Many brides wonder whether future daughters or granddaughters will wear their wedding gown again some day. Josephine Papciak found a way to ensure that a special white dress would be worn by four generation of family members.

Ms. Papciak and her husband, Joseph, immigrated to the South Side from Poland shortly after their Jan. 22, 1917 wedding. Their first child, Catherine, was born soon after arriving in the United States. With little money to buy a christening gown, surviving relatives say Ms. Papciak told them that made one using the material from her wedding gown.

Nearly 91 years later, on April 27, the Christening gown first worn by Catherine in 1917 was worn by her great granddaughter, Mariah Stypula, for her christening at Zion Lutheran Church in Whitehall. The 7-week old daughter of Brian Stypula and Beth Lion, of Baldwin borough, was the 32nd family member to wear it.

Family gathered after the ceremony to celebrate at Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center. "You look around the room, and it's amazing how many people have worn the dress," Mr. Stypula said.

The family's tradition has renewed importance for him now that his first child has worn the dress.

"To me, it's the thing that keeps the family connected," he said.

The baby's father is a customer service representative with Pitney-Bowes; the mother works as a compliance officer for Medac and the anesthesia department at Allegheny General Hospital.

No one in the family has declined to use the heirloom dress for their child.

"I never pushed any of them to use it," Catherine Stypula, 90, of Baldwin borough, said. She says the dress is "like a prayer."

Catherine's daughter-in-law, Arlene Stypula, of Dravosburg, agreed. "Think of all the blessings that have been made on this gown," she said.

Arlene Stypula's husband, Richard, and three children and eight grandchildren have all worn the christening gown. "It's a living history with the love that [Josephine] put into it," she said.

Catherine Stypula said she "hates to pack [the dress] away."

Arlene Stypula is in charge of storing it in between uses. She wraps it in protective blue fabric to keep it from damaging light.

The family tradition also includes embroidering each baby's first name and the year of their christening on one of the layers of the dress. Arlene Stypula has taken over the role of embroidering each new name as well.

The long, cotton dress has a delicate sheer overlay with an elaborate pattern of roses, ivy and bows. Underneath is a built-in slip, where the neatly sewn names of each baby line the edge of several horizontal panels. "Each generation has ended one complete row," Arlene Stypula said.

When they ran out of room on the fabric after the third generation, she started adding names above the original row, where the original wedding date of Joseph and Josphine Papciak, is sewn.

Mr. and Mrs. Papciak are deceased; he worked as a shoemaker for many years.

Brian Stypula learned other details surrounding the christening tradition as they prepared for his daughter's ceremony. He didn't know the maternal grandmother would be responsible for dressing the baby in the heirloom dress prior to the ceremony.

"Then Beth takes over from there," he said. "I thought, 'Wow, there's a whole ritual to this.' "

According to Arlene Stypula, each christening is unique. "One of my granddaughters wore [Pittsburgh] Steelers socks underneath the dress. So the kids still make it their own event," she said.

"I think it's a really sweet tradition," Ms. Lion agreed. But she also wanted to incorporate her own family customs for Mariah.

"In my family, it's the tradition to have the godmother buy the dress. So, Mariah changed to a new dress for the party afterwards. "It's working out," she said.

Catherine Stypula believes her mother would be surprised the dress has become such a legacy.

"I think she would chuckle to know we're still using it," she said. "But she was always ahead of her time."