When a video was shared of the Halpins singing the “Regina Caeli” at the scorched area where their Altadena home was before the Eaton Fire — in front of a Mary statue that survived the blaze — the family quickly got worldwide attention.
They received praise. They received support. They received GoFundMe donations.
Members of the family said the reaction caught them off guard.
“I was surprised and humbled because we’re not perfect, we’re not these perfect people,” said Jackie Halpin, who along with her husband, Peter, raised her six children in that home. “But we love our faith, we love to sing, and that song is very much a big part of our family.”
One year later, the Halpin family, like countless others affected by wildfires that broke out on Jan. 7, 2025, is still dealing with the aftermath of that day. But the effect their viral video had on the family — and others around the world — is still being felt.
“It’s unfortunate that a tragedy had to remind us of how widespread the Catholic Church is,” said Gianna, the youngest Halpin sibling. “Just receiving so much generosity from strangers and people who maybe you hadn’t spoken to or in a long time. Because of our video, people were moved because of our family and us loving music. It was a humbling experience for me.”
Unlike others who lost their homes in the wildfires and still find themselves tangled in a web of insurance, permits, bureaucracy, and red tape — or choosing to sell rather than rebuild at all — the Halpins are in the process of reconstruction.
Feeling lucky because Peter Halpin is a contractor, the Halpins’ home has seen a foundation poured and wood framing go up.
There may have been some faith at work as well, as plans for the rebuild were approved on Oct. 1, the feast day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, while the family’s surviving Mary statue was installed back on their lot just in time for the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe in December.
The full family got together on Dec. 13 to have their lot blessed by Father Marcos Gonzalez, the pastor at St. Andrew Church in Pasadena.
The experiences of the past year have been a rollercoaster of emotions, said Jackie.
“I cry way more now,” she said. “But from the very beginning, I was determined to try to be grateful. I reached for anything I could. You have sadness, and on the other hand, you have to have gratefulness because we do have so much to be grateful for.”
On the evening of Jan. 7, 2025, Peter and Jackie were at a Denny’s in Pasadena because the power had been out at their home and the strong winds had made taking down their Christmas decorations pointless. The Halpins believe they saw the Eaton Fire start — “we saw a flash,” Jackie said — and by the time they returned home, there was already smoke.
Gianna, who lived in a small back house on her parents’ property, was bathing her daughter when she received an app alert on her phone that a fire had started. Looking outside, the sky was already bright red, she said.
They packed up a few things and left, Peter and Jackie to a hotel, and Gianna and her daughter to her brother’s house.
After getting to the hotel, Jackie said Peter went back to the house to get more things, but since it was pitch black, he didn’t get much beyond a few photo albums. He tried to return around 4:30 a.m. the next morning, but by then, he couldn’t even get close to the house. It’ll be a miracle if the house is still standing, he said.
Later that morning, it was confirmed that the house had burned down.
“At that point, I was just numb,” Jackie said. “It’s just so much to take in, I don’t think I thought of anything for a couple of days.”
The Halpin family sings in praise to Mary in the rubble of their LA home after the Palisades and Eaton fires. (Screengrab via Instagram)
What Jackie regrets is all the irreplaceable things lost in the fire. Being the chief chronicler of genealogy in the family, there were files, documents, and unscanned photos. Furniture from her mother’s farm in Iowa — all of them gone.
“That is a haunting feeling that I have very often: ‘Oh, why couldn’t I have just taken this off the wall?’ And I don’t know if that will ever go away,” Jackie said.
Just like in their viral video, what keeps the family going is faith and music.
The Halpins continue to sing, both spiritual music in churches and for benefits, plus with their classic rock-infused family band, The Haypenny Pigs.
But it truly is their leaning on God that has kept them moving forward.
“I could not have done it without my faith,” Jackie said. “You can be really sad and still be grateful. You can be in pain and believe in redemptive suffering, and that has really sustained me this year. Offering all my sufferings back to Jesus. You just cling to the cross and I just offer all my sufferings for my children and their needs.
“I just feel bad for people who don’t have that.”
What do they want people to know about what wildfire victims are still going through one year later?
“I would ask for prayers still because it’s just going to be a long process,” Jackie said. “Just prayers and maybe just giving a little bit of grace when we lose it.”
“Sometimes we’re all just hanging by a thread,” Gianna said. “Ultimately, we all just want to be around our family and enjoy life as Christians, and also enjoy the little moments because sometimes it can be very dark. But it’s important to find the little spark in life.”
Mike Cisneros is the associate editor of Angelus.