I fully believed that this question would be asked of me many times from the inception of this website. To the contrary, I have received an amazing and overwhelming response of gratitude, awe, and renewed faith by many. The most rewarding response has come from those seeking and wishing to believe. Equally impressive have been the messages from young people, some who were not aware of the existence of the Shroud Of Turin, and who have asked to share this website with their church youth groups ... as well as with their friends. Here is an example:

"Dear Carole~ I have viewed your site about our holy Lord. I wish to display a link to your site on my webpage. I have many friends that need God in their lives and I think that if they read your page then they will see what they are missing out on. I am 13 years old. From Augusta, Kansas. And I am a devout Christian." - Alicia

And to this end is my purpose.

I took a giant leap of faith in my decision to make the Shroud my focus on this website because I, along with millions of others, including many researchers, believe in it's authenticity as the actual burial cloth of our Lord Jesus Christ. This linen cloth is most likely the most sacred relic this world possesses.

For too long, scientific analysis, testing, and debates have undercut the true purpose and reverence of the Shroud. In my studies, I found such a roller coaster of theories, conclusions, etc, that I finally decided that the true beauty of the Shroud lies in it's simplicity and serenity. All it asks of you is your logical mind, your heart and a little knowledge of the Bible. The face alone is majestic in it's silent, peaceful countenance, as opposed to the brutal and painful cruelty inflicted upon the body.

The scientific evidence speaks for itself and certainly matches the wounds to the weapons to the Word. Pollen, flower images, and other findings have, without doubt, placed the Shroud in Jerusalem, most likely in the 1st century. All circumstances on the cloth are unique only to those of Jesus' crucifixion. That, coupled with the Sudarium Christi (head cloth) matching the blood clotting and blood-type on the Shroud, I think it doesn't take a rocket-scientist to figure out (though some have tried!) ... that 1 + 1 = 2.

I do have the utmost respect and gratitude to all the researchers who have poured their hearts and souls into studies of the Shroud ... some for decades. Without them, we would not know many of the facts we do today. God Bless them, one and all.

Yes, unfortunately, there are the nay-sayers, basically non-believers anyway, who do not even believe in the historicity of Jesus. There are a few who have gone to great lengths to try to disprove that the Shroud is, indeed, the burial cloth of Jesus, albeit with flimsy theories contrary to the overwhelming evidence in favor of the Shroud's authenticity. There are a few books out there not even worth the paper they are printed on, that, not only assault your sensibilities, but insult your intelligence with "theories" of blunt absurdity... so ridiculous that I will not waste space on this site ... for they are simply not credible. But, remember, nay-sayers and nonbelievers go back a long way. They also frustrated and grieved a man named Jesus 2000 years ago, and they continue today. All we can do is pray for them, as did our Lord.

As a young child, I remember seeing the face on the Shroud and announcing that it was Jesus. That was LLLOOONNNGGG before the 1978 research team studies in Turin, Italy. How my child-mind recognized the face of Jesus, I cannot say, but I believe it is an inborn "knowledge" that we all have. It is not until we become adults that our minds must know the whys and wherefore and, consequently, become too fragmented, clogged, and foggy to recognize a simple Truth when we see it.

This is what I believe Jesus meant, in part, when He urged "peace" upon people ... and to be as "little children". He raised Lazarus from the dead and I'm sure there were some adult onlookers who stood there trying to make human sense of it, with their mouths hanging open, and uttering, "Huh"? Whereas, a modern-day child, having witnessed such a miracle, would simply say "Wow ... That's cool"!

Well, I want them to continue saying that and to claim Jesus as their own ... because He is! Now, if seeing that He supernaturally left His image on the Shroud ... as in the actual Resurrection ... then they are finding that to be equally "cool"... and that is what this website is all about ... whether we are young children ... or old children. It is simple acceptance.

"Awesome" is the word I keep reading in my emails and guestbook. Good ... because it IS awesome. Sometimes, we all need a little boost of inspiration ... such as a miracle before our eyes, to renew a lagging, depressed, and anxiety-ridden spirit. As the daughter of an earthly magician and escape artist, I have witnessed many minor miracles ... and smiles in children who were blind or crippled ... That story will be found soon in my "Memoirs".

How "awesome" it must have been to have seen Jesus at work. Being born too late, we don't have that opportunity. Or do we? Jesus must have known that future generations would yearn for some form of personal acquaintance with Him. Someone foresaw this because there is a Shroud that bears His most horrific and personal earthly experience. Could it be that Jesus, Himself, gave instructions for the preservation of His burial cloth?

Many books have been written about the Shroud Of Turin, so that is not my intent here. However, the basis of my intention is that I know that Jesus deeply wanted us to BELIEVE. All that He did was for that sole purpose. According to the Scriptures, it seemed so very important to Him that His disciples believe in His Resurrection. Even after He had risen, some of them still doubted because He had shown Himself in different forms. He scolded them severely: "Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen" (Mark 16:14). And then Luke tells us: "And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and sayeth unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. (Luke 24:26-40).

It was obviously apparent to Jesus that we humans often need tangible reinforcement ... not of faith ... but of acquaintance and familiarity. His disciples were no exception, and they HAD known Him personally. It boggles the mind to imagine their confusion and grief in not recognizing His other appearances to them. It was still difficult for them to believe, even after all that they had witnessed ... and yet, each of them would believe enough to go on and preach the Gospel in His name, willingly sacrificing their own lives for that cause! If that isn't belief and faith, I don't know what is. And yet ... they had to be "shown".

Our Lord knew that then ... and He knows it now. So, could it be that He purposely left us ... not an icon ... but an actual part of His Resurrection? The care and preservation of the Shroud over all these centuries certainly indicates a holiness that is deserving of such protection. The fact that the Shroud is still with us, is, in itself, a miracle. The appearance of an unexplained image of a crucified man, matching all unique aspects of our Lord's crucifixion (and more) ... is the greatest miracle of all.

So, why the Shroud? Because it's here ... and because I think it's meaning has been overlooked and diminished by analysis, debate and skepticism. I believe the truth of it's purpose ... to show us the horrendous details of what happened ... as well as the proof of Resurrection ... and that Jesus wanted us to know ... is long overdue. This is a visual gospel that cannot be ignored. It is HIS gospel. I cannot help but believe that our Lord is leading us in the right direction ... to the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Lead on, Dear Lord ... lead on.

Carole