2012 Website News


These are the items that were included on the "Late Breaking Website News" page in 2012. Items are listed with the most recent one first, and each article carries the posting date indicating when it was first uploaded. You should find this an interesting look at the important Shroud and Website events in 2012.

Last Update Of The Year

Today's update, although considerably smaller than our last one in August, contains some extremely important news and information that we wanted to get to you before the upcoming holidays. It also gives us the opportunity to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and a joyous and healthy New Year. Our next update is scheduled for January 21, 2013, which also marks our 17th Anniversary online! We hope to see you then!

Here is the Update Table of Contents:

Posted November 21, 2012

Shroud Spectrum International Coming to Shroud.com!

Shroud Spectrum International Coming to Shroud.com

STERA, Inc. is very proud to announce that our current Index to Shroud Spectrum International page, online since 1997, will soon be upgraded to include the contents of all 42 issues of the only English language peer reviewed journal ever exclusively devoted to scientific and scholarly studies of the Shroud. Published by Dorothy Crispino and her Indiana Center For Shroud Studies from 1981 through 1993, Shroud Spectrum International has only been available to those who were subscribers or who purchased a set after publication ceased. STERA, Inc. has received Dorothy's permission and will begin reprinting each issue starting in our next update on January 21, 2013, and will continue until they are all online in their entirety. Since many scholars over the years have used articles from Spectrum as references in their scientific and academic papers, we will retain all the original page numbers and page layouts so the online versions will remain consistent with the earlier printed references.

In our last update we mentioned that Australian Shroud scholar Rex Morgan, publisher of Shroud News back in the 1980's and 1990's, had given us permission to reprint select issues here on Shroud.com. That continues to be our plan and we will certainly do so in the future, but everyone, including Rex, agreed that Shroud Spectrum should have the highest priority and go online before Shroud News. You will find the first few Spectrum issues in our next update.

Posted November 21, 2012

New Photographs Of Arizona Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory Samples

New Photographs Of Arizona Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory Samples

As I reported in our last update, STERA, Inc. was contacted earlier this year by Helmut Felzmann, German Shroud researcher and author, who asked if I would be willing to go to the University of Arizona Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory in Tucson, Arizona and make new photographs of the remaining samples they used to date the Shroud in 1988. As most everyone knows, each laboratory kept portions of their samples in reserve. Helmut was researching the samples and had already contacted Dr. Timothy Jull, the current Director of the laboratory, to make the preliminary arrangements for the samples to be photographed. In addition to Helmut, I was also contacted by Dr. Charles Mader, who had a parallel interest in the research Helmut was doing and Holger Kersten, another noted German Shroud researcher and author. Helmut, Charles and Holger each made tax deductible contributions directly to STERA, Inc. to fund the travel and other expenses of the project and ultimately, I agreed to make the photographs as an official project of STERA, Inc., with the understanding that we would simply make the images available to researchers but would not participate directly in any research in which the images were used.

On August 30, 2012, working directly with Dr. Jull in his laboratory, I made a series of macro photographs of the remaining Shroud sample, along with the other reference samples that had been provided to the three dating laboratories in 1988. I am very pleased to announce that a detailed technical report and a representative sampling of the photographs are now available on this website in our official Report on the STERA, Inc. - University of Arizona Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory Macro Photography. Both sides of every sample were photographed and each image includes vertical and horizontal millimeter calibration scales to allow for reasonably accurate measurements to be made. Please note that I have kept the compression of the images in the pdf file to a minimum so you can view and enlarge them well beyond 200% using the Adobe Acrobat Reader. To insure the broadest access to all researchers, the included images may be used freely in any scientific, academic or research oriented non-commercial publications, papers, presentations or websites without further permission. We only require that the embedded copyright notice remain visible in any such uses (in print, presentations, papers, blogs, etc.). We plan to produce a CD-ROM disc of all 51 high resolution (4256 x 2848) images and all written documentation and make it available early next year. Of course, we will announce it on the website as soon as it is ready.

Posted November 21, 2012

BSTS Newsletter Archive Nearly Complete!

BSTS Newsletter No. 1

The British Society for the Turin Shroud page of this website has been updated and now includes every issue published to date of this important newsletter (# 1 through # 75). First published in 1982 and marking thirty years of continuous publication, every issue is now available here on Shroud.com!

As many of you know, we started publishing the newsletter in 1996 in the html format (as web pages) which were provided to us by a BSTS member. After six issues (# 43 through # 48), we switched to the pdf format we now use. However, the old html pages for those first six issues remained the only versions available, until now. In an effort to make the archive as complete and consistent as possible, we started by updating the layout of the original html pages (but keeping the original fonts and background). Then, thanks to Canadian Shroud researcher Yannick Clement who converted the old html pages for us, you will now find a link to a pdf version of each article in addition to the original html versions for those issues. Now the entire collection is available as pdf files, which are more compact and easier to print than the html pages.

As the headline suggests, the BSTS archive is nearly complete. In our January update, to complete the collection, we will add a series of monographs by noted Shroud scholars that were presented at various BSTS meetings in the 1980's and 1990's. Consider it BSTS "Bonus Material." And of course, the January update will also include the latest December 2012 issue (# 76). These newsletters provide a wonderful view of the history and evolution of Sindonology over the past thirty years. I think you will find them to be fascinating reading!

Posted November 21, 2012

BSTS Holds Its First Meeting In Many Years

Dr. Thomas De Wesselow, BSTS Meeting Featured Speaker

Speaking of the British Society for the Turin Shroud, the organization held its first public meeting in many years in Beaconsfield, England on Sunday, October 21, 2012. The highlight of the meeting was the presentation titled, "Why the Shroud of Turin Is Not a Medieval Hoax," made by featured speaker Dr. Thomas De Wesselow, acknowledged expert in medieval art and author of the recent book, "The Sign." Fortunately, the presentation was recorded on video by BSTS member David Rolfe and posted on his Shroud Enigma web page so you can watch it yourself. Of course, many readers already accept the scientific evidence that clearly demonstrates the Shroud is not any type of artwork, medieval or otherwise, but it is refreshing to hear it so clearly presented by a true expert in Medieval art history. This video is worth watching by every student of the Shroud and a "must see" for anyone who still believes the Shroud is a medieval hoax. I urge you to watch it and share it with your friends and family. (Link no longer available)

Posted November 21, 2012

"Third Encounter of the Two Linens" Conference Scheduled In Jerusalem -POSTPONED!

Editor's Note: Due to the current situation in Israel, the organizers have wisely decided to postpone this conference until early next year. The new conference dates are now tentatively scheduled for February 2013, but that will still depend on the availability of the participants and organizations directly involved. Watch this website for further information as it becomes available.

