Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Immaculate Conception Parish in the South Chicago neighborhood regularly held peace marches to pray for its community. With its march on the evening of Oct. 5, the now united Immaculate Conception-St. Michael Parish joined with nearby Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish to revive the event. Participants were asked to dress in white, and they carried and waved white flags as they walked from Immaculate Conception Church, 8756 S. Commercial Ave., to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 3200 E. 91st St. While walking, they prayed the rosary and sang in Spanish and English. At the intersection of Commercial Avenue and 91st Street, members of Jóvenes Latinos Unidos Youth Group performed a dance. Sandra Mota, a parishioner at Immaculate Conception-St. Michael and a staff member at Immaculate Conception School, helped to organize the event, which she said started in 2008 in response to an increase in violence in the neighborhood. “We want the whole community to know that we want peace, that we love everybody,” said Mota. “We want them to know they are welcome in our community. It’s important because there is a lot of violence in the world, in our community and in the city of Chicago.” Spreading love can help combat the violence, she said. “The church, we have to be at the forefront for peace,” said Father Pius Kokose, pastor of Immaculate Conception-St. Michael Parish. “As you know, if you don’t have peace in the world, if you don’t have peace in our community, we cannot develop the world. Our children can’t grow.” The march is a visible sign that the Catholic community desires that everyone live in peace, he said, and next year he hopes to invite other churches in the community to join in the march. “Any violence in the community affects them also. We all want to live in peace and in harmony with each other,” Kokose said. “I came out to share God’s love because many people don’t see it or they just think it’s, like, funny,” said Natalia Patiño, 14, and a member of Jóvenes Latinos Unidos Youth Group. “The youth group community — we try to bring kids to share awareness, not to be embarrassed about yourself, believe in God, bring more peace in humanity. The bigger the voice gets, the more people will come and listen and share those words to other people.” Fellow youth group member Julyeth Ramirez, 13, agreed. “The violence that’s going on in Chicago, it’s honestly very sad to see so many innocent people die,” said Ramirez. “This march of peace is to spread awareness of what’s going on and to spread peace to everyone.”
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