Sister Claudia Patricia Sanchez, a third-grade teacher at Immaculate Conception School, holds a rosary and a sign calling for peace during a Peace March on Friday along streets in the South Chicago neighborhood. (Photo by Kevin Beese/Chronicle Media)

Rocio Martinez carried a sign calling for “Peace on Earth” as she walked in South Chicago on Friday evening.

The student at Our Lady of Guadalupe School also was part of the Jovenes Latinos Unidos Youth Group, composed of local youths ages 12-19, who performed peace dances during the event at the intersection of 91st Street and Commercial Avenue, and at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church following the march.

“We want peace in our community,” Martinez said. “We hope that anything violent or bad that happens would end.”

A group of parishioners from Immaculate Conception St. Michael and Our Lady of Guadalupe parishes, along with members of the South Chicago neighborhood, participated in a March for Peace on Friday to promote peace, neighborhood unity and prayer. Participants, many of them wearing white as a symbol of peace, walked just under a mile from Immaculate Conception Church to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church while praying the rosary and singing for peace in the community.

It was the first time the Peace March has been held in the South Chicago community since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sister Ilse Aguilar-Castillo, principal of Immaculate Conception School, was happy to see students participate in the event.

“It is very amazing and exciting to see how some of our youth want to have peace in their neighborhood,” Aguilar-Castillo said. “To be a part of it, it’s very exciting. It’s such a blessing for me to be a part of this.”

Sister Claudia Patricia Sanchez, a third-grade teacher at Immaculate Conception, has been a part of the march for nine years. She said she missed the march the past few years and was glad to see it return.

“It’s important that other people see that there are people who are protesting for peace in our neighborhood,” Sanchez said. “Other people, they don’t like to come here.

“They hear ‘South Chicago’ and they’re afraid. It’s a very beautiful neighborhood … We hope that we have peace.”

Maria Ramirez, a community resident, said the march was able to “promote the importance of being in peace because there is so much violence.”

The Rev. Pius KoKose, pastor of Immaculate Conception parish, leads a prayer at the start of the march. (Photo by Kevin Beese/Chronicle Media)

The Rev. Pius KoKose, pastor of Immaculate Conception parish, participated in the march for the first time and was one of the leaders of the event, saying prayers with community members before the march and leading rosary prayers during the event.

“Every human being needs peace, peace so that our children can grow well and be productive in the future,” KoKose said. “South Chicago is noted for violence, shootings here and there.

“They have been doing this procession for peace for some years now … We want to call the attention of our neighbors that we want to live in peace and have no violence in our community.”

The Rev. Augustine Carillo, director of vocation at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish, was also participating in the event for the first time and assisted KoKose and other march leaders with prayers.

“As a Christian people, we are always longing to be at peace with each other, with God, with ourselves,” Carillo said. “This is an opportunity to gather and share our faith and promote peace.”

The Rev. John Britto, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish, led a prayer for peace when the marchers had reached his parish.

Rocio Martinez (holding “Peace on Earth” sign) and other marchers turn from Commercial Avenue to 91st Street during Friday’s Peace March. (Photo by Kevin Beese/Chronicle Media)

“As Christians, basically, we are to live in faith, in peace, in goodness to other people,” Britto said. “God wants us to believe always in the goodness of other people. God has created us and created us to be good.”

kbeese@chronicleillinois.com