A conference titled, "Third Encounter of the Two Linens," sponsored by the Pontifical University in Rome, is scheduled to be held at the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center in Israel from November 25 to December 1, 2012. The conference deals specifically with the Shroud of Turin and the Tilma Cloak of Tepeyac (aka Our Lady of Guadalupe). These are the stated objectives of the event:

To pair off the two cloths (the Shroud of Turin and the tilma cloak of Tepeyac) that have had the greatest impact on the Church throughout history in order to:
1. Appreciate their evangelizing, historical and scientific value.
2. Reflect upon the interplay between these two gifts of God to the world for the evangelization of the XXI century.
3. Determine, in the light of Shroud science, what research should be done on the tilma containing the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The conclusions and proposals will be presented to the Archbishop of Mexico City, Cardinal Norberto Rivera.

With many invited speakers from around the world, the Encounter will consist of presentations by experts and round table discussions. Among the invited speakers are Prof. Adolfo Orozco and Dr. Jose Aste Tonsmann from Mexico, Prof. Bruno Barberis, Piero Savarino, Paolo Di Lazzaro, Fr. Hector Guerra and Fr. Gianfranco Berbenni from Italy, Dr. Alfonso Sanchez Hermosilla from Spain, Dr. John and Rebecca Jackson and Barrie Schwortz from the USA and Dr. Petrus Soons from Panama.

Posted November 21, 2012

STERA, Inc. Needs Your Help

We Need Your Help

As you can see from the dramatic growth in the content of the website this year, along with the redesign of our pages to better accommodate smart phones and tablets, STERA, Inc. is working very hard to bring added depth, value and functionality to Shroud.com. The materials and news in today's update are further examples of our efforts to make this website the definitive internet resource of Shroud information. We are also very proud to have kept this site free of any advertising for seventeen years and we are dedicated to keeping it that way. We even pay an extra monthly fee to keep ads from appearing on our search engine results pages.

Although we work very hard to be self-sufficient, we still need some support from our viewers to make ends meet. This year, perhaps because of the economy or the elections here in the U.S., our contribution levels have fallen short. So STERA, Inc. really does need your help. And there are a number of different ways that you can do so. Since we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, you can make an online tax deductible contribution directly to STERA, Inc. using our Secure Contribution Form or by mail using our Mail Contribution Form. We even offer a selection of gifts to those who make contributions over $100.00. Remember that donations made by December 31, 2012 can be claimed as a deduction on your 2012 income tax return. You can also visit our Website Store page and order some of the Shroud materials we offer for sale. With the holidays approaching, some of the items we offer might be the perfect gift for someone on your list. Like our beautiful, hand signed Lithographic Poster bearing both color and black & white high quality reproductions of the Shroud. With around 600,000 visitors to the site each year, we hope that some of you can support us in our ongoing work. We would truly appreciate your help!

Posted November 21, 2012

And Finally

Tomorrow is the Thanksgiving Day holiday here in the U.S., which provides me with the perfect opportunity to say thank you to the many people who have contributed to make Shroud.com a success over the years. Of course, there are so many people that deserve to be thanked that I probably won't remember you all, so if I haven't included you here, please forgive the omission.

I have to start with Emanuela Marinelli, along with her brother Maurizio Marinelli, who have been friends and supporters from the earliest days, and who have almost single-handedly kept our Shroud Booklist page up to date. I also have to single out the late Ray Rogers and Don Lynn, STURP team members and my dear friends, who both gave me guidance, advice and encouragement during the early years of building the website. And of course, Dr. John Jackson and Dr. Eric Jumper, co-founders of STURP, without whom none of this would be possible. And the late Fr. Albert "Kim" Dreisbach, with his unique sense of humor, who provided his friendship and support and contributed many important articles to the site. Next is Ian Wilson, whose detailed history of the Shroud formed the basis for our own Shroud History page. Ian, along with Mark Guscin and Stephen Jones also made it possible for us to publish the complete archive of the BSTS Newsletters. And Stephen continues his participation by undertaking the massive task of scanning all the Shroud Spectrum International issues that will start to appear on the site in our next update. Of course, we owe a special debt of gratitude to Dorothy Crispino, for giving us permission to reprint Spectrum here on Shroud.com. I also want to thank Dr. Julio López Morales and his son, Julio López Rodriguez, in Mexico, for their superb translations of many of our pages into Spanish. And my dear friend and "brother photographer" Aldo Guerreschi, who has provided us with many excellent photographs and superb Shroud articles over the years. I also have to thank all the Shroud researchers, scholars, scientists and authors who have permitted their work to be reprinted here on this site or have contributed material specifically for us. They are far too numerous to mention, but you can find their names throughout this website. I also want to thank the STERA, Inc. Board of Directors, Russ Breault, Diana Fulbright, Joe Marino, Bill Meacham, Richard Orareo, Joan Rogers and Larry Schauf, for their undying support and the confidence they have shown in me since STERA, Inc. was founded. It gives me great comfort to know that I have such a wonderful team of experts on board to back me up and provide me with guidance.

Last, but undoubtedly most important, I thank you, our website viewers, for your continued support and participation in making Shroud.com such a great success! It would all mean nothing without you! So remember that you are truly appreciated! Have a safe and joyous holiday season and we'll see you in January!

Barrie Schwortz
President, STERA, Inc.
Posted November 21, 2012

Long Overdue (and rather large) Update Finally Online

Welcome to this long overdue update to Shroud.com! I started working on it on July 15, 2012, after completing an amazingly busy travel and lecture schedule since the first of the year, and have been working on it every day since. I had hoped that a six week window would be enough time for me to complete and include the huge backlog of materials we accumulated since our last major update in January, and I actually got pretty close. So, although I didn't get everything online that I had hoped to, it was still enough to make this the single largest update in website history!

So grab your reading glasses and pack a nice lunch! This update should keep you busy for a long time!

Barrie Schwortz, Editor & Founder

Here is the Update Table of Contents:

Posted August 26, 2012

BSTS Newsletter Archive Nearly Complete and a New Archive Coming Soon

BSTS Newsletter No. 75 Cover

Good news! I am pleased to report that the British Society for the Turin Shroud (BSTS) Newsletter page has been updated and now includes the latest issue of the excellent publication, along with 26 more back issues, thanks to the tireless efforts of BSTS Member Stephen Jones in Australia. You will now find every issue from #11 to the most current issue, #75 accessible on the page. We plan to publish the remaining ten issues (#1 through #10), along with some BSTS Meeting Lectures that were recorded and transcribed, in our next update on January 21, 2013. That will mark the completion of the Archive and the public will then have access to the entire collection of issues here on shroud.com.

The even better news is that Australian Shroud scholar Rex Morgan, publisher of Shroud News back in the 1980's and 1990's, has given us permission to reprint select issues of Shroud News here on shroud.com. Our thanks to Rex and to Stephen Jones (who will again be doing the scanning and ocr processing) and Ian Wilson for providing the source materials from his personal collection. STERA, Inc. wants to extend a special thanks to these gentlemen for their dedication and resolve in helping to get these important materials archived and available to the public.

