Albert Thomas (Kerry) Waterstone

TULLAMORE, IRELAND - Father Kerry Waterstone, founder of the Ulster Project, passed away in his hometown of Tullamore, Ireland, on August 31, 2020, at the age of 97. Father Waterstone travelled to Milwaukee many times to support the Ulster Project of Greater Milwaukee, an ecumenical exchange program that has been bringing groups of Catholic and Protestant teens from Northern Ireland together for extended stays with host families each summer since 1980, when it was first launched by Patricia Spoerl and Marge Didier of Saint Jude Parish in Wauwatosa. Father Waterstone was a clergyman from the Protestant Church of Ireland who lived in Tullamore in the Irish Republic, where he served as a pastor from 1964 to 1990. He and his wife Edie, strong supporters of the ecumenical movement, founded the Ulster Project in 1975, helping it grow to over a dozen locations across the USA. The Northern Irish teens who have participated number around 15,000, with some of them now serving as elected leaders in Northern Ireland. On his many visits to Milwaukee, Father Waterstone spoke at Catholic and Protestant churches across the area, impressing every audience with his deep Christian faith, his Irish wit, his commitment to ecumenical dialogue, and his sincere wish to further the cause of peace in Ireland. He is survived by his wife Edie, daughter Vici, and sons John, Aidan, and Mark. Information about the Ulster Project of Greater Milwaukee can be found at www.ulsterprojectmilwaukee.org.