Two dozen people gathered in a Pilsen church Saturday to celebrate the life of Pedro Toledo Catalan, a man remembered as consistently positive and known as widely as “Pepe,” whose fatal shooting late last month shocked the community.

“Everybody knew Pepe,” Rev. Brendan Curran told family, friends, and community members gathered at St. Pius V Parish Saturday morning for Catalan’s funeral service.

Rev. Brendan Curran, a Dominican Friar who knew Pedro “Pepe” Toledo Catalan from his time at St. Pius V Catholic Church, blesses Catalan’s ashes while Catalan’s brother Isais Toledo holds them during a funeral, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at St. Pius V Catholic Church in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. Catalan, who was believed to be homeless, was killed during a shooting in the Pilsen neighborhood

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