NOTE: There are errors of fact in the quoted text below, that I copied directly from the church bulletin published on e-churchbulletins.com and reported out by Yahoo News, Google, and other search engines. I spoke to John Jackson this morning. He never was a lapsed Catholic, as Mons. Mitas wrote. I’m not sure that what is written about Barrie Schwortz (misspelled by Mons. Mitas) is correct either. I’m sure, as a read, the text, that the parish pastor intended to be laudatory.
John Jackson has subsequently written to me so that I may post the following:
I have been a Catholic man all of my life and am proud to be so. I, therefore, do not understand why I was characterized as a “lapsed Catholic” on this blog and personally reject such a characterization.
I have removed the factually incorrect text from the second paragraph and inserted ellipsis. I am unable to correct the source document and I would hope that it will be corrected by an official of St Angela Merici Church in Florissant. Otherwise it remains on the Internet, as is. When I read the words of a parish priest in a church bulleting who also writes that he has known John Jackson for several years, I took him at his word and assumed that he knew the facts. Moreover, I am certain he DID NOT mean to sound derogatory. And I don’t think he does. I’m sorry this caused so much consternation.
On October 9-12, our archdiocese is going to receive a special treat. The international Shroud of Turin convention will take place in our own back yard. In 1978, a team of A-list scientists was given total access to this holy relic, long believed to the actual linen cloth in which the dead Body of our Savior was wrapped after He was taken down from the Cross. The team comprised believers, non-believers, anti-believers, skeptics, Christians, Jews, and just about any other kind of faith, agnosticism, or disbelief there is. But they were all true scientists, i.e., they were open-minded when it came to the facts and were willing to let the facts speak for themselves and present them in a disinterested, but forthright, manner.
Heading the team was Dr. John Jackson . . . and his head imaging expert and photographer was Baruch (Barrie) Schwartz . . . Both . . . dedicated their lives to the study and promotion of the Shroud, and both are coming to St. Louis to make presentations on the latest research concerning the Shroud (including the “de-bunking” of the Shroud by the bogus carbon-14 test made a few years ago).
I’ve known Dr. Jackson for several years (and his wife, Rebecca, a Jew who came into the Church because of the Shroud) and met Barrie Schwartz on my recent trip to Colorado (he lives in the other Florissant, the one in Colorado). (I understand that there are only two cities on earth named Florissant.) Both men are faith-filled, exceedingly knowledgeable, and engaging in their presentations. They will be joined by other experts, too, so it should be a great weekend! I’ll give you more details as it draws closer.