History of the Holy Shroud Guild
Rev. Adam Otterbein, C.Ss.R.
September 8, 1982

Father William Barry C.Ss.R. studied and earned a degree in Sacred Scripture in Rome. During his studies he became friendly with an English priest who told him about the Shroud of Turin and suggested a visit to Turin when Father Barry was en route back to the states. Father Barry visited Turin, said Mass at the Shroud altar in the Cathedral and met Comm. Enrie who photographed the Shroud in 1931. Enrie gave Father Barry a set of 3 x 4 glass slides of the shroud pictures. He returned to Esopus and began to teach Sacred Scripture.

Some time later Father Edward Wuenschel, C.Ss.R. read an article on the Shroud and became interested. When Father Barry quietly mentioned that he had met Enrie and had slides, Father Wuenschel borrowed the slides and his interest in the Shroud lead to the publication by Father Wuenschel of a lengthy article in 1935 in the American Ecclesiastical Review. During the next ten years Father Wuenschel did extensive research on the subject. He corresponded with Enrie and Paul Vignon, who had begun the scientific investigation of the Shroud after Pia Segunda's photograph in 1898.

In 1946 Father Wuenschel published two articles in Biblical Studies. These articles were the result of extensive research into the Biblical aspect of the Passion according to all four of the Evangelists, burial customs, and the Shroud of Turin. He was assisted in these studies by Father Louis Hartman, C.Ss.R. and Father William Barry, C.Ss.R. The articles were important because they pointed out that there is no necessary contradiction between the Gospel accounts and the Shroud, nor between true historical Jewish burial customs of Christ's time.

In 1950 Father Wuenschel was appointed Director of the Schola Alfonsiana in Rome. Before going to Rome he asked Father Adam J. Otterbein, C.Ss.R. to continue his work of making the Shroud known in America. Father Otterbein first became interested in the Shroud when as a student in 1938 Father Wuenschel asked Frater Otterbein to make some photographic copies of the Shroud photographs. Father Wuenschel directed Father Otterbein's doctoral dissertation and when Father Otterbein joined the faculty at Esopus his interest in the Shroud increased by the research of Father Wuenschel, Barry and Hartman. Father Wuenschel shared with Father Otterbein his correspondence with Enrie and Vignon. Hence it was natural that when Father Wuenschel went to Rome, he asked Father Otterbein to continue his work.

With the aid of Father James Galvin, Father Otterbein published a pamphlet which he had asked Father Wuenschel to write. Later he requested Father Wuenschel to expand the pamphlet and they published Self Portrait of Christ. Interest in America increased and Father Otterbein asked Very Rev. John Sephton, C.Ss.R. for permission to become affiliated with the International Center in Turin. The first step was approval by the local Ordinary. Hence, Father Sephton requested Francis Cardinal Spellman to canonically erect the Holy Shroud Guild at Esopus, New York. The Guild was then affiliated with the Center in Turin in 1951.

Two years later Father Otterbein was relieved of his teaching duties in order that he might devote full time to research and propagation of correct information about the Shroud with special emphasis on an aspect which was truly Redemptoristic -- the Passion of Christ.

For several years Father Otterbein spread information by newspaper articles, lectures, television programs, and a thirty minute film, which was distributed by a commercial company. He also endeavored to promote research by contacting scholars and scientists -- Eastman Kodak Company, New York City Police Crime Lab, Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, D.C., etc. Meanwhile he kept contact with Father Wuenschel who visited the United States occasionally.

In 1962 Father Otterbein was assigned to Philadelphia to promote devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help by preaching novenas. Several years later he was assigned to help Father Francis Litz, C.Ss.R., Vice-Postulator for the cause of Bishop John Nupomucene Neumann. During all these years however, he maintained his interest and contacts he had made for Shroud matters, since he was re-appointed by the Archbishop of New York as President of the Holy Shroud Guild. In 1970 Father Otterbein was appointed Secretary of the Baltimore Province. It was shortly thereafter that Captain John Jackson contacted him about the Shroud of Turin. Jackson had read a book on the Shroud by John Walsh and since Jackson was engaged in the study and interpretation of pictures sent back by satellite of the moon and Mars, he was curious about what the result would be were he to study pictures of the Shroud with the same equipment. We agreed to send Jackson one of the Enrie glass slides. That was the beginning of the American scientific investigation of the Shroud. Jackson interested his friend, Captain Eric Jumper, and they consulted other scientists. Then they made their famous discovery of a 3-D characteristic of the Shroud photo. Just as the variation in densities in pictures from the moon indicated the height of mountains and the depth of craters, so the variation of densities in the photographs of the Shroud indicated the variation in distance between the Shroud cloth and the object (body) that produced the image on the Shroud. Vignon suspected this in 1902. Jackson and Jumper proved it with the aid of space age equipment.

