Paczkis pack a fund-raising punch for Antioch church
By Frank Abderholden fabderholden@stmedianetwork.com February 21, 2012 8:26PM
Micaela Paulino, 4, of Antioch enjoys a custard filled paczki with her sister, Lucia, 1, at St. Raphael the Archangel Church in Antioch during Paczki Day. Their mother, Lupe Paulino, said "I purchased a half dozen as this is our first time trying them." Macaela said "It is yummy." Proceeds from the sale will go for the building of the new church. | Thomas Delany Jr.~ Sun-Times Media
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Updated: April 22, 2012 1:15AM
ANTIOCH — A long held tradition of the Polish Fat Tuesday, paczki consumption, is growing in the northern part of Lake County as the tasty pastry is used as a fund-raising tool at St. Raphael the Archangel Church.
A paczki, pronounced punch-key, is a deep-fried piece of dough rich in egg yolk that is shaped into a flattened sphere and overfilled with sweet fillings of fruits, including prune, custard and even cream cheese. Then it’s topped with powdered sugar, icing or bits of dried orange zest.
They become a tradition the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, which is 40 days of fasting and penitence, as a way to use up all of the fat, sugar and fruit in the house as they were forbidden during Lent, according to the Polish Genealogy Project.
The tradition began in the Middle Ages, but for Butch Miscihowski and his wife Judy, it’s going to be a brand-new tradition for them.
“This is our first time. I kept hearing about it sitting in church,” the Antioch resident said. So they put in an order for half a dozen, but because of a funeral in Minnesota, the couple was not able to get their pastries on Monday because they got back late.
“She kept telling me I’m supposed to get the paczkis, but at 9 p.m. I think they are closed,” he said with a laugh.
“Feel these,” he said as he weighed the box with his hands, “Feel how heavy they are. I’m going to bring them back to my wife and enjoy them.”
Elizabeth Peterson of Lake Villa heads up the “church basement ladies” that run the event and every year for the last four years they have seen their pre-orders for paczkis from Paielli’s Bakery in Kenosha, Wis., increase.
“We sold about 1,500 for our church this year,” she said, with the help of her cohorts Gidget Leable of Wadsworth, Karen Mahoney of Salem, Wis., Barb Danz of Antioch and Chris Ponzetti of Antioch.
“We got two Italians, an Irish, a German, not a one (Polish),” joked Leable.
Michele Kolf of Grays-lake came with her daughter, Maggie, 18, to pick up half a dozen before going to Wal-Mart to shop and were bummed when they found there was only one custard-filled, powdered sugar-dusted one left of the five dozen the church ordered for walk-ins like the Kolfs.
“Well you could cut it into six pieces,” suggested Mahoney.
“No, now we won’t tell anybody,” said Kolf. “We’ll have to hide the evidence before we get home. I always try to get here early enough. It’s becoming everyone’s tradition.”
Werner and Marilyn Baeckelandt of Lindenhurst said they bought some to help Father John Jamnicky “get his new church up.” The new church is being constructed on Route 45 and Old Mill Creek and will be using some stone work from another church in Chicago. Jamnicky came up with the fund-raising idea of selling paczkis.
“I’m taking them to my daughter (Suzette) in Gurnee and my other daughter (Elizabeth) in Schaumburg,” said Marilyn. “I’m having fun. This is the second year we are doing it.”
Asked if she was going to get one for herself, she responded, “That’s why I’m happy to deliver it, because otherwise I’d have them,” she said of the two boxes in her hands.
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