{"id":506886,"date":"2026-01-10T20:05:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T20:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/506886\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T20:05:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T20:05:16","slug":"la-family-who-sang-after-their-home-burned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/506886\/","title":{"rendered":"LA family who sang after their home burned"},"content":{"rendered":"

When a video was shared of the Halpins singing the \u201cRegina Caeli\u201d<\/a> at the scorched area where their Altadena home was before the Eaton Fire \u2014 in front of a Mary statue that survived the blaze \u2014 the family quickly got worldwide attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They received praise. They received support. They received GoFundMe donations.<\/p>\n

Members of the family said the reaction caught them off guard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was surprised and humbled because we\u2019re not perfect, we\u2019re not these perfect people,\u201d said Jackie Halpin, who along with her husband, Peter, raised her six children in that home. \u201cBut we love our faith, we love to sing, and that song is very much a big part of our family.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 and others around the world \u2014 is still being felt.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate that a tragedy had to remind us of how widespread the Catholic Church is,\u201d said Gianna, the youngest Halpin sibling. \u201cJust receiving so much generosity from strangers and people who maybe you hadn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike others who lost their homes in the wildfires and still find themselves tangled in a web of insurance, permits, bureaucracy, and red tape \u2014 or choosing to sell rather than rebuild at all \u2014 the Halpins are in the process of reconstruction<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Feeling lucky because Peter Halpin is a contractor, the Halpins\u2019 home has seen a foundation poured and wood framing go up.<\/p>\n

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. Th\u00e9r\u00e8se of Lisieux, while the family\u2019s surviving Mary statue was installed back on their lot just in time for the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe in December.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The experiences of the past year have been a rollercoaster of emotions, said Jackie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cry way more now,\u201d she said. \u201cBut 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the evening of Jan. 7, 2025<\/a>, Peter and Jackie were at a Denny\u2019s 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 \u2014 \u201cwe saw a flash,\u201d Jackie said \u2014 and by the time they returned home, there was already smoke.<\/p>\n

Gianna, who lived in a small back house on her parents\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

They packed up a few things and left, Peter and Jackie to a hotel, and Gianna and her daughter to her brother\u2019s house.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t get much beyond a few photo albums. He tried to return around 4:30 a.m. the next morning, but by then, he couldn\u2019t even get close to the house. It\u2019ll be a miracle if the house is still standing, he said.<\/p>\n

Later that morning, it was confirmed that the house had burned down.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that point, I was just numb,\u201d Jackie said. \u201cIt\u2019s just so much to take in, I don\u2019t think I thought of anything for a couple of days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The Halpin family sings in praise to Mary in the rubble of their LA home after the Palisades and Eaton fires. (Screengrab via Instagram)<\/p>\n

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\u2019s farm in Iowa\u00a0 \u2014 all of them gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is a haunting feeling that I have very often: \u2018Oh, why couldn\u2019t I have just taken this off the wall?\u2019 And I don\u2019t know if that will ever go away,\u201d Jackie said.<\/p>\n

Just like in their viral video, what keeps the family going is faith and music.<\/p>\n

The Halpins continue to sing, both spiritual music in churches and for benefits, plus with their classic rock-infused family band, The Haypenny Pigs.<\/p>\n

But it truly is their leaning on God that has kept them moving forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could not have done it without my faith,\u201d Jackie said. \u201cYou 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI just feel bad for people who don’t have that.\u201d<\/p>\n

What do they want people to know about what wildfire victims are still going through one year later?<\/p>\n

\u201cI would ask for prayers still because it\u2019s just going to be a long process,\u201d Jackie said. \u201cJust prayers and maybe just giving a little bit of grace when we lose it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes we\u2019re all just hanging by a thread,\u201d Gianna said. \u201cUltimately, 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\u2019s important to find the little spark in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"author<\/p>\n

\t\t\tMike Cisneros is the associate editor of Angelus.<\/p>\n

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