Posted August 26, 2012

1st International Shroud Congress on the Holy Shroud in Spain - New Valencia Congress Page Added

Valencia Congress Page

On April 28th through 30th, 2012, the 1st International Shroud Congress on the Holy Shroud in Spain was held in Valencia, Spain. I am very proud to announce the creation of a new Valencia Congress page on shroud.com. On the new page you will find a complete listing of the speakers and their topics, photographs of the event along with links to some of the many excellent papers that were presented (and we hope to add more in the future). In some cases, we have included the actual PowerPoint presentations shown by the speakers so you can see the images that went with the text of their papers.

This extremely successful conference was organized and sponsored by the highly respected Centro Español de Sindonologia (CES), which is also celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year. With a host of speakers from around the world presenting papers on a wide array of Shroud related topics, the public event attracted a large volume of attendees who filled the beautiful auditorium at the University of Valencia every day. Speakers included noted members of the CES like President Jorge Manuel Rodriguez, Dr. Alfonso Munoz-Cobo, César Barta, Fr. Manuel Carreira, Mark Guscin and many more, as well as Bruno Barberis, Emanuela Marinelli, Marzia Boi, and Paolo di Lazzaro from Italy, John and Rebecca Jackson, Robert Villarreal and Barrie Schwortz from the U.S., Ian Wilson from Australia and David Rolfe from the UK. Of course, the Shroud Conferences & Symposia page and the Website Library page have also been updated to include the Valencia Congress.

Posted August 26, 2012

1st International Scientific Congress on the Holy Shroud in Panama - New Panama Congress Page Added

Panama Congress Page

On June 30th and July 1st, 2012, the Arquidiócesis de Panamá sponsored the 1st International Scientific Congress on the Holy Shroud in Panama City, Panama. I am very pleased to announce the creation of a new Panama Congress page on shroud.com. The unprecedented event resulted in an unprecedented turnout, with the large auditorium nearly full every day. The congress featured speakers from Italy, Holland, the USA and Panama, and included such notable Shroud scholars as Professor Bruno Barberis, President of the International Center for the Study of the Shroud in Turin, Father Francisco Verar, noted Panamanian Shroud expert, Janice Bennett, author of "Sacred Blood, Sacred Image: The Sudarium of Oviedo" from the USA, Peter Soons, from Holland and Panama, who created the first 3D holograms of the Shroud and Barrie Schwortz from the USA. On the new page you will find a complete listing of the speakers and their topics. We have also included links to some of the excellent papers that were presented and hope to add more in the future. In some cases, we have included the actual PowerPoint presentations shown by the speakers so you can see the images that went with the text of their papers. And several papers and presentations are available in both English and Spanish versions. The Shroud Conferences & Symposia page and the Website Library page have also been updated to include the Panama Congress.

Posted August 26, 2012

Important New Spanish Language Pages Added

In light of the fact that two important Shroud congresses were held this year in Spanish speaking countries (see above), I am very pleased to announce that we have added some additional Spanish language pages to the website. In the past few years, STERA, Inc.'s growing involvement with Shroud organizations in Spain and Central and South America has brought a large number of Spanish speaking viewers to the website. We are always happy to include translations when they are available and now, thanks to our dear friends Dr. Julio López Morales and his son, Julio López Rodriguez, in Mexico, you will find that the STERA, Inc. page of the site is also available in a Spanish Language Version. And most of the links on the page have also been translated into Spanish, including the STERA, Inc. Flyer (Ahora En Español), which we first introduced earlier this year. They also took the time to translate the History of Shroud.com article we first published in January 2012 (Ahora En Español). And all of this was done voluntarily! Then we realized the need to have a proper English translation of Dr. Marzia Boi's paper from the Valencia Congress and brazenly asked Julio and Julio if they could help. They immediately agreed to translate the 22 page paper for us and are working on it now. We will post it to the Valencia Congress page in the next week or two, as soon as the translation is complete. Thank you both for your excellent work and continued valuable contributions to Shroud.com! Muchas gracias!

Update! I am happy to report that the English translation of Marzia Boi's Valencia Congress paper is now available on the Valencia Congress page of this site (along with the original Spanish language version).

Posted August 26, 2012
Updated September 7, 2012

David Rolfe's Valencia Shroud Enigma Dawkins Challenge

David Rolfe announces his Dawkins Challenge at the Valencia Conference

In a previously unscheduled presentation at April's Valencia Congress, David Rolfe, noted British television and film producer (1978's first ever Shroud documentary, The Silent Witness) presented his ideas for reaching some consensus about the Shroud's image and ultimately, challenging noted Shroud skeptic Richard Dawkins' views on the Shroud. During the Valencia Congress, David organized a number of attendees in a private session and they created a list of seven primary criteria defining the Shroud's image that any skeptic must first address. You can see the final list of criteria and get more details here: The Valencia Shroud Enigma Challenge. (Link no longer available)

As for my personal feelings about David Rolfe's Challenge, I was rather dubious and skeptical at first. It seemed somewhat dramatic and sensationalistic and I didn't see any reason for Dawkins to be willing to take up such a challenge. But I spent some time with David in Valencia and we discussed this in detail. I told him my thoughts and feelings and he explained why he felt the challenge would be worthwhile. After a few minor changes to the criteria list, I agreed to be included. Here is a link to the You-Tube video of David's Shroud Enigma Dawkins Challenge.

Posted August 26, 2012

Academic Journals Scientific Research and Essays Publishes Special Shroud of Turin Issue

Academic Journals Scientific Research and Essays Publishes Special Shroud of Turin Issue

When news of the publication of the Scientific Research and Essays journal was first released, it immediately sparked controversy and debate on the online ShroudScience Group and Dan Porter's Shroud Blog. Interestingly, the criticism came not so much on the topics covered by the papers in this Special Issue (some of which are quite controversial in their own right), but on the quality of the peer review the papers received by this particular journal. Some argued that the journal was mainly a vanity publication that would publish any article if the appropriate fees were paid. Others completely disagreed. Most people agree that the peer review process is not perfect and certainly has some serious limitations. However, it is still the primary method in which new science is published in our society. Of course, some journals do a better job than others in their peer review process but that is not the main issue. In the end, perhaps the quality of the content is more important than the quality of the journal. The best solution is for you to read the papers for yourself and make up your own mind.

Because of my personal background in photography and imaging, the two papers I found most interesting are Digital image processing techniques demonstrating the anomalous nature of the radiocarbon dating sample area of the Shroud of Turin by John Morgan and Optical and chemical characteristics of the mineral particles found on the face of the Turin Shroud by Gérard Lucotte. Both are filled with color illustrations, photographs and scanning electron microscope images. Of course, there are many other interesting papers included in the issue. Happy reading!

