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Late priest bequeaths home to resettle new refugees in Syracuse

1124 Oak Street, Syracuse New York. March 17th, 2022.
Maxwell Mimaroglu
1124 Oak Street, Syracuse New York. March 17th, 2022.

A house on Syracuse’s north side first occupied by Irish and German immigrants decades ago will once again be a home for New Americans later this spring. The home on Oak Street was the childhood home of Anthony Keeffe, whose parents settled there in the '30s. He went on to become a Catholic priest at various area churches and moved back to the house when he retired decades later. When he passed away last year, All Saints Church found out he willed the house to the parish with the stipulation that it be used as part of its refugee resettlement ministry. Pastor Fred Daley said the house will support a new family of Congolese refugees.

“I think it just beautiful that the home is now going to be a safe haven for a new generation of new Americans and Tony would be thrilled with what we’re doing with it,” Daley said.

A group of volunteers work on patching holes and painting the walls of 1124 Oak Street, Syracuse New York. The group is a part of Operation Northern Comfort. March 17th, 2022.
Maxwell Mimaroglu
A group of volunteers work on patching holes and painting the walls of 1124 Oak Street, Syracuse New York. The group is a part of Operation Northern Comfort. March 17th, 2022.

All Saints supports roughly 200 Congolese Americans. Daley said the house is a step toward addressing the lack of quality affordable housing for refugees.

“Many of these refugees end up in homes that are owned by absentee landlords. The homes are very poorly maintained. You know, stories were in the middle of the winter, the heat comes off and they’re without heat for days,” Daley added.

Volunteers with Operation Northern Comfort are fixing up the home. Norm Andrzejewski said there is still a lot of work to be done before a new family can move in.

A group of volunteers work on patching holes and painting the walls of 1124 Oak Street, Syracuse New York. The group is a part of Operation Northern Comfort. March 17th, 2022.
Maxwell Mimaroglu
A group of volunteers work on patching holes and painting the walls of 1124 Oak Street, Syracuse New York. The group is a part of Operation Northern Comfort. March 17th, 2022.

“The electrical plugs are not grounded; they look grounded but they’re not. There’s little plumbing that needs to be done, we need to shore up the drains down in the basement. And then the house just needs a thorough cleaning and painting,” Andrzejewski said.

It is all hands-on deck as the group of volunteers works to get the house ready for a family of elderly parents and their three adult children by May first. Andrzejewski said more volunteers are always welcome, especially anyone with electrical, plumbing, and painting skills. His number is (315) 559-9413.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct an editing error.