Internationally known visionary Marija Lunetti announced that the Virgin Mary has appeared to her, offered a blessing and promised to return at 10 p.m. Thursday in a field in Shelby County.
Lunetti has been staying in Shelby County at the home of Terry Colafrancesco, founder of Caritas of Birmingham, which promotes the visions that began in 1981 in Medjugorje in the former Yugoslavia.
The visions have since drawn millions of pilgrims to Lunetti's home village of Medjugorje. Lunetti says the Virgin Mary has appeared to her every day since 1981, sometimes offering messages.
About 2,000 pilgrims have converged on Shelby County this week, parking alongside Shelby County 43 near the Caritas headquarters, about seven miles off U.S. 280.