Posted August 26, 2012

New Papers Added To Website

The STERA, Inc. Editorial Review Committee received a large number of papers over the past eight months and I am happy to report that, after a careful review, they have decided to publish five new papers in this update. According to many on the committee, this is probably the best batch of papers we have seen since the committee was formed. The included papers are divided into two different categories, Scientific and Religion and Philosophy. Of course, you will also find them listed on the Scientific Papers & Articles page, the Religion and Philosophy page and the Website Library page of the site. Here are the new additions:

Scientific Papers & Articles

Religion and Philosophy Papers

Posted August 26, 2012

Recent Shroud Books Added To Booklist Page

I am pleased to announce that the Shroud of Turin Booklist page has been updated with more than twenty new and historic titles. Once again, our sincerest thanks go out to our dear friend Emanuela Marinelli, who has provided more than 60 updates to this page in the past ten years! Rather than list all the new titles here, you can find those added in today's update easily by going to the Booklist page and using the Find feature of your browser (ctrl-F) and searching on "26 AUG 2012" (without the quotes). Listed below are a number of the interesting new books that are currently available online. We have also updated the Shroud Books Online page.


 Swiadkowie Tajemnicy
(Witnesses to Mystery)

Swiadkowie Tajemnicy (Witnesses to Mystery) - The Investigation of the Relics of Christ - (Polish) by Grzegorz Gorny and Janusz Rosikon - Although we usually only feature books written in the English language, this book is an exception. The entire first chapter deals with the Shroud of Turin and includes many beautifully reproduced photographs from the STERA, Inc. archives. Later chapters go on to examine and investigate many other relics, including the Sudarium of Oviedo, the Tunic of Argenteuil, and the Manopello. In fact, the authors spent several years researching, writing and traveling across Europe to make the photographs for the book. Grzegorz Gorny is a well known Polish journalist and the book is lavishly illustrated with professional photographer Janusz Rosikon's beautiful color photographs. The high quality reproduction of the beautiful photographs makes this a worthy addition to any collection (even if you can't read the text). The good news is that the book is tentatively scheduled to be released in English in 2013.


The Sign (U.S. Cover)

The Sign - The Shroud of Turin and the Secret of the Resurrection by Thomas de Wesselow - Here is a quote from the book's website: "BASED ON SEVEN YEARS OF METICULOUS RESEARCH, ‘THE SIGN’ PROVES THAT THE SHROUD OF TURIN IS AUTHENTIC. Long assumed to be a Medieval fake, the author provides conclusive evidence that The Shroud of Turin, the reputed burial cloth of Jesus, is in fact authentic. Using his experience as an art historian, the author proves that the image on the Shroud cannot possibly be a Medieval fake: the image does not match the style, technique or concepts of medieval imagery; it cannot be a painting or a rubbing; and, most crucially, it is a negative image, a fact only realized when it was first photographed in 1898."

As soon as the book was released it sparked controversy in the Shroud world. It was considered a great addition to Shroud knowledge in that de Wesselow truly is a medieval art expert, so his professional opinions are valuable. However, he also addressed a much more sensitive theological issue. Here is another quote from the book's website: "Christianity began when, after Jesus’s crucifixion, Jesus’s followers claimed to have seen him alive again. De Wesselow shows that this episode can only be understood if what they actually saw was something real but out of the ordinary, something so extraordinary that they interpreted it as a sign of resurrection. What they saw was the Shroud."

Needless to say, this idea challenged the beliefs of many people and generated a strong media interest, which in turn created a lot of buzz on the blogs and a number of strong reviews of the book appeared immediately. Here are a few:

The "Shrouded" Sign: Can Thomas de Wesselow explain the Rez? This article is from the Christ the Tao Blog page hosted by David Marshall.

Combined Review of: “The Sign” by Thomas de Wesselow and “Resurrected or Revived?” by Helmut Felzmann This link is to a book review by Mark Antonacci and Patrick Byrne that was published on Stephen Jones' The Shroud of Turin Blog (and several others). It reviews not only the De Wesselow book, but also the recent book by Helmut Felzmann that we included in our January 21, 2012 update.


The Holy Shroud

The Holy Shroud by Bruno Barberis is an English language translation of his 2010 Italian language book La Sindone. This book was written in a very simple and clear style, obviously with younger readers in mind. It includes scores of beautiful color and black & white photographs and illustrations that review Shroud history, art and science. It even includes a large, foldout color photograph of the Shroud. Bruno gave me a copy when we were together at the Panama Congress and I was immediatly impressed with the beautiful little book. The link I have included is to the publisher's website where the book is listed in Italian. However, it indicates that the English version is also available. (Link no longer available)


The Mysterious Image

The Mysterious Image is a new book about the Shroud of Turin written by French author Agnès Lozier and Illustrated by Antoine Storez. The book is also designed specifically for children and was approved by Cardinal Severino Poletto, former Archbishop of Turin. Here is a brief description from the publisher's website: "Max and his cousins go to Italy to see the exhibition of the Holy Shroud of Turin. Father Joseph shows them the latest scientific studies about it, that could help them to identify the man who was crucified and whose picture was printed on the Shroud. It is an opportunity to think about the mystery of suffering and the Christian sense of sacrifice." Included with the book is a glossary to understand the difficult words and 3D glasses to view the included anaglyphic image.

Posted August 26, 2012

Shroud Speakers Directory Updated

John 'Dee' German

I am very pleased to announce that my old friend and colleague, John "Dee" German, one of the original members of the STURP team, has now been added to our newly revised and updated Shroud Speakers Directory page. After 35 years, there are only a handful of STURP team members still working on the Shroud or available for lectures, so you might want to seriously consider Dee as a potential speaker for your organization. And of course, the page contains another 23 speakers available for Shroud lectures or presentations in different parts of the U.S. and around the world.

Posted August 26, 2012

Shroud Centers & Organizations Page Updated

The Shroud Centers & Organizations page has been updated to include the New York Shroud of Turin Society. This organization was formed in 2001 and their theme centers around "the inspired message of the New Testament: Christ, Our Redeemer, The Prince of Peace." They offer an insightful lecture about the Shroud of Turin in the New York area, along with the display of framed, life sized photographic images of the Shroud, as photographed during the 1978 STURP investigation. See their listing at the above link for details and contact information.

Posted August 26, 2012

Links, Links and More Links!

Chinese Translation of Current Anthropology Article on the Shroud of Turin

Since the last update in January, a huge number of new items about the Shroud have become available on the internet. Although it is impossible to make links to everything, below is a sampling of some of the more important and interesting items. These have also been added to the Links To More Information page of the site.

