What compels a family to respond with joy in the midst of unspeakable destruction, such as losing a family home to a devastating wildfire?
Only God and their Christian faith.
“You're standing on the ashes of your childhood, actually your life.”
That's exactly what the Halpin family did last Thursday when they returned to the site of their family home in Altadena, now destroyed by one of the wildfires that ravaged Southern California.
The fire destroyed nearly everything the family owned, including the National Catholic Register. reportedAll that remained was the house's “foundation, rubble, and burnt concrete statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Joseph.” The family had lived there since 1988.
But the sadness of that moment didn't stop the Halpin family from praising God.
Instead of mourning what had been, families stood over the ashes of their lost homes and prayed. Then, in beautiful harmony, they sang the 12th century Christian hymn “Regina Caeli.”
The English translation of this hymn, originally written in Latin, is:
Queen of Heaven, rejoice, Alleluia.
Alleluia, son worthy of your birth,
He stood up as he said, Alleluia.
Pray to God for us, Alleluia.
Family matriarch Jacqueline Halpin said faith “has always been everything” to her family, so praising God in the midst of destruction was a natural response.
“It was just, 'Let's get up and pray and thank God for the great memories we had there,'” she says. said Daily Signal.
“I just wanted to pray and thank God for our safety and ask for protection,” Jacqueline explained. “And then somehow that song was born.”
Meanwhile, son Andrew Halpin explained that choosing joy means trusting God.
“We must give everything to God, and if that means our home at this time, we choose to believe that we are in the palm of God's hands.” he said. said N.C.R. “You're standing on the ashes of your childhood, of your life, really. … But you're alive.”
Although the Halpin family lost their home, everyone in the family survived. They managed to escape before the fire broke out in the neighborhood. Jacqueline was also able to save family albums and other important documents before leaving.
a A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family. The rebuild has already raised more than $125,000.
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