Viral video in US shows family singing to Mary amid ruins of their home

In Los Angeles, a family prays before a statue of the Virgin Mary that survived California wildfire. Photo: Video screenshot

When Peter and Jackie Halpin, along with their six grown children and some of their spouses, showed up at the site of their family home in northern Los Angeles County after the wildfire, there was almost nothing left. The house was completely destroyed, leaving only the foundation, debris, and the scorched concrete statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Joseph, writes the Catholic site National Catholic Register.

“They said a prayer near the statue of Mary — a version of the daily consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Then someone said they should sing something. But what? Peter ended the discussion with an intonation, setting pitch with four notes going up the scale — “La – la – la – laaaaa.” Everyone in the family knows what that means: Regina Caeli, a 12th-century Latin hymn to Mary that Peter’s mother taught all nine of her children,” the article reports.

A family friend recorded the performance on video. Someone posted it online, where it attracted the attention of hundreds of thousands of people.

Andrew Halpin, 36, the fourth of Peter and Jackie’s six children (three boys and three girls), described to the Register on Thursday night how he felt during the family prayer.

“I already feel so much healing because we were able to be there together as a family, and we were able to bond over this song that means so much to our family,” he said.

As previously reported, a Catholic church in Los Angeles was destroyed in a fire, leaving only its frame. “The priests are safe with family and friends. Let us pray for one another,” the parish website urged.

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