Posted August 26, 2012

Lifesize Shroud Face DuraTrans Transparency in Backlit PhotoGlow® Frame Now Available

 LIFESIZE Shroud DuraTrans in backlit PhotoGlow® Frame
Now Available - Click on photo for details.

Ever since we first offered backlit DuraTrans transparencies of the Shroud in PhotoGlow® frames several years ago, people have been asking for a larger, lifesize Shroud face. In an effort to listen to our viewers and provide them with the best Shroud materials possible, we are very pleased to announce that a larger, Lifesize Shroud Face is now available via the Website Store page of the site. The lifesize face is made on a 16" x 20" DuraTrans transparency and mounted in a 20" x 24" backlit PhotoGlow® frame which is equipped with an inline dimmer that allows you to adjust and control the brightness of the backlight display. This lifesize image is about 400% larger than the Small Face we offer. Visit the Website Store page for details and view a side by side photo comparing the two different available sizes.

Posted August 26, 2012

Boston Collection of Shroud Art Finds New Home in Indiana

The Honeywell Studio, Historic New Home for the Boston Collection in Wabash, Indiana

I am very pleased to announce that Richard Orareo, founder and curator of the Boston Collection of Shroud Art, has finally found a permanent home for his amazing collection. For those of you not familiar with the Boston Collection, it is the largest in the country and one of the great collections in the world. Because it will be considered a shrine, there are actual relics of the Shroud, some documented, others not. These are small snippets of the cloth, or even single threads, and all have the seal of a bishop. The museum collection has dozens of framed devotional images of the Shroud. They range from the earliest known engraving of the Shroud, dated 1578, through the ages to the present. There are historic photographs from the Pia, Enrie, and Schwortz eras. There is a functional VP-8 image analyzer and even a manikin of the Turin fire fighter in full uniform; each piece was donated from those who were in the Cathedral the night of the fire in 1997. The library collection contains more than 1000 titles of books, periodicals, journals and documents. They range from the earliest known book on the shroud, dated 1581, to the present.

After searching for more than ten years to find a permanent home for the collection, Richard is in the process of moving everything to Indiana, where he recently purchased a grand building for the preservation and exhibition of the collection. For this purpose he established a non-profit organization, The National Shrine of the Holy Shroud (NSHS). NSHS in Indiana will comprise a devotional shrine, a museum of Shroud-related pieces dating back to medieval times, and an extensive research library. With over 8,000 finished square feet, this historic building sits on seven acres with a pool house, tennis courts and extensive landscaping. The building is located at 378 North State Road 15, Wabash, IN 46992 and Richard hopes to have it open to the public early in 2013. Congratulations and best wishes to Richard in this new and important venture! We will keep you posted as to his progress and will let you know as soon as the collection is available to the public.

Built in 1936, The Honeywell Studio is listed in the National
Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior

Here is some additional historical information about the building:

Prominent Fort Wayne architect A.M. Strauss designed the Tudor Revival building in 1936 as Mark Honeywell’s private movie studio. An accomplished businessman in the home heating industry (Honeywell thermostats), Honeywell indulged in expensive hobbies, including movie-making.

When Honeywell’s wife Olive passed away in 1939, he began making plans to build the Honeywell Memorial Center in her honor. Construction of the center increasingly drew Honeywell’s attention away from moviemaking, prompting him to donate his studio to the Wabash Country Club in 1945.

Posted August 26, 2012

"The Night of the Shroud" Documentary Wins Major Awards

Night of the Shroud DVD Cover

We are very pleased to announce that the long-awaited documentary, "The Night of the Shroud" (La Notte della Sindone) directed by Francesca Saracino and produced by Paolo Monaci, with noted film actress Rosalinda Celentano serving as the host of the program, took three top honors at the Los Angeles Movie Awards in June. Winning awards for Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, and Best Visual Effects, the program takes the viewer behind the scenes of the 1988 radiocarbon dating of the Shroud and reveals details never before made public. The film was given a special screening at the Valencia Shroud Congress in April, which also marked its premiere in Spain. Viewers may recognize Rosalinda from her most notable role as the devil in Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ."

Francesca reports that, "The DVD is ready for distribution and will be released in the fall here in Italy and contains the English version as well." I will post the information on this website as soon RAI, the program's distributor, makes it available for purchase online.

Posted August 26, 2012

Recent and Future Travels

 Barrie Schwortz Lecturing in Warsaw, Poland in April 2012
Photo ©2012 Janusz Rosikon

I had hoped to write an article detailing my extensive travels and lectures earlier this year, but I ran out of time and it was a lower priority compared to the important new materials added in today's already huge update. So I am only including a simple list as an overview:

I still have several more trips scheduled before the end of the year. You can read about a new STERA, Inc. project and my trip next week to Tucson, Arizona to visit the University of Arizona Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory in the News From STERA, Inc. article below. In addition, I will be returning to Warsaw, Poland in early November and have been invited to Jerusalem in late November to speak at the Third Encounter of the Two Linens, which will take place at Notre Dame of Jerusalem from November 25 through December 1 and is sponsored by the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome in collaboration with Othonia and the Pilgrim Queen of the Family apostolate. I hope to provide more details and an overview of the event in our January 21, 2012 update.

Posted August 26, 2012

Shroud Researchers On The Radio

In the past few months a number of Shroud researchers have appeared on various radio programs here in the U.S. Appearing on John DeSalvo's Mysterious Realms program on May 26, 2012 was noted Shroud scholar Joe Marino (for the second half of the program) and, as a follow up, Barrie Schwortz appeared on the July 21, 2012 show. John DeSalvo is a Shroud researcher in his own right and an old friend who was deeply involved in the ASSIST group with Paul Maloney and other Shroud scholars back in the 1980's. I think you will find both programs interesting. (Links no longer available)

Also appearing on 1250 The River radio station in Ft. Wayne, Indiana is the Miracles of Mary Sunday program hosted by David Franke, which includes a series of Shroud interviews with Richard Orareo, Kevin Moran, Diana Fulbright, Dr. John Jackson, Rebecca Jackson, Barrie Schwortz and Alex Fiato. You can listen online when the shows air on Sunday morning at the above link. (Sorry. Link no longer available). You can also find and download the (rather large) audio files at the Miracles of Mary program site on Facebook. Editor's Note: The files are not that well identified on the page so look for Shroud Part 1 - Alex Fiato, Shroud Part 2 - Richard Orareo and Shroud Part 3 - Barrie Schwortz.

Posted August 26, 2012

We Did It! - STERA, Inc. Is On Facebook!

See STERA, Inc. on Facebook

Those of you who are subscribers to our mailing list already knew about our new Facebook page back in early June. For you very observant viewers, you also might have noticed a small link to it at the bottom of our home page back in June. But for everyone else, I am very pleased to announce that STERA, Inc. now has a page on Facebook. We view this as another important means of keeping in touch with our viewers between regular website updates and our occasional subscriber e-mails. We hope to see you there!

