​On March 31 from 3pm until 5pm Stations of the Cross we are offering you the opportunity to slather your hands in butter to make your own Baaaa-tter Lamb to take home for your Easter table. 

Those that register to make a butter lamb, will fill the butter lamb molds with room temperature butter, put the two pieces (front and back of lamb) together, label them with your Family name and put them in the freezer.  Molds with butter must be frozen to aid in decoration.  We will decorate after the April 2nd 11:15a.m. Latin Mass.  ​Please complete the form on the right if you wish to participate in this craft.  First 25 to respond get to make a butter lamb.

    Register for Butter Lamb making.

    Children under 7 must have parental supervision.
    Decoration day is after 11:15 Mass, April 2nd.
    We will decorate with eyes of whole cloves, nose of pieces of cloves, red ribbon around its neck and the Resurrection flag on its back (as shown in picture on the left).  All decorations will be provided.
Picture
Dorothy Malczewski
              The History of the Butter Lamb
The Easter butter lamb tradition originates as far back as the middle ages in Eastern Europe, specifically Poland. The lamb is a reference to one of the most well-known lines in the New Testament, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” which is said at Mass as part of the priest’s call to Holy Communion. The lamb, in the simplest terms, represents Jesus and the butter lamb centerpiece closely unites the family Easter Meal with the Eucharist. As Catholic immigrants made their journey to America they brought the tradition with them. Many families who claim this ancestry still call the butter lamb by its Polish name, baranek wielkanocny.
​In 1963, Dorothy Malczewski opened a poultry stand in Buffalo’s Famous Broadway Market, the heart of the old Polish district. The Easter of her first year in business she found her father’s butter lamb mold in the attic that he had brought to America with him from Kraków, Poland and started making butter lambs one by one. Dorothy created 5 different sizes of butter lambs from 2 ounces to 2 pounds and decorated them with a trademarked red “alleluia” flag signifying peace on earth, and a red ribbon representing the Blood of Christ.
That year the butter lambs went over so well that she began distributing them to other local stores, and eventually chain supermarkets like Wegmans, Tops and others. The Malczewski Butter Lamb was born and became a tradition for everyone in Buffalo and surrounding cities. Through the growing sales over the years Dorothy was proud to see other nationalities and denominations come to recognize the butter lamb tradition. Even though their faith may not bless food at Easter, they recognized the symbol of the Lamb of God and have joined the tradition of having one at the Easter table.​