Salì sul tramonto "luce vera, quella che illumina ogni uomo"
Reviewed by Antonio Bini
Available at the Souvenir shop of the Shrine and online: https://www.souvenirvoltosanto.com/product/libro-sali-sul-tramonto-di-suor-blandina-paschalis-schlomer/
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| Sr. Blandina Paschalis Schlömer (photo by Antonio Bini) |
In the Jubilee year, the first book in Italian by the scholar of the Holy Face
As Fr. Carmine Cucinelli, long-time rector of the Shrine of Manoppello, explains in the introduction, the book is the first published in Italian by Sr. Blandina Paschalis Schlömer and follows previous publications on the Holy Face published in recent years by the nun from Germany in German, English, French and Polish.
It is, however, a completely new book, apart from some brief initial references to testimonies expressed in 1999 by Fr. Heinrich Pfeiffer, who recognized that the research of Sr. Blandina constituted "a sure foundation" for subsequent investigations on the Holy Face, and by Fr. Andrea Resch, the first scholar to favor the publication of her studies.
An eagerly awaited book, of 354 pages, with a complex layout, especially for the vast iconographic store consisting of 126 illustrations, twenty tables and an appendix of images on transparent slides of the Shroud, the Holy Face and the bloody Sudarium of Oviedo which, in superimposition, allow the evocative personal experience of seeing a single face. A further slide guides the reader to the points of congruence.
The work is composed of various sections, characterized by frequent biographical references, in which the scholar traces her relationship with the Holy Face which began progressively, after an initial refusal, in the years 1979-1980, once she became aware of the existence of another face, in addition to the Shroud, which she had previously studied.
The Trappist nun, a graduate in pharmacy and scholar of Christian iconography, sensed that the face of the Shroud and that of the Holy Face, representations of the death and resurrection of Christ, although apparently distant from each other, could be superimposed, with increasingly detailed research, leading to the conclusion that it must be a single face.
A unique circumstance as confirmed by the archbishop of the diocese of Chieti-Vasto, the theologian Bruno Forte, in one of his contributions in the book.
However, these results have not always been accepted in past years, as they challenged established beliefs.
Sr. Blandina admits that even in her convent "a growing misunderstanding" emerged. A situation that led her to ask to be assigned to the monastery of Helfta, then in the process of being refounded, a highly symbolic place, as that convent is linked to the lives of St. Gertrude and St. Matilda of Hackeborn, united by their special veneration of the Holy Face. In 2003 she had the opportunity to return to Italy, to Manoppello, where various circumstances convinced her to stay forever.
At first it was not easy, she recalls, including due to her lack of knowledge of the Italian language, but she remembers how she was spontaneously helped by some people from the village, who found her accommodation in an isolated farmhouse, in the hills, near the Shrine. I remember that a stable with two pigs continued to operate, and was later transformed into a small chapel, a place of prayer and meditation. Today, thanks also to the support of a German patron devoted to the Holy Face, the area has been expanded, with a larger chapel and meeting places, becoming an oasis of spirituality in the greenery , which is also the headquarters of the Association of Our Lady of the Holy Face, which supported the publication. From the window of her study, surrounded by numerous images of the Holy Face, her gaze is constantly turned towards the Shrine.
There are many individuals and groups who, arriving at the Shrine of Manoppello, also go to the hermitage to meet Sr. Blandina, well known among Italian and foreign scholars, especially after the historic visit of Benedict XVI.
A section of the book contains the exposition of various considerations expressed by physicians. A first "consultation" was promoted by Sr. Blandina, which in 2011 involved some Austrian and German doctors with different specializations: Elisabeth Koch (Austria), Harald and Maria Keller (Germany), Bertha Vera Wahrmann (Germany), Rudolf Tielsch (Austria), Cornelia Wehr (Austria), Ute Stass (Germany).
During 2012 a group of doctors from Chieti, encouraged by Mons. Bruno Forte, archbishop of Chieti-Vasto, met several times in Manoppello, deepening the mystery of the Holy Face. These are their names: Lucia Marcone, Luciano Paolo Marchionno, Piero Scipione, Francesco Galluppi, Pasquale Capone, Marina Di Cesare. On this occasion, Fr. Ceslao Gadacz, then a member of the friary of the Shrine, participated wholeheartedly in the work, taking care of the creation of several videos in which images of the meetings and reflections expressed by the doctors were collected. Their consultation is facilitated with access via QR-code reported in the book.
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| Photo taken at a recent gathering of the Italian doctors who collaborated with Sr. Blandina on a section of the book (Photo by Antonio Bini) |
In the final elaboration of the contents, Sr. Blandina involved Dr. Francesca Esposito for an updated recognition of the scientific interpretations collected in past years.
The German scholar explains that the delay with which these studies are made public is due to her only recently acquired mastery of the Italian language, which has allowed her to finally consider the relevance of the doctors' theses, long kept in a drawer.
There is no shortage of references to other important research, such as those carried out by Prof. Pietro Baraldi in 2007, using Raman 2 laser technology, never previously disclosed, or regarding her intuition of marine byssus, which she shared and developed with the writer Paul Badde, confirmed by Chiara Vigo, the last expert master of the so-called sea silk, who lives on the island of Sant'Antioco. Also worth mentioning are various historical-artistic references to Veronica, which lead back to the Holy Face. Among these, the case of the altarpiece of the Holy Face-Veronica by Ugo da Carpi, examined very closely during the exhibition in the artist’s hometown in 2024, five centuries after its creation, commissioned by Pope Clement VII for the Jubilee of 1525.
Finally, it is necessary to refer to the title of the book, with which the author recalls the words of Pope St. Gregory the Great “he rose above the sunset because by rising again he trampled on the death he had endured”, an image that exhorts us to recognize Jesus in his resurrection, a perspective that constitutes the perennial horizon of Sister Blandina's mission, in continuity with what was the prophetic thought expressed by Fr. Domenico da Cese, a charismatic Capuchin, whose beatification she hopes to be able to attend, who affirmed with conviction of the Holy Face: "This is the face of the Risen One".
The important work constitutes, in the hopes of the author herself, who has dedicated her life to the Holy Face, an opportunity for scholars and devotees eager to delve into the complex material and spiritual reality of the veil of Manoppello. Knowing her, we can say that even at 82 years of age her research certainly does not end with this book.
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| Back Cover of Sr. Blandina's Book with reference to the Homily of Pope St. Gregory the Great on the Resurrection quoting Psalm 68 and the Gospel of John 1:9 |
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