Posted August 26, 2012

Newest Way To Subscribe To Our Mailing List

Scan with your mobile device to become a subscriber or click photo for other options

We are very pleased to announce the newest way to subscribe to our Mailing List. Now, using your mobile device, you can quickly and simply scan the QR Code above and follow the onscreen instructions for joining the STERA, Inc. Shroud of Turin Website Mailing List. Subscribers receive an e-mail whenever the website is updated or important Shroud news breaks. They also get to preview content and receive exclusive offers never made available to regular website viewers. Try it. It works! Isn't technology amazing?

Posted August 26, 2012

News From STERA, Inc. - A New Project and a Note on Fundraising

With the extensive traveling and lecturing I have done since January and two major updates to the website, this has already been our busiest year on record. And it's not over yet! At the end of August, after this update goes online, I am leaving for Tucson, Arizona to visit the University of Arizona Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, one of the three labs that dated the Shroud in 1988. I have been granted permission to photograph and document what remains of the 1988 C-14 dating samples used by the Arizona lab to date the Shroud. As you probably know, they saved some of their original samples and kept them in reserve. I will be making a series of digital macro photographs of the remaining samples with adjacent millimeter scales to allow for pixel based measurements to be made from the resulting 4000 x 3000 pixel images.

Several months ago, STERA, Inc. was contacted by Helmut Felzmann, German Shroud researcher and author, who asked if I would be willing to go to the laboratory in Arizona and make these photographs. Helmut was researching the samples and had already contacted Dr. Timothy Jull, the current Director of the laboratory, to make the preliminary arrangements for the samples to be photographed. In addition to Helmut, I was also contacted by Dr. Charles Mader, who had a parallel interest in the research Helmut was doing and Holger Kersten, noted Shroud researcher and author. Helmut, Charles and Holger each made tax deductible contributions directly to STERA, Inc. to fund the travel and other expenses of the project and ultimately, I agreed to make the photographs as an official project of STERA, Inc., with the understanding that we would simply make the images available to the researchers but would not participate directly in any research in which the images were used. This is the first such project that STERA, Inc. has participated in and we appreciate Dr. Jull giving his consent for the work to be done. We will first provide a complete technical report and share the results with the Arizona lab and those who contributed to sponsor the work. We will then share the results publicly on the website, hopefully in our January 21, 2013 update.

With fall rapidly approaching and the end of the year in sight, I am obligated to bring up the subject of fundraising. As you can see from the size and scope of this update, the work we have already done this year and the other projects we are working on, STERA, Inc. is growing and becoming even more active in the Shroud world. Of course, our continued success depends on a number of factors, not the least of which are contributions from our viewers. As you know, STERA, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization so all contributions are tax deductible as allowed by law. And we offer some special gifts for those who contribute. In case you have forgotten my comments on fundraising from last year, here is a link back to my November 1, 2011 article titled, Fundraising: I Hate It!   (Recaudación de Fondos - ¡La Odio!) Thank you all for your continued support and participation.

Posted August 26, 2012

The Next Update

The next regularly scheduled update to the website will be on January 21, 2013, when we will celebrate our 17th Anniversary online! It will also mark the completion of our archiving and online publication of the British Society for the Turin Shroud (BSTS) Newsletter, with the addition of the final ten issues (#1 through #10). At that point, the entire archive will be available online for the first time. I also hope to have a report and some images from STERA, Inc.'s photographic project at the University of Arizona Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory. Of course, there will be much more, but at this moment in time, I am a bit too tired to predict much else. I might do one small update just before the holidays, but my travel schedule at that time will make it small by necessity. However, I will certainly stay in touch with the Subscribers to our Mailing List and those who find us on FaceBook during that time. Have a great fall season and we'll talk to you soon.

Barrie Schwortz
Posted August 26, 2012

Shroud.com Celebrates 16th Anniversary with a New Look!

If you have managed to get to this page and are reading this article, you will have already noticed a dramatic change in the look of this website. After sixteen years online, we have given the website a long overdue "facelift" to make it more modern in appearance and much easier to navigate. I have had many criticisms about the look of the site over the past few years, but some months ago a reader pointed out that the site was difficult to view and navigate, particularly on the smaller screens of smart phones or tablets. Although we have always put more emphasis on content than design, it is hard (or downright stupid) to ignore the fact that over 100 million Americans alone now view the internet on such devices. It was certainly time to make some changes.

The first thing I hope you noticed is the dramatic redesign of the front page. We have replaced the original variegated, multi-colored background site-wide with a solid light gray background that is easier to read and loads much faster. We eliminated all the link buttons that littered our Main Menu and other pages and replaced them all with simple text links. Most importantly, we combined the Main Menu into the front page, where it belongs. The menu is broken into two sections, one for General Contents and the other for In-Depth Contents, the latter of which is now listed on the page in alphabetical order. Instead of having to click a link to view a separate Main Menu page, just scroll down a bit and the menu content is right there. (You can still click on the Shroud photo if you like, which simply jumps you down the page directly to the menu items). You will also find that the Search Engine box has been moved to the front page. Of course, as always, a second search box is still available from the Website Library page. You will also find a Navigator bar at the bottom of every main page that gives you quick links to other important pages of the site. Navigator bars have also been added to the top and bottom of the Scientific Papers & Articles page and the Links To More Information page that allow you to find papers and links alphabetically instead of scrolling through scores of listings. There are many other changes and refinements you will find as you navigate the site, all designed to make it more user-friendly. I hope you find the new look of the site a good step in the right direction. And it only took sixteen years!

Speaking of sixteen years, one friend and viewer of our site recently asked me how the website got started and what prompted me to build it. In fact, he strongly urged me to write an article telling the story and include it in this update. It seemed like a good idea, so you will find links to the new article titled The History of Shroud.com (En Español) from all the appropriate pages of the site. Of course, as I've already stated, content is still our primary focus, and this update is no exception. Although it is not as large as some previous anniversary updates because of the time necessary for the redesign, it still contains some very important new materials. I have included the usual Update Table of Contents below to make finding the new content easy.

Finally, no update would be complete until I thanked each and every author, scholar, researcher, student and viewer who, by their continued participation and support, make this site possible. You truly make this all worthwhile. Thank you for being there.

