Joseph G. Marino, in
Wrapped Up in the Shroud: Chronicle of a Passion (revised and updated from the 2011 original version), recounts his youthful life focused somewhat aimlessly on sports, followed by a growing interest in religion and eventually, the Shroud of Turin. Out of this arose a sense of purpose that drew him to a profession as a Catholic monk. Through his all-absorbing interest in the Shroud, he met a beautiful young woman equally entranced by the enigmatic cloth and made the gut-wrenching decision to leave religious life to be with her.
Working together, Mr. Marino and his wife, M. Sue Benford, co-authored several articles postulating a medieval re-weave as the probable cause of the unexpected and aberrant medieval date of the l988 radiocarbon testing. Their hypothesis was confirmed by a Los Alamos chemist, the late Raymond N. Rogers, who published his findings in a peer-reviewed academic journal.
The memoir takes a poignant turn when Benford is diagnosed with a fast-growing cancer.
Providing a valuable bonus for serious devotee of the Shroud, Marino makes available for the first time, much significant previously unpublished material, including private correspondence from several key Shroud scientists, including Rogers and the infamous skeptic, the late Walter McCrone.
