June 10, 2004 - Reported in the [thetowntalk.com]. Written by Andrew Griffin. Cross examination glowing image draws believers,. Shirley Cross stands next to her bathroom window, which displays the image of a glowing cross that appears after dark and is from a streetlight behind her house. The image has drawn crowds of believers

In a window in a simple bathroom in a modest house in the Kelleyland subdivision, the image of an illuminated cross has captured the attention, not only of the homeowners, but residents throughout the city. For the Cross family, the mysterious image of a cross, which appears in their frosted-glass bathroom window, is a good omen that God is watching over them. Some see one cross. Others see many. Some see images of a crown of thorns or an angel. Everyone seems to interpret the image differently. If you visit Shirley Cross' house at 1804 Dublin Road, preferably after 8:30 p.m., chances are you'll see neighbors directing traffic and throngs of people waiting to stand in the Cross' family bathtub to see the glowing image.

On Monday, about 50 people waited to enter Cross' house. Charlotte Clark stood patiently for her turn. "I saw something about it on television," Clark said. "I heard people talking about it, and I wanted to see it, too." In fact, word of the mysterious luminescent cross in the Cross family home has attracted hundreds of visitors. The cross-shaped light was first noticed in her opaque bathroom window almost two weeks ago, startling the family, Cross said. Her daughter, 22-year-old pizza shop employee Roncey Miles, was the first to see the image. "I was in the bathroom and looked at the window. I suddenly noticed a small cross," said Miles, who tried to get her mother to look at it. She declined.

A few days later, Miles saw the image again. "When I came back days later and saw the cross there even bigger than before, my heart dropped," Miles said. This time, Miles said, she got her mother and others to look at the image. Cross and Miles felt something important was going on. "I think it's a sign from God," Miles said. Cross and Miles soon had the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office out there to see the cross. "(The deputy) said, 'You've got a cross in your window,'" Cross said. "It looks like a 3-D picture."

Cross, who is a devoted Christian and lifelong Baptist, said that, for the family, the cross has not only provided religious inspiration, but it also has been associated with positive events in the lives of the family members and some visitors. Cross' grandson, Eric, who soon will be entering the U.S. Navy, said after months of looking for a job, he finally landed one. And that the family named Cross is now housing a mysterious cross image has not escaped these believers. "The Cross family with the cross ... ain't that amazing," Eric Cross said.

Most evenings, cars crowd Dublin Road, and pilgrims line up to view the cross. Miles is pleased to see so many people who want to view it. "It's shocking to see so many people, people my age, people I went to school with," she said. Keraneicia Aaron, 7, smiled after seeing the image in the small bathroom. "I think it means something to God and us," she said. The most likely explanation for the appearance of the cross is a halogen streetlight near the back yard. The light, which shines on the opaque window, appears to form the cross-shaped image.

Behind the Cross' house is the Cabana Mobile Home Park. In the mobile home directly behind the Cross' is Ricky Beauregard. Beauregard has been busy working on his car and has not seen the cross image. However, his daughter saw it and told him "it was something to see." "I saw people out there who were lined up like for a movie ... like waiting to see 'The Passion of the Christ,'" said Beauregard, who added that he plans to see it. Behind Beauregard's mobile home is the streetlight in question. In the 20 years the streetlight has been there, it has never caused an image like a cross to appear, Cross said. She is not worried about detractors and debunkers. Its appearance is affecting people in a positive way.

"If you think it's a trick, then it's a trick. If you don't believe it, you don't believe it," she said matter-of-factly. "I'm not trying to prove nothing. Go in, and see it, and then come back to me. Everybody's got a different story to tell after seeing it." Jim Knoch, lead engineer with the Mandeville office of Cleco, said that what they may be seeing is light refracting in a way that a cross or plus-sign image is visible. "It sounds like a double refraction," Knoch said. "The light may be polarizing in different directions: one horizontal and one vertical." This combination of light emanating from a mottled-bulb source and coming through a frosted glass windowpane could easily give the appearance of a cross rather than a dot-shaped point of light.

From a religious point of view, the Rev. Buddy Martin, pastor at Christian Challenge Church in Pineville, said while he has not seen the image, he understands the attraction. "I don't put much stock into those things," Martin said. "People are interested because their hearts are for the Lord." The Rev. Donny Granvel of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church said he has heard about the cross image. He understands that in this society, people are searching for spiritual signs. However, going to church and reading the Bible are far more important for those seeking truth, he said.

"Faith should rest in the word of God," Granvel said, "not in a particular sign." Scientific explanations and skeptical comments do not deter those who believe in supernatural possibilities. Neighbor Andrewnette Sampson is amazed by what she has witnessed in the Cross' bathroom window. "It was so amazing," Sampson said of the image, "so breathtaking." Zelma Seals McCoy said prior to entering the bathroom that she had not seen the cross, but could "feel it." Once in the bathroom, McCoy could be heard saying, "I see the thorns. I see the thorns." After exiting the bathroom, McCoy said, "God is real."

[See here] story titled Witness Describes alleged Phenomenon of Illuminated 'Crosses' in California.