Barrie Schwortz, Editor & Founder

Here is the Update Table of Contents:

Posted January 21, 2012

The Shroud in the News for Christmas 2011 - An Editorial Response by Barrie Schwortz

On December 14, 2011, an article titled, "New research from ENEA on the sacred Linen kept in Turin" by Marco Tosatti was reported by the Vatican Insider and the Catholic World News Headlines. Ironically, the information that was reported as "new" research was actually taken from papers that were originally presented at the International Workshop on the Scientific Approach to the Acheiropoietos Images on May 4-6, 2010 by the ENEA Research Center in Frascati, Italy, more than one and a half years earlier! However, the original ENEA paper that was quoted in the article was in Italian. A week later, on December 20, 2011, an article titled "Turin Shroud Really Could be Christ's Burial Robe, Say Scientists," appeared in English in The Daily Telegraph, a British paper. I found out about the original news release quite early, as my mailbox suddenly filled with hundreds of e-mails from around the world, either informing me of the article or asking my opinion. I even received a physical clipping by postal mail a few days later. Over the next few days, as I watched the story get picked up by dozens more media outlets, the headlines became more and more dramatic. Sadly, they also became more and more inaccurate. I realized then I would have to speak out and have written an editorial response that summarizes what the paper actually said and addresses the various media claims that resulted from the story and the furor that resulted afterwards in the various Shroud blogs. It has never been our policy to "react" to media stories and we generally wait until the dust has settled before responding. That allows us time to hear all the varying points of view, put them into their proper perspective and address them in our response.

To that end, I have written The Shroud in the News for Christmas 2011 - An Editorial Response by Barrie Schwortz and have included it in this update. You will find links to it in all the regular places. Of course, this is an editorial and as such, expresses my personal points of view and not necessarily those of STERA, Inc. or its Board of Directors. I hope you find it helpful.

Posted January 21, 2012

British Society for the Turin Shroud (BSTS) December 2011 Newsletter + 5 Previous Issues Added

The British Society for the Turin Shroud page has been updated to include the text of the most recent issue (December 2011, No. 74) of the BSTS Newsletter. As regular website viewers already know, the newsletters always include relevant articles, book reviews, news from around the world and much more. Newsletter editor Mark Guscin (www.markguscin.com) also includes a full color, high quality photographic feature in each issue, (although we generally 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. 74 is the largest single issue in the newsletter's history and features: an article by Denis Mannix titled Shroud Image Formation: some notes on the image formation mechanism proposed by Rogers & Arnoldi, a new article by F. Curciarello, V. De Leo, G. Fazio and G. Mandaglio titled The Stochastic Mechanism That Produced the Latent Image on the Shroud of Turin, an article by Mark Guscin about The Making of a New Shroud Documentary, a fully illustrated article by A. A.M. van der Hoeven titled The Turin Shroud as John Mark’s temple garment, an article by Ian Wilson titled Geoffrey de Charny, Edward de Beaujeu and the first battle for Smyrna in 1344-5, an illustrated article by Hugh Duncan titled The Shroud Relic in Prague, an in depth review by Emanuela Marinelli of two new skeptical books by A. Nicolotti, some notes on the Shroud Exhibition in Wells and Alrewas by Brenda Benton and Juliet Faith and much more.

In addition to this excellent new issue, I am happy to report that we have added another five back issues to the archives of the BSTS Newsletter, Issues #35 through #39, dating from 1993 to 1995. We are indebted to the ongoing efforts of BSTS member Stephen Jones in Australia for doing the scanning and optical character recognition necessary to create the fully searchable pdf files you will find on our site and to Ian Wilson for recreating many of the original covers. Our goal is to archive the entire collection of back issues so that every issue ever published will be available to our readers. We hope to have this completed by the end of this year. Stephen reports that the issues from 1988 forward that detail the first reactions to the radiocarbon dating are particularly fascinating to read. Keep watching. We've only just begun!

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 usually without the photographs or illustrations.

Posted January 21, 2012

New Shroud Books

Wrapped Up In The Shroud
(Revised and updated May 13, 2020)

I am proud to announce that the Shroud Booklist and Shroud Books Online pages have been updated to include the important and anxiously anticipated book Wrapped Up In The Shroud, Chronicle of a Passion, by noted Shroud scholar (and close friend and member of STERA's Board of Directors) Joe Marino. The book was originally released in December 2011 and the revised and updated version became available on May 13, 2020 from Amazon.com. You can also click on the photo above for more detailed information about the book. Joe's contribution to Shroud scholarship spans almost 35 years, starting in the "early days" when he published and mailed a regular newsletter to Shroud researchers around the world, helping everyone stay abreast of the latest Shroud news in the days before the internet. Of course, he is best known for the important work he did with his late wife Sue Benford, that demonstrated the serious possibility that the c14 dating was skewed by an anomalous or rewoven sample. Findings that ultimately stimulated Ray Rogers to reexamine the Shroud in an effort to prove them wrong, calling them the "lunatic fringe." In the end however, Rogers findings supported their conclusions and he ended up proving they were right. Whether or not one agrees with those conclusions, without question, Joe Marino's personal passion for the subject and his many important contributions have had a significant, positive impact on the world of the Shroud for many years, and this book is truly a chronicle of that passion.



 New E-books by Helmut Felzmann

German author Helmut Felzmann, a member of the online Shroud Science Group, has announced the availability of two new e-books which are, in effect, updated versions of his 2008 book, New Light On Jesus (available as a single paperback at this link). According to the author, e-book Volume 1, titled Resurrected or Revived?, deals only with the Shroud and has two recently updated chapters. E-book Volume 2 is titled In Search of the 'Real God' and, in the author's own words, "is the result of my own spiritual struggle with the main outcome of the research, namely that as far as humanly possible to tell, Jesus survived his crucifixion." Helmut believes the Shroud is authentic but that the evidence it bears indicates Jesus was not dead when the image was formed. As you might expect, Helmut's conclusions have sparked considerable debate, and, like so many other facets of Shroud research, you will have to decide this one for yourself.


Pierre de Riedmatten, President of the French Shroud association "Montre Nous Ton Visage," (Show Us Your Face) has published a new book in French titled, Que penser de? (What about?). The book tries to answer briefly, but as accurately and objectively as possible, the questions that everyone asks about the Shroud of Turin. The 143 page book is available from bookstores or from Procure MNTV, 215, rue de Vaugirard - 75015 - Paris. I checked the association website at the above link and there was no mention of the book that I could find, so apparently it is currently not available online. (Link no longer available).



All The Diamonds In The World

Since we first went online in January 1996, it has been the policy of this website to feature and list only non-fiction books about the Shroud of Turin and not to include works of fiction that are often based only loosely on the Shroud (and of which there have been many). Over the years, there have been only two exceptions, and those were both children's books designed to teach young people about the Shroud within the context of a fictionalized story. However, all of the facts about the Shroud were correct and what was presented was completely accurate. Those books were exceptions because they were both written by noted Shroud scholars whose knowledge of the Shroud was well established by their other published non-fiction work on the subject. And such is the case with All The Diamonds In The World, by well known Shroud scholar Mark Guscin, editor of the BSTS Newsletter and member of the Centro Español de Sindonologia in Spain.. After eight history books (including several on the Sudarium of Oviedo and the Shroud and an award-winning biography of Lady Hester Stanhope written in Spanish), he has now published his first novel. The book is a fascinating blend of historical novel, thriller, love story and spiritual search for freedom. It is also available from the publisher's website, Arche Books, which includes additional information about the book.

