A family in California is a shining example of what it means to stand firm on your faith as the wildfires continue their uncontrolled destruction of the city of Los Angeles and many suburbs connected to it. The symbol of their hope and faith? A statue of the Blessed Virgin, Mary the Mother of Jesus, who, by some miracle, remained completely untouched by the flames that raged in the Halpin family’s neighborhood. This is one of the coolest stories I’ve heard in a really long time.
“It was remarkable how everything had gotten fried, but the statue of the Virgin Mary and another statue of Saint Joseph were in perfect condition,” Peter Halpin told the media. He then went on to say, “Obviously, they were a little singed, but we just took that opportunity to pray.”
The family’s patriarch said, “Our home is dedicated to the sacred heart of Jesus and always has been, and all my family members, my extended family, so we said a prayer to the sacred heart of Jesus, and then we sang that special song that our entire family has known for decades to The Blessed Virgin, and it was a remarkable thing.”
Here’s more from The Christian Tribune:
The family patriarch, who lived there for over 35 years, raising six children and many more grandchildren, says that he “broke the law” by visiting what remained of their home of 37 years last week. The deadly Eaton fire had completely demolished their home. He took to Instagram to post a video of his family singing a hymn over the wreckage of their family home.
He then recounted, “Our intention was not for this thing to go viral at all.” He clarified that “It was pretty much just a family thing, but the response from the community has been unbelievable and so heartfelt.“
In the viral video, the Halpins sang he words of the “Regina Caeli,” a Catholic hymn to the Virgin Mary. Originally the family sang the words in Latin, but the lyrics in English are:
Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
For He, whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.
Has risen as He said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.
Peter’s wife, Jacki, went on to recall falling to her knees, completely overcome by emotion, after her son-in-law managed to sneak up to the site of the home the previous day. He took a photograph of the statue and sent it to his mother-in-law. Jacki saw the statue was still there and that’s when it struck her they needed to travel back to their home and give God thanks for all of the years they spent creating a life together there.
“That was my intention,” she explained. “We’re going to pray. We’re going to thank God that we’re safe, and we have entertained a lot for years. We feel very strongly about the virtue of hospitality, so I just wanted to pray and say, ‘If we can do it again, that would be great.’ She concluded by saying “The song [in the video] kind of came about on its own, so I just wanted to pray. I just want to be grateful as much as I can for what we’ve had.“
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People find solace in singing 'Regina Caeli,' O Queen of Heaven, after witnessing the devastation of the fire in California.
Video: Gianna Halpin pic.twitter.com/ENfA4tCceS
— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) January 10, 2025
If you would like to help this faith-filled family recover financially from the loss of their home, you can donate to their GoFundMe page, which has, as of this writing, raised over $60,000. The post on the fundraising page says, “Our parents bought that home over 35 years ago, and it was a center of hospitality, joy, support, and familial love for a wide and deep circle of loved ones over those three decades. As with many others, they lost absolutely everything.”
Even in the midst of our darkest hour, God shows signs of His grace and mercy to sustain our faith in Him.