On Sunday, the cross will be loaded onto a truck bed and will lead the way from the old hospital to the site of a new facility during a dual demolition-groundbreaking ceremony. Demolition of the old hospital building -- a reminder of the tragedy -- will begin, and ground will be broken for a new building as Joplin moves forward.

"It's hard to say goodbye to the building that has been St. John's since 1968," said Gary Pulsipher, president of St. John's Mercy, in a statement. The hospital has occupied three different sites in Joplin since 1896.