From Christ's Tomb to Berks County, Pa!

By Joe Tevington

07/15/2025 • View profile

The shrine of Saint Padre Pio in Basto, Pa is now home to an image and relic of the face cloth from Christ's tomb. We were in Basto today for its enthronement (cf, National Centre for Padre Pio, 7/15/25).

On the first day of the week,

Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,

while it was still dark, &

saw the stone removed from the tomb.

So she ran & went to Simon Peter &

to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,

“They have taken the Lord from the tomb, &

we don’t know where they put Him.”

So Peter & the other disciple went out & came to the tomb.

They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter &

arrived at the tomb first;

he bent down & saw the burial cloths there,

but did not go in.

When Simon Peter arrived after him,

he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, &

the cloth that had covered His head,

not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.

(John 20: 1-9)

Way back in 2013, my wife and I were in the studio for an EWTN Live on the Shroud of Turin. We are among the many who believe the scientific that it is the "burial cloths" of Christ (We were blessed to see it in 2015!):

At least since seeing The Holy Face of Mannopello relic (The World Over, 7/3/14), I believe with Bishop Alfred Schlert that it is "the cloth that had covered His head" in the tomb

"In 1963, Padre Pro said that the Holy Face of Manoppello is 'the greatest miracle that we have.' Padre Pro bilocated on the morning before his death in 1968 to pray before the image of the Holy Face in Manoppello. It was his last known occurrence of bilocation during his lifetime" (from the Mass program, 7/15/25)

During our 2017 Holy Land pilgrimage, we were blessed to step inside Christ's tomb, itself:

Volto Santo | Padre Domenico
https://www.padredomenico.org/volto-santo

Love letters from Christ
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RC3JC2AOCD155?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp

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About the Author

Joe Tevington

Joe Tevington is a proudly orthodox Catholic, a husband since 1986, a dad to two adult children, a grandpa to two, and a civil service retiree. He is a sign language fluent certified rehabilitation counselor with graduate degrees in deafness rehabilitation, religious studies/moral theology, & Christian counseling psychology, as well as a catechetical diploma and certificates in benefits planning and Catholic social ministry. He deeply appreciates Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of the transmission of human life, as well as how they are to inform us in our apostolates and ministries.

On much lighter notes, he fancies himself to be the foremost authority on his native Brooklyn, when it comes to architecture, cinema, geography, history, Italian food, stick ball, stoop ball, or wiffle ball.

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