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The Shroud of Turin on Trial
with Judge David Belz
November 6, 2025, at 5:30pm
The Cellar, Busch Group Offices
Irvine, CA
Reception with Wine and Hors D'Oeuvres to Follow!
About the Talk
The Shroud of Turin is believed to be the burial cloth of Christ. It consists of woven linen measuring 14’3” x 3’7” with two faint brownish images, those of the back and front of a gaunt, sunken-eyed, 5’7” man. In his talk, Judge Belz will take a deep dive into the mystery of the Shroud of Turin and put it “on trial” to examine the scientific and scriptural evidence surrounding this sacred relic. Judge Belz will present cutting-edge scientific research, including the latest X-ray spectrometry testing which unequivocally dates the Shroud to Christ’s time on earth. He will weave faith, science, and scripture together, answering the fundamental question: Is the Shroud the burial cloth of Christ? And what does the Shroud mean for us as Catholics and to the greater Christian community?
About the Speaker
Judge David Belz was born and raised in Orange County and is a proud graduate of Servite High School. He is also a graduate of Pepperdine Law School and spent 32 years as a trial lawyer before being appointed to the Orange County Superior Court in 2009, where he served in family and probate court, including as the trial judge for complex trust cases. He retired in 2024 and now works as
a private judge with Judicate West, handling mediation and arbitration of trust, family, and personal injury matters.
Judge Belz is a co-founder and past president of the St. Thomas More Society of Orange County, and he serves on the Board of Directors for the Shroud Center of Southern California. He has spoken extensively on the Shroud of Turin at the Center, as well as at churches and schools throughout Southern California, presenting the historical and scientific evidence for its authenticity.
What is the Charles Institute?
The Charles Institute is an organization at the service of the Orange County, California legal community. It receives its name from two great “Men for All Seasons” named Charles: Charles Carroll and Charles (aka “Charlie”) Rice. Charles Carroll was the only Catholic Founding Father of our nation and Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. Charlie Rice is the late, great Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School, Marine, and boxing coach. He epitomized all that is good about Notre Dame University and being a Catholic attorney.
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The purpose of the Charles Institute is two-fold:
(i) to provide Catholic attorneys with a forum to get to know one another better and grow in friendship; and
(ii) to provide personal and professional development opportunities for attorneys in Orange County, California through a bi-monthly speakers series.
The Charles Institute is a program of the St. Thomas More Society of Orange County.