just not enough time to accomplish it before this update went online. If you submitted a paper in the past few months, I ask for your patience just a little longer. You will be hearing from us shortly.

If you wish to submit a paper for publication on either the Scientific Papers & Articles page or the Religion & Philosophy page, you can read the newly updated Submission Requirements for more information and detailed instructions.

Posted January 21, 2010

Special Art Exhibit In Turin

I recently received an e-mail from my dear friends Bill and Kate Kelly, long time supporters of this website, informing me of a special Shroud related art exhibit that will be on display in Turin during the Shroud exposition. I am grateful to the Kellys for contributing this information. Here is what they sent me:

Dear Barrie,

I’ve attached a notice from a good friend of ours, Prof. Msgr. Timothy Verdon, canon of the cathedral of Florence. He is organizing a Shroud related exhibit titled, "Jesus, His Body and Face in Art" at the Venaria Reale (Royal Hunting Palace) which, I understand, is 10km from the center of Torino. I asked him if it would be alright to share this information with you and he said “Of course.”

The exhibit sounds very interesting to me and I thought that you might wish to advise your viewers of its availability. They are working on the English translation of the exhibit catalogue mentioned in the attachment. (Read the attachment here: Jesus, His Body and Face in Art).

I have known Msgr. Verdon, an American, since the 1970's: he has a PhD. in art history from Yale, was running the Stanford program in Florence and was recruited by Card. Piovanelli, Abp Emeritus of Florence, to be a priest of the Archdiocese. He also has a website, www.timothyverdon.com. He has excellent scholarly credentials and is very well known and regarded.

Take care of yourself. I look forward to seeing you in Torino.

Love from us both,

Bill and Kate Kelly

Posted January 21, 2010

New Shroud Book Published In Finland

I am pleased to announce that the first Shroud book ever written by a Finnish scholar, Valokuva Jeesuksesta? Torinon käärinliina tieteen, historian ja Uuden testamentin valossa (A Photograph of Jesus: The Turin Shroud in the Light of Science, History and the New Testament) by Professor Juha Hiltunen, was published in 2009. Written in the Finnish language, the author was kind enough to provide us with an English translation of the information published on the rear cover of the book.

The Turin Shroud is one of the best known and controversial relics in existence, as in it you may see an imprint of a crucified man. Tradition and a number of experts believe that this textile truly is the Shroud of Jesus and its' mystical portrait represents him. Many scholars, however, have made efforts to prove these claims of authenticity as false and (claim) the Shroud is therefore a Medieval hoax. What is the truth of this Shroud, which has been preserved in the St. John the Baptist's Cathedral in Turin? What may history tell about its phases? What are the most current results of its scientific investigation?

Juha Hiltunen has researched thoroughly both the historical phases and what are the most current modern scientific results available of the Shroud. Valokuva Jeesuksesta? is the very first Finnish comprehensive and current presentation for general audiences of this mystery so prone to debate

Juha Hiltunen is an adjunct professor at the University of Oulu. He is a cultural historian and an anthropologist, who's expertise is in the field of ethno- and mythical history besides ideological propaganda and historical forgeries.

Of course, the book has also been added as a full bibliographic reference on the Shroud of Turin Booklist page, along with a link to the publisher, http://www.kirjapaja.fi.

Posted January 21, 2010

Shroud of Turin Booklist Page Updated

The Shroud of Turin Booklist page has been updated with a number of new books, including those mentioned elsewhere in this update. Each new listing now includes the date it was added to the list. (Hint: To find the books added in this update, simply use the "ctrl F" Find feature of your browser and search on: 21 JAN 10). I am grateful, as always, to Emanuela Marinelli for her continued dedication and assistance in maintaining the booklist page of this site and helping me keep it up to date. Grazie!

Posted January 21, 2010

Shroud Speakers Directory Page Updated

I am pleased to announce that a new speaker has been added to the Shroud Speakers Directory page of the website. New on the scene, but an enthusiastic and dedicated student of the Shroud, Francis DeStefano is the latest speaker to be included. Recently, Francis has been working with me to review the information on some of the older pages of this website to insure it is accurate and up to date. His assistance is truly appreciated and the website has been improved through his efforts.

The Shroud Speakers Directory was created in response to the many e-mail requests I regularly receive from groups and organizations looking for qualified individuals to speak on the Shroud of Turin. By consulting this directory, you will find listings for Shroud lecturers that include a short biography of each, a description of the topics they present, their geographic location, how to contact them directly and other pertinent information that will help you find the right speaker for your group.

Posted January 21, 2010

Interesting New Shroud Links Added

Several interesting new links have been added to the Links To More Information page of this site. Here is a list of the new links with a brief description of each. You will find a more detailed description of each on the Links page.

Posted January 21, 2010

2010 Shroud Exhibition Reservation System Available Online

On December 1, 2009, the Archdiocese of Turin website put their new reservation system online. Reservations are required to view the Shroud during the public exhibition (10 April 2010 through 23 May 2010), although admission is free. For registration and other information, visit the Archdiocese website's English Language FAQ Page (the website and reservation system allow you to select and view in several different languages). To make your reservation, just click on the appropriate link near the top left corner of the FAQ page and follow the instructions provided.

Posted January 21, 2010
Originally Posted December 9, 2009

Shroud of Turin Website - STERA, Inc. Mailing List

Just a reminder that you can become a free subscriber to the Shroud of Turin Website - STERA, Inc. Mailing List and receive an e-mail notice whenever the website is updated. In addition, subscribers receive exclusive opportunities not available to the general public. These include access to papers and articles in advance of their publication, discounts on Shroud books and other materials and much more. To join, go to the Send Us E-mail page, enter your e-mail address in the box provided and hit "Go!" Follow the instructions and you will be added to the list in less than a minute.

Posted January 21, 2010

The Next Update

I plan to do at least one more update before leaving for Turin in May. However, I have a full travel schedule over the next few months, including lectures at Thomas Aquinus College in Santa Paula, California and the Shroud Conference sponsored by the Vancouver Shroud Association in Richmond, B.C., Canada, so I am not sure when it will go online. This is going to be a busy and an important year for the Shroud of Turin so check back regularly for updates.

Posted January 21, 2010

Go to the 2009 Website News page to review the items that were included on the "Late Breaking Website News" page last year. Also available for review are the archived Website News pages for 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997 and 1996.


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