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Fidelity & ExcellenceThomas Aquinas College is unique among American colleges and universities, offering a faithfully Catholic education comprised entirely of the Great Books and classroom discussions.
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What Can You Do with a Liberal Education?Nothing speaks more to the versatility of the College’s academic program than the good that our alumni are doing throughout the Church and the world.
Students Attend Shroud of Turin Presentation
In the final days of Lent, students at Thomas Aquinas College, New England, were blessed to learn about the Shroud of Turin from expert Patrick Riley.
“The Shroud is not necessary for belief, but it can powerfully deepen our understanding of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection.”
A volunteer lecturer for Othonia International, Mr. Riley gave not one but two talks on the precious relic. “Weekends are often busy on campus, with work study, homework and recreation,” said Career Coordinator Emily (Barry ’11) Sullivan. “We’re especially grateful to Mr. Riley for giving his presentation twice so that as many students as possible could attend.”
The presentation was titled “The Shroud of Turin: Medieval Forgery or the Burial Cloth of Jesus Christ?” The relic, an 8-foot strip of linen with the imprint of a man’s body on it, is said to be the cloth Jesus’s burial garment. It is not a painting, nor made with any type of pigment. The image is burned into the fabric itself, creating a photographic negative. “This is a photo of Jesus,” Mr. Riley impressed upon the attendees. “This is the face of Our Lord.”
Mr. Riley, who is enrolled in the postgraduate Shroud Studies Program at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, has spent years learning about the Shroud. Drawing from both science and Scripture, he walked his audience through the most up-to-date findings on the relic’s authenticity. He presented compelling data from forensic pathology, textile analysis, and radiographic imaging, highlighting evidence of scourge marks, bloodstains consistent with crucifixion wounds, and pollen grains native to the Holy Land. He also addressed the 1988 carbon-dating results, which famously suggested a medieval origin. “Those tests were taken from a contaminated corner of the Shroud,” Mr. Riley explained, “a portion likely repaired during the Middle Ages. Carbon dating can be an excellent tool for dating artifacts, but in this case, it was not reliable.”
The audience listened with rapt attention as Mr. Riley emphasized the convergence of faith and reason, noting that while the Church does not declare the Shroud to be a verified miracle, it nonetheless invites the faithful to contemplate its mystery. “The Shroud is not necessary for belief,” he said, “but it can powerfully deepen our understanding of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection.”