Family sings hymn in burned home, grateful for survival


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The Halpin family from Altadena captured hearts across the nation when their video of singing a Catholic hymn amidst their fire-ravaged home went viral, expressing gratitude for their safety despite losing their house to the Eaton fire north of Pasadena.

During a recent Sunday television appearance, Peter and Jackie Halpin shared the story behind their powerful moment of faith. The family was moved to song upon discovering that their statues of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph remained largely intact among the destruction.

“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 said.

“Obviously, they were a little singed, but we just took that opportunity to pray,” he continued. “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.”

The video shows the family performing “Regina Caeli,” a traditional Latin hymn dedicated to the Virgin Mary. What began as an intimate family moment unexpectedly touched thousands of viewers nationwide.

Peter Halpin explained that sharing their moment of worship was never their intention. “Our intention was not for this thing to go viral at all,” he said. “It was pretty much just a family thing, but the response from the community has been unbelievable and so heartfelt.”

His wife Jackie emphasized that their primary focus was expressing gratitude for their survival. “That was my intention,” she said. “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 in the virtue of hospitality, so I just wanted to pray and say, ‘If we can do it again, that would be great.'”

“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,” she added.