CARROLLTON — Volunteers from St. John Paul II Parish in Carrollton made approximately 7,000 paczki,a Polish pastry similar to a doughnut, on Monday, Feb. 8, for an annual parish fundraiser. The entire process takes three days: one to set up the kitchen, one to make the pączki and one to sell and clean.
A few parishioners arrived at the Parish Education Center at 3 a.m. to begin heating oil and mixing dough, and more than 60 volunteers will cycle through until all the pączki have been fried, cooled and coated in powdered sugar.
The pączki are sold from 3 to 6 p.m. on Monday and from 6 a.m. Tuesday until they are gone. They are $10 per dozen with proceeds being used for the parish food pantry, Rosary Altar Society and other organizations and needs.
St. John Paul II parishioners pride themselves on making the original pączki; these do not have fruit or pudding fillings. The recipe was originally brought over from Poland by Ginger Michalski.
"It's a tradition that's there and everyone knows about it. It makes me feel good when I know I'm passing on something in my lifetime to other people," said Jim Szynwelski, the chairman for the parish's pączki-making team.
Pączki are traditionally made and eaten on Fat Tuesday before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Mass times and other Lenten event schedules from around the diocese can be found here
More photos are available here.