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OUR STORY
Othonia began with one dedicated man.
Fr. Hector Guerra was a Catholic priest with the Legionaries of Christ. He had a deep passion for the Shroud of Turin. He dreamed of establishing exhibits about the Shroud around the world.
Thanks to Fr. Guerra’s efforts, the first exhibit opened in 2006 at the Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem.
In 2009, Fr. Guerra founded Othonia with Fr. Rafael Pascual of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome. They envisioned Othonia as a hub for promoting education, research, and discussion about the Shroud.
Father Rafael Pascual lc
Father Rafael Pascual took over responsibility for Othonia after Father Guerra’s passing and created the Othonia Research Group at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum (APRA), a university in Rome.
Fr. Pascual serves as the Director of Othonia which is an international association and research center dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and dissemination of knowledge related to the Shroud of Turin. He established the Postgraduate Diploma in Shroud Studies offered by the Science and Faith Institute in collaboration with Othonia.
Making a global impact
Othonia grew steadily. We opened new exhibits around the world, and held retreats and symposiums. We partnered with sindonologists like Giuseppe Ghiberti, Gianfranco Berbenni, and the late Barrie Schwortz.
In 2024, “Who is the Man of the Shroud” was a featured exhibit at the National Eucharistic Congress in the United States.
Today, Othonia connects people around the world in a global Shroud apostolate.
Help Othonia Grow
The digital age has opened up new ways to engage with the Shroud. Be part of our mission to share it with the world.