President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday paid tribute to the Presbyterian Church’s contributions to the nation at an event marking the 150th anniversary of the appointment of one of the church’s first missionaries in Taiwan.
Tsai delivered the remarks at a prayer service held by the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan in honor of George Leslie Mackay, a Canadian minister who spent three decades in Taiwan from late 1871 until his death in 1901.
In addition to establishing more than 60 churches in Taiwan, Mackay is widely remembered as the founder of Aletheia University, originally called Oxford College, in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), as well as having Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei named after him.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
In her speech, Tsai said that Mackay had faced significant challenges as a missionary in Taiwan in the 1870s, a time when local residents’ knowledge of Christianity was extremely limited.
To overcome barriers, Mackay learned to speak Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) while making important contributions in education and medicine, she said.
While Mackay devoted “a lifetime of compassion” to Taiwan, the Presbyterian Church has continued his legacy, Tsai said, citing how the church’s leaders facilitated Taiwan’s transition to democracy.
Presbyterians have demonstrated their love for Taiwan by taking “practical action” in social undertakings related to education, healthcare and the environment, she added.
Yesterday’s event was also attended by Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) and Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Executive Director Jordan Reeves.
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