Posted January 21, 2012

New Shroud Papers & Articles

The Website Library and Scientific Papers & Articles pages have been updated with links to several new Shroud papers that are now available online. The new articles include:

Posted January 21, 2012

Links To More Information Page Updated

I am pleased to announce that the Links To More Information page has been updated with some links to other, Shroud-related websites. Here is a list of the new additions:

Posted January 21, 2012

"International Conference on the Holy Shroud in Spain" Scheduled in Valencia 28, 29 & 30 April 2012

Valencia Conference Poster

The Centro Español de Sindonologia (CES) has recently announced their International Conference on the Holy Shroud in Spain in the city of Valencia on 28, 29 & 30 April 2012. The invited speakers include many well known Shroud researchers, like Ian Wilson, Dr. John Jackson, Barrie Schwortz, Mark Guscin and Bruno Barberis, and many others are expected. If you wish to register and attend the conference, click on the poster image above, which links directly to the English language registration page of the CES website. Of course, it is also available in the Spanish language at this link: http://sindone2012.es/formulario-de-inscripcion.php. (Link no longer available). It should be a great event and I hope to see some of you there!

Posted January 21, 2012

STERA, Inc. Flyer Available For Download in English and Spanish

 Download STERA Flyer
En Español

I am pleased to announce that we have created a new, single page flyer in pdf format for public distribution that provides an excellent overview of STERA, Inc. and its mission. We are now including a copy with every item we ship from our Website Store and with every receipt we send for charitable contributions made to STERA, Inc. I am also printing these and making them available as handouts at every lecture I give and would greatly appreciate it if the speakers on our Speakers Directory page would consider downloading, printing and distributing them at their own lectures as well. If you decide to print the flyer, set your printer to output grayscale rather than color. Otherwise, the links in the document will print in blue, which doesn't look as nice and will not be very useful to those receiving only a printed copy. Should any of our viewers with websites of their own wish to include the flyer on their site or make a link to it, please feel free to do so. You can also use the above JPEG of the flyer if you like. We would certainly appreciate everyone's participation in helping let more people know about STERA, Inc. and www.shroud.com.

Me complace anunciar que hemos elaborado un nuevo volante de una sola página en formato pdf para su distribución; proporciona una excelente visión de STERA, Inc. (Asociación de Educación e Investigación de la Sábana de Turín, Inc.) y su misión. Estamos incluyendo una copia de este volante con todos los artículos que se envían desde nuestra Tienda Web (En Inglés) y en cada recibo que enviamos por donativos hechos a STERA, Inc. También los estoy imprimiendo para ponerlos a disposición en forma de volantes en todas las conferencias que doy, y agradecería enormemente si los conferencistas en la página de nuestro Directorio de Oradores (En Inglés) consideraran la descarga, impresión y distribución de ellos en sus propias conferencias. Si decide imprimir el volante, ajuste su impresora para la salida en escala de grises en lugar de color. De lo contrario, los vínculos en el documento se imprimirán en color azul, que no se ve tan bonito y no va a ser muy útil para los que reciban sólo una copia impresa. Si alguno de nuestros visitantes a este sitio tiene su propio sitio web y lo considera conveniente puede incluir este volante en su sitio o hacer un enlace a él. Por favor siéntase en libertad de hacerlo. También puede utilizar la imagen en JPEG del volante si lo desea. Sin duda apreciaremos la participación de todos ustedes para ayudar a que más gente conozca STERA, Inc. y www.shroud.com.

Posted January 21, 2012
Updated August 26, 2012

The Shroud Blogs

Over the past few years the internet has continued to evolve and blogs have now become an important part of the internet landscape. Of course, having a blog, particularly on such a controversial topic as the Shroud of Turin, comes with its own special problems. The blog host is forced to create filters to avoid spam or foul language, but still has to carefully monitor what is posted every day (or every hour?) to insure that nothing offensive shows up on the page. Frankly, shroud.com was created to provide a resource of reliable information about the Shroud and not to provide a forum for the opinions of the general public or to react to news stories about the Shroud. We generally will wait for the media dust to settle before commenting on any news stories and we usually do that in the form of an editorial. (See above). Trust that we still receive plenty of e-mails from people out there that have their own opinions or agendas, which of course, they have every right to have. It's just that such commentary is best reserved for a blog and not for the kind of website we publish.

So I am very grateful to those who have taken up the task of providing such a forum for the public and wanted to provide you with links to some of the more extensive and successful blogs. This is by no means a complete list of what is available, but these are several of the largest blogs out there:

Posted January 21, 2012

Upcoming Shroud Lectures

Viewers often write me asking where and when I might be giving Shroud presentations. Since this year is shaping up to be the busiest I have ever had, I thought I would publish my upcoming schedule in case I happen to be in your area. If so, please drop by and say hello.

Posted January 21, 2012
Updated May 30, 2012

News From STERA, Inc.

On December 18, 2011 STERA, Inc. held its annual Board of Directors meeting. The first item on the agenda was a presentation of the first draft of STERA, Inc.'s official access policy that will establish the procedure to eventually allow qualified researchers direct physical access to various STERA materials. Board member Bill Meacham created the first draft and the board members will now review it and make any necessary corrections or additional suggestions. These will be compiled into what will become our "official" policy and voted on by the Board of Directors at our next meeting, to be held in July or August 2012. Once formalized, a set of STERA, Inc. Access Guidelines will be published on the website.

Next on the agenda was an update on the STERA, Inc., archiving project. We currently hold the collections of a number of STURP team members and other noted Shroud researchers, including Ray Rogers, Bob Dinegar, Mark Evans, William Mottern, Jean Lorre and Rev. Albert "Kim" Dreisbach, Jr. among others, and our goal is to digitally archive all of those materials and ultimately make them available on shroud.com. This was followed by a comprehensive report on our end-of-year fundraising efforts.

We then discussed the design and use of the new STERA, Inc. Flyer, which is now available as a free download to the general public as part of today's update (see above). This was followed by a review of the changes being made to the design and navigation of the website that would comprise this, our 16th anniversary "facelift." Finally, I presented our 2011 Financial Report, after which the meeting was adjourned.

Posted January 21, 2012

The Next Update

With my extremely busy schedule of traveling and lecturing about to begin, the next update will probably not go online until the end of July or early August. Of course, if any major news breaks, I will inform our Subscriber list first and get it onto the site as soon thereafter as possible. If you have not yet done so, you can quickly and easily become a 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. And finally, thank you for your continued support and patronage. It is truly appreciated. See you later this year!

Barrie Schwortz
Posted January 21, 2012

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