World Youth Day mightn’t hit its stride until tomorrow when Pope Benedict delivers his opening address from Sydney Harbour but for hundreds of overseas pilgrims the festivities began in the Blue Mountains last week.

Solveiga Pakstaite and Catherine Hankin (pictured with St Thomas Aquinas parish secretary Jean Quinlan) were just two of 68 English pilgrims who stayed with parishioners from St Thomas Aquinas Church in Springwood until this Monday. They were joined by other devotees from Lithuania and Poland who were also accommodated in the homes of Blue Mountains Catholics.

The 16-year-olds from John Henry Newman School in Stevenage were excited by the week ahead when the Gazette caught up with them last Friday.

“Meeting all the other people that are here for the event has been amazing. . . It shows that you're really not alone,” said Solveiga.

The pilgrims enjoyed a bushwalk at Katoomba Falls and a bush dance at Springwood Civic Centre during their brief stay in the Mountains.