A journey of nearly a year and a half is coming to fruition for filmmaker and author Robert Orlando – an endeavor that explores the story of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection from a new perspective.
With the September release of his book “The Shroud: Face to Face” and following film documentary of the same name in December, Orlando has examined the Shroud of Turin from a true crime angle, consulting both biblical texts and subject matter experts – as well as traveling to Italy and the Holy Land – to help shed new light on the mystery.
Related: Talking Catholic Podcast welcomes Shroud experts
On Sept. 22 from 7-9 p.m. in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, Diocese of Trenton, Orlando will sign copies of his book, and share a substantial excerpt from the documentary film and a discussion with Shroud expert and film consultant Father Andrew Dalton, a priest of the Legionaries of Christ and assistant professor of theology at the Pontifical Anthenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome. Orlando introduced a shorter excerpt of his documentary in June at St. Paul Parish, Princeton, where he has been a parishioner for 15 years.
“This is a compelling and convincing account of the single most fascinating relic in the Christian world,” said Bishop Robert Barron, Bishop of Winona-Rochester, Minn., who reviewed the book. “This is for anyone seeking to understand the significance and history of the Shroud of Turin.”
President of Nexus Media, Orlando is known for other films including “The Divine Plan,” “Apostle Paul: The Final Days” and many others. This new first-person narrative from his home base of Princeton tells the story of the Shroud – the large burial cloth emblazoned with the image of a crucified man, believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus – which he began to research following the sudden loss of his father on Christmas Eve 2021.
“I decided to slow down my career and life direction to reflect more on what matters, and as part of this search, I wanted to investigate my faith further,” he recalled. “Simultaneously, I had a network executive and film producer ask me if I ever thought of working on the subject of the Shroud.” It sparked his curiosity, and Orlando began learning more, including visiting the Shroud Center in California.
“Seeing the Shroud in backlit panels was more of an encounter,” he said. “I knew the Scriptures and the writers’ testimony, but never thought there might be a modern piece of evidence to open the forensic side of Christianity. If the Shroud could be plausible evidence … the older way of viewing Jesus would need to be revisited and possibly reconsidered.”
His research eventually put him in touch with Father Dalton, who in addition to his philosophy and theology degrees, also holds a postgraduate certificate in Shroud studies and has lectured about it worldwide and online.
Following the St. Paul’s presentation, Orlando continued film production at Princeton Theological Seminary, from which he will graduate in 2024 with a master’s degree in cultural and religious studies, to consult with biblical studies experts there.
“My method has various phases, which begin with a great deal of research, and I find the key experts to help develop my arguments,” Orlando said of the book and film. “I was telling the story of the Shroud but placed it distinctively in the context of my biblical studies, so the list of Bible experts on the project is bar none.”
Further research took him in July to Jerusalem to walk the Via Dolorosa – the path Jesus walked to Calvary – and to Torino, Italy, where more filming took place.
“There is a long, contentious conversation between those who want to do further testing [on the cloth] and those who wish to preserve the sacred linen,” he noted. “In 1988, the Shroud of Turin Research Project determined the date and the falsity of the Shroud, but many have since refuted its results. Also, new approaches to testing have surpassed carbon dating … and the research and testing will open again.”
Having worked more than 25 years in film and digital media, Orlando knew well the impact of logos and icons on evoking associations – but he didn’t fully appreciate religious articles’ similar impact until he encountered the Shroud.
“A picture is [worth] a thousand words, and my encounter with the Shroud was worth a million words,” he said. “The Shroud could be a modern logo that would capture the same impact as the Cross. I don’t want to predict how my audience might think or feel, but they will know they are undoubtedly experiencing something new and exciting, hopefully equally inspiring.”
St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral is located at 61 Georgia Road, Freehold. For more information, visit theshroudfilm.com.
EmmaLee Italia is a contributing editor with The Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton.
Coming Up
Check out the Sept. 18 episode of the Talking Catholic podcast, as Robert Orlando and Father Andrew Dalton visit with cohosts from the Dioceses of Camden and Trenton to discuss the Shroud of Turin.
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