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Connection
HISTORY
The Faces of George Leslie Mackay
presbyterian.ca
SUMMER 2022
PRESBYTERIAN
35
George Leslie Mackay helped establish schools for community members, including women. Most notable was the open- ing of Oxford College, which introduced the structure of Western education to Taiwan.
A commemorative stamp recognizing the 150th anniversary of George Leslie Mackay’s arrival in Taiwan. PHOTO CREDIT: MICHAEL STAINTON
By the Presbyterian Church Archives
On March 9, 1872, George Les- lie Mackay arrived in Tamsui as a missionary for The Presbyte- rian Church in Canada and be- gan work that would be admired long afterwards. To celebrate 150 years of Mackay in Taiwan, the Presbyterian Church Archives presents a new online exhibit: The Faces of George Leslie Mackay.
The Rev. Dr. George Leslie Mackay was a missionary and
Moderator of the 20th General Assembly. He was born to George Mackay and Helen Sutherland in the Township of Zorra in Oxford County, Ont., on March 21, 1844. He had three brothers, John, James/Jim and Alexander, and two sisters, Mary and Isabella. He attended Woodstock Public School from 1850 to 1855. He graduated from Toronto Teacher’s College and taught at Maitland Public School. In 1866, George entered Knox College in Toronto,
then transferred to Princeton Col- lege of Theology in New Jersey in 1867. He graduated from Prince- ton in 1870, and then studied at the Scottish Edinburgh Univer- sity Seminary under Dr. Alexander Duff.
George Leslie Mackay was ordained by the Presbytery of To- ronto within the PCC on Septem- ber 19, 1871, and a month later he sailed for China. From China, he made his way to Taiwan, and in 1872, he founded the first Ca-
nadian overseas mission in Tam- sui, Taiwan.
The ministry of George Les- lie Mackay involved preaching, training new ministers, dentistry and medicine. He established 60 chapels, several schools and a hospital. He returned to Canada on furlough on two occasions, where he under took many speaking engagements across the country. During his first fur- lough in 1880, an honorary de- gree of Doctor of Divinity was
bestowed upon him by Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. Dur- ing his second furlough in 1894, he was elected the Moderator of the 20th General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
George Leslie Mackay mar- ried Tiu Chhang-mia (“Minnie”) on May 27, 1878. They had two daughters, Mary and Bella, and a son, George William. The Rev. George Leslie Mackay died in Tamsui on June 2, 1901.
To view the online exhibit of George Leslie Mackay, visit presbyterianarchives.ca/150-years-of-mackay
George Leslie Mackay believed it was important to learn the language and immerse himself in the culture of Taiwan. He befriended the locals, respected local customs and collected artifacts along the way.
George Leslie Mackay helped establish medical clinics and hospitals to treat impoverished people of Taiwan. He also stepped in as a dentist for those in need. PHOTO CREDITS: PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ARCHIVES