By CatholicVote | Created at 2025-01-20 22:26:20 | Updated at 2025-01-21 01:34:52
3 hours ago
CV NEWS FEED // A statue of Mary emerged unscathed among the ruins of Rick and Tracy McGeagh’s home following the devastating fire that swept through the Pacific Palisades area Jan. 7, Angelus News reported.
“The fact that she survived, and our Viking stove melted is just a miracle to me,” Rick McGeagh told Angelus News.
The McGeaghs’ son documented the aftermath through photographs, capturing an image of the Blessed Mother alongside a charred tree that evokes the crucifixion.
“It’s like Calvary Hill,” his father said of the imagery. “Mary is at the foot of the cross, as she was, and the sun is God, beaming down on them.”
The couple are members of Corpus Christi Parish, which was also destroyed in the fire. Remarkably, the tabernacle of Corpus Christi was one of the few items to survive the blaze and was rescued from the rubble by a fire captain a few days later. The captain noted that firefighters often observe that sacred objects are frequently the ones that survive devastating fires.
A commercial real estate broker, Rick McGeagh is committed to rebuilding both his home and the church, finding encouragement in the survival of the Mary statue as he faces the aftermath of the disaster.
“I find it a message of hope,” he said, “that God is telling us that we are going to get through this as Mary did.”
The statue has withstood another disaster, according to Angelus News. During the Northridge earthquake in 1994, Rick’s grandmother’s Santa Monica home was heavily damaged, but the statue remained unharmed as the family evacuated in the early morning hours.
McGeagh’s grandmother played a significant role in his spiritual journey, encouraging his return to the Catholic faith. He was baptized as a child but strayed until she became his sponsor for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) at age 27.
After his grandmother’s passing in 1998, McGeagh brought the statue to his new home in Pacific Palisades, where it became a cherished part of family life.
>> Los Angeles family sings hymn to Mary amid rubble of their burned home <<
