massive, 800-pound oak cross carved in Ukraine that has traveled all over the world is on display at a Palmerton church.

St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church, 106 Delaware Ave., has been blessed with the opportunity to host the Cross of Gratitude ever since Sunday, where it will remain until Nov. 1.

Neighbors and neighboring parishes have been invited to visit the church during this special time of prayer and reflection.

The Cross of Gratitude has touched countless lives, inspiring gratitude, faith and a deeper appreciation for God’s blessing, according to Father Eugene Moniuk, St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Moniuk said that during its stay, the church will be open for personal prayer, reflection and veneration of the cross.

Church hours for visitors are daily from 8-11 a.m. and 4-7 p.m. Sunday Liturgy this Sunday, and Nov. 1, is 9 a.m.

“We hope that many will take this opportunity to spend time before the Cross, offering their prayers, intentions and thanksgiving or our Lord,” Moniuk said. “We warmly welcome you to also join us in prayer as we celebrate the Liturgy together.”

Mary Campbell, a parishioner of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church, noted it took many individuals to carry the cross into the church, and complimented them on their willingness to bring it in.

“When I first saw it, it was amazing. Oce you see it and get up close to it, it’s amazing,” Campbell said. “It doesn’t matter what religion you are; it’s a very heartwarming, very humbling piece of artwork that this man handmade.”

The Cross of Gratitude was created in 2003 in Lviv, Ukraine, by sculptor Vitaliy Sobolivskyy.

Sobolivskyy says he received a divine vision to “take my cross and carry it to all the capital cities of the world as a sign of gratitude for the salvation we receive through Jesus Christ.”

Carved from Ukrainian oak, the cross measures about 16 feet long, weighs about 800 pounds and includes a life-size figure of the crucified Christ.

The mission of the pilgrimage with the Cross of Gratitude is to prepare for the Jubilee of the 2000 year anniversary of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (33-2033), and to unite the nations of the world into one family at his cross.

On March 10, 2004, in the Vatican, the Holy Father John Paul II blessed the initiators of this mission. His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, also consecrated the cross in 2006 during his pilgrimage in Krakow. Pope Francis blessed the cross and all those who lead the evangelization action in 2016. During his presence in Warsaw in 2008 at the Church of St. Anna, the cross was blessed by Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz.

The pilgrimage of gratitude to all capitals of the world with an oak cross began in Lviv, where in November 2005 a large oak cross with a figure of the crucified Savior was placed in the city center. Later, such crosses were set up in Kviv and Donetsk. The pilgrimage of the cross has already taken place in 46 European capitals.

The Cross of Gratitude made a pilgrimage through Kviv, Warsaw, Rome, Paris, Berlin, the Baltic countries and Scandinavia to Great Britain. In many places, the Cross was present during Holy Mass, night vigils, adoration, and was carried by the faithful along the streets of towns and villages, joining Christ on his way of the cross.

Currently, there are plans to make a pilgrimage of the Cross of Gratitude to the countries of North and South American, then Asia, Africa, Indonesia and Australia.

The aim of the pilgrimage is to unite all the nations of the world into one family at the Cross of Christ.

They want everyone in the world to be aware that Jesus Christ has the gift of eternal life. The cross has also been adored by Muslims and Buddhists. The pilgrimage of the Cross has been marked by numerous graces and signs of God’s presence.