Many more scientists became interested and finally Jackson and Jumper asked the Holy Shroud Guild to sponsor a Scientific Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico in March, 1977. The Conference increased interest and resulted in a suggested program of scientific tests. In September, 1977, the Holy Shroud Guild took a group of scientists to Turin where they presented their proposed program of tests with the hope that permission would be given for the tests during 1978, the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Shroud in Turin. Approval was given in April, 1978 and the American scientists quickly organized a non-profit corporation, worked out details for the tests, borrowed and brought about $100,000 worth of equipment.

The Shroud was on public exposition in Turin from August 26 to September 8. On September 29 the group of about 32 American scientists arrived in Turin with 70 crates of sophisticated equipment. They were allowed to examine and photograph the Shroud from 12:00 a.m. on Sunday until 10 p.m. on Friday -- more than 96 hours. They returned to the U.S. with so much data that they are still working to reduce the data and to test it by experiments. They have published some articles but only in recognized scientific journals. They are now preparing to publish a report on their work.

The Holy Shroud Guild was greatly impressed by an appreciative of the willingness of Archbishop Ballestrero to permit the tests in 1978 in spite of some opposition. The scientists were most impressed by his insistence that the results of the tests need not be submitted to him for approval but could be published without any Nihil Obstat from him. As a result the officers of the Holy Shroud Guild felt it would be most fitting that the scientists should, out of courtesy and as a token of appreciation, report to the Archbishop, at least in general non-technical language, the results of their work during the past two years. Hence an offer was made by the Guild to STURP (Shroud of Turin Research Corporation) to bring a representative of STURP to Turin to inform the Cardinal. The offer was accepted and two representatives, Dr. Larry Schwalbe and Dr. John Jackson, were chosen. Father Otterbein, the President of the Holy Shroud Guild and Father Peter Rinaldi, the Vice-President of the Guild, accompanied them. They were joined by two Italian members of STURP, Dr. L. Gonella and Dr. G. Riggi.

The Archbishop, Cardinal Ballestrero, graciously granted the group an hour and a half to make a presentation and to discuss the results. The scientists were greatly encouraged by the Archbishop's interest and as a result of the discussion obtained a better understanding and insight into his attitude towards tests, past and future. They also feel that the Archbishop now has a better understanding of the quality of the research which has been done in America and of the reasons why the Americans have not published results in the popular press, but want to publish in recognized scientific journals in order to establish credibility in the scientific world.

From Turin the group returned to Rome where we attended the fateful audience of Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981. This was the very day of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II. We were scheduled to be introduced to the Pope after the audience and had prepared a few photographs to present to the Pope. Unfortunately we never got the chance to meet the Pope but we had applied and did receive a special blessing from the Pope on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the canonical erection of the Holy Shroud Guild in the Archdiocese of New York. Incidentally, Cardinal Cooke recently renewed the appointment of the Executive Council and officers of the Guild for another two years.

From Rome we went to Cascais, Portugal where we met with the Former King of Italy, Umberto II, who still legally owns the Shroud of Turin. He was very interested in the briefing about the scientific research done by the American scientists. King Umberto recalled his meeting with Father Otterbein, author John Walsh, and publisher Bennet Cerf in New York about 1963. We expressed our appreciation to the King for his permission and cooperation in making the tests possible in 1978 and we assured him that all information would be published and made available to all, especially to scientists throughout the world.

When I returned to the U.S. I learned that interested was still running high in the Photographic Exhibit at Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara, CA. The dates were extended from June 15 to September 6. When I visited the Exhibit again on August 14-20, I learned that they had more than 45,000 visitors.

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