A 120-foot steel cross now stands in Greene County after a two-year effort led by a local nonprofit and supported by residents across South Mississippi.
Rozier Construction started installing the South Mississippi Cross of Christ on Friday near the Greene County-George County line. For Loretta “Sissy” Bray, the moment marked the end of years of fundraising, planning and construction — and the beginning of what she hopes will become a lasting symbol of faith.
The idea began after Bray and her husband saw a large, lighted cross with a crown of thorns while driving through Batesville at night.
“It just really affected us, and we wondered why we didn’t have them in the South,” Bray said. “We just kept talking about it, and the Lord kept laying it on our heart, and so my husband said, ‘Well, why don’t you see if we can make this happen?’”
Bray later founded South Mississippi Cross of Christ, the nonprofit behind the project. She said support came quickly from friends, churches and residents across the region.
“There wasn’t one person that hesitated to say, ‘I’m on board,’ so we started it in May 2024, and we’re getting it completed in May of 2026,” Bray said.
Although the cross stands in Greene County, Bray said people from George County, Perry County and across state lines helped make it possible.
“South Mississippi probably is one of the most gracious giving areas in the United States,” she said. “It just pulled us together. George County and Greene County have always been a rivalry, but for once, we stood together and did something that we’re all proud of.”
Regina Burch, a board member who helped with marketing, said organizers considered several locations before the Smith family donated property along Highway 98.
The site came with challenges. Burch said nearby gas pipelines and the height of the hill made the project more complicated. Mike Rozier, co-owner of Rozier Construction, said the cross had to be built stronger because of its location.
“This one is a little bit more because of the wind load, because we’re so close to the Gulf Coast, and everything has to be a lot heavier,” Rozier said. “And designed (with) a lot more concrete (to withstand) 150 mph wind.”
Rozier said the cross stands 120 feet tall from base to top, with arms stretching 64 feet from tip to tip. The center of the arms sits 94 feet above the ground. He said the full structure weighs about 55,000 pounds, making it the heaviest of the 31 crosses he has built across the South.
Rozier said the Greene County cross will be the second one he knows of in the country with a crown of thorns. The first was the Batesville cross that inspired Bray.
“That makes it a little special,” he said.
Bray said the group raised about $300,000. She said costs grew because of the location, wind-load requirements, driveway, lighting, insurance and long-term maintenance.
“It’s going to cost some more, but we have enough to get it up and we’re going to need a lot more, and it’s going to be perpetual,” Bray said. “We’ve got to keep the power bill, the liability insurance, and, we got to keep it up.”
For Bray, the cross is meant to do for others what the Batesville cross did for her.
“When I’m far gone from this earth, I pray that this cross is still standing and that it plants seeds from now on in people’s lives,” Bray said.
The group hopes to add benches, lighting and other features for visitors. Bray said they also hope to add a replica of the tomb where Jesus was laid because she wants the site to reflect both the crucifixion and resurrection.
“We’re hoping to put a replica of the tomb because the cross represents crucifixion, and that’s not the end of the story,” Bray said. “When somebody asks me about my testimony or what I believe or my religion — my religion is that I believe that Jesus Christ died on this cross for my sins, and three days later, he rose, and without that tomb being empty, we don’t have salvation, that the cross would mean nothing.”
Burch said the group also plans to host sunrise Easter services at the site.
