CHICAGO — In Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood, the Rev. Ricardo Castillo-Castillo tends to his flock at St. Bartholomew Parish.
But thousands of miles away lies another love, too — a muster of peacocks he's assembled for his family at their farm in Mexico.
For decades, the Rev. Castillo-Castillo — his mother and father have the same last name — has been thrilled by the feather-fanning peacocks he bought for his family in Estancia de Animas, Mexico.
Castillo-Castillo visits the family farm twice a year, fixing the aviary that shelters seven peafowl, including three males with bright plumes.
He's frequently sending updates to his sister, Luz, who does most of the work raising them, with the best ways of keeping the birds alive.
Castillo-Castillo has loved peacocks since flipping through a Reader's Digest book of animals when he was 5 years old.
"I was just amazed that something could be that beautiful," said Castillo-Castillo, 47. "I couldn't believe that something like that could even exist."
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Castillo-Castillo has lived in Chicago since 1986, first as a pastor in South Chicago and for the last three-plus years at St. Bartholomew. He bought his first peacock in Mexico City in 1998 and has more than 10 since. The birds have cost him around $5,000, he said.
The birds have brought Castillo-Castillo great joy, and he said they've been the perfect way to stay connected to his family. His mother, Loreto, died last December, but he said she was able to experience the birds' beauty for years.
"I'm glad my mom got to see them," he said. "She suffered in life from diabetes and broke her hip toward the end, but she really appreciated the beauty of [the peacocks]. It meant the world to me for her to appreciate their beauty."
Castillo-Castillo said he never would bring the birds here, even though there's nothing in the city's municipal code against keeping livestock or farm animals.
"There isn't the space— peafowl need room to roam," he said. And his work as a priest takes up most of his time.
Castillo-Castillo said peacocks should be "appreciated by the world."
"Their fanning is just mesmerizing," he said. "It reminds me of the Big Bang theory, you look at their plumage, and you just see the creation there. It's beautiful."
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