Robert Machray was born in Aberdeen, Scotland and raised in the Presbyterian church. He was gifted in mathematics and studied mathematics and theology at the University of Aberdeen and Cambridge University. While at Cambridge, he became a member of the Church of England and was ordained an Anglican priest in 1855. In 1865, he was commissioned to serve as Bishop of Rupert’s Land, a vast region of Canada, much of which lay above the Arctic Circle. As bishop, he championed missionary work, higher education, and sought better administrative organization to attend to the needs of those living in the vast regions under his care. Machray was a devoted servant of the church, known for his quiet humility, his wise organizational leadership, and for his enduring love of mathematics. Machray was often seen solving complex math formulas, for relaxation. During Machray’s service, Canadian confederation resulted in the foundation of a new, united and independent Anglican Province in Canada. Machray was named the first Archbishop (“Primate”) of the Anglican Church of Canada in 1893.
O God, our heavenly Father, you raised up your faithful servant Robert Machray to be a Bishop and pastor in your Church and to feed your flock: Give abundantly to all pastors the gifts of your Holy Spirit, that they may minister in your household as true servants of Christ and stewards of your divine mysteries; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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