California family Unwavering faith appeared in the form of a lone statue of the Virgin Mary — untouched by the relentless flames of Southern California's wildfires — and its resilience amid the smoldering rubble led to singing in praise.
“It was remarkable how everything was burned, but the statue of the Virgin Mary and another statue of St. Joseph were in perfect condition,” family patriarch Peter Halpin said. He said on “Fox & Friends Weekend.” Sunday.
He continued: “They were clearly feeling a little singing, but we took this opportunity to pray.” “Our house is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and it always has been and all of my family and my extended family are, so we prayed to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and then we sang that special song that our whole family has known for decades to the Blessed Virgin, and it was a wonderful thing.”
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A statue of the Virgin Mary remains standing amidst ashes and rubble after a wildfire destroyed a family's home in Southern California 37 years ago. (Jackie Halpin)
According to Halpin, the family “broke the law” by visiting what remained of their home of 37 years last week. When they discovered that the deadly Eaton fire had reduced what remained of a house to rubble, they leaned on faith, singing praises alongside their six children and other loved ones in a video that has since gone viral on Instagram.
“It was not our intention for this thing to go viral at all,” he continued. “It was very much just a family matter, but the community response has been incredible and heartfelt.”
Peter's wife, Jackie, said she was on her knees in shock after her brother-in-law snuck into the home site the day before and took a photo that revealed the statue was still standing.
They then realized that they should make their own pilgrimage to the site to thank God for the years they had spent there.
Peter and Jackie Halpin (Fox & Friends Weekend)
“That was my intention,” she said. “We'll pray. We'll thank God that we're safe, and we've had so much fun for years. We feel very strongly about the virtue of hospitality, so I just wanted to pray and say, 'If we could do this again, that would be great.'
“The song (in the video) came on its own, so I did I just wanted to pray. “I just want to be as grateful as possible for what we got.”
Wildfires continue to sweep through Southern California With no end in sight, it has devastated communities and claimed 16 lives so far.
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