One year after the Eaton Fire destroyed their home in Altadena, California, the Halpin family, known for a viral video in which they sang the “Regina Caeli” beside a surviving statue of the Virgin Mary, has shared an update on their recovery, including ongoing reconstruction and continued reliance on faith.
On the evening of Jan. 7, 2025, the family evacuated their home as wildfires spread through the area. By the next morning, their historic, multi-generational house had been reduced to ashes.
Amid the devastation, a moment of grace emerged as the family returned to find their statue of the Virgin Mary among the rubble. They gathered, prayed, and sang the “Regina Caeli,” a Marian prayer of hope and resurrection. A video of the scene quickly went viral, donations poured in, strangers reached out, and the Catholic world took notice.
Jackie and Peter Halpin, who raised six children in that historic home, lost priceless heirlooms and genealogical records.
“I cry more now,” Jackie told Angelus News, the newspaper for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. “But I try to stay grateful.”
One year later, the emotional and spiritual toll remains heavy, not just for the Halpins, but for many families still trying to rebuild from the wildfires.
“I would still ask for prayers,” Jackie said. “Just prayers and maybe just giving a little bit of grace when we lose it.”
According to Angelus News, the Halpins have made remarkable rebuilding progress, thanks in part to Peter’s skills as a contractor. Key milestones — the approval of permits on St. Thérèse’s feast day and the installation of their Mary statue on Our Lady of Guadalupe’s — felt providential.
In the year since the fire, the Halpins have continued to draw strength from the same sources that sustained them in that viral moment of song and sorrow: their faith and their music. They told Angelus News they still sing with their classic rock-infused family band, The Haypenny Pigs, at churches and benefit events. But Jackie says it’s their daily dependence on God that truly keeps 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’s what’s sustained me. I cling to the cross and offer all my sufferings for my children and their needs.”
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