St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church, Hamilton, will display a life-sized replica of the Shroud of Turin for Christian faithful of all denominations from Feb. 15 through 28. Veneration of the shroud is open to the public from 6 to 9 p.m. each evening.

The 14’ x 3.5’ shroud, one of only nine authentic replicas of the original now residing in Turin, was commissioned by Pope Benedict XVI and gifted to Archbishop Stefan Soroka of the Ukrainian Archdiocese of Philadelphia for display in his Philadelphia cathedral.

According to tradition, the 14-foot-by-4-foot Shroud of Turin is claimed to be the actual “clean linen cloth” in which Joseph of Arimathea wrapped the body of Jesus (Matthew 27:59). The authenticity of the original shroud is taken for granted in various pronouncements of the Holy See and is stored in a special reliquary in a chapel behind the altar in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

The shroud to be displayed in Hamilton is very unique, explained St. Josaphat Church administrator Father Taras Lonchyna. “It is the replica of a crucified man in the Jewish burial tradition. You can see all the signs of Jesus on this shroud: the nail wounds and the 120 scourging marks,” he noted. “It is a full size burial cloth of a five foot, 10 inch man who was crucified.”

Father Lonchyna invited Catholics and people of all Christian faiths to venerate the shroud during the display period. “You realize how much the Lord suffered for us,” he said. St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church is located at 1195 Deutz Avenue, Hamilton. A service in Ukrainian or English may be celebrated on any exposition evening at 7 p.m.

For further information, or to schedule a parish or school group, contact Father Taras Lonchyna at 609-695-3771.