A Prayer for Owen Meany

by

John Irving

The rector at Grace Church-on-the-Hill who succeeds Canon Campbell. John Wheelwright finds him warm and kind, but less sympathetic than Canon Campbell and less willing to debate the finer points of religion. He constantly pushes John to renounce his obsession with American politics and assimilate into Canadian society. He believes John lives in the past, and speaks frankly to John about his fatalism.
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Canon Mackie Character Timeline in A Prayer for Owen Meany

The timeline below shows where the character Canon Mackie appears in A Prayer for Owen Meany. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3: The Angel
Fate and Predestination Theme Icon
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...when Canon Campbell was alive, and rector of Grace Church. He finds the new Canon Mackie to be warm and kind, if long-winded, but doesn’t have the same special bond with... (full context)
Fate and Predestination Theme Icon
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Powerlessness Theme Icon
...to distract him from the service. But even the Bible proves unsatisfactory that day. Canon Mackie reads Matthew’s Beatitudes, which always troubled John and Owen. Statements like “Blessed are those who... (full context)
Fate and Predestination Theme Icon
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Powerlessness Theme Icon
...confession. Canon Campbell used to talk him through the words and their meaning, but Canon Mackie tends to brush him off by saying he worries too much about “mere words.” The... (full context)
Chapter 5: The Ghost of the Future 
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...about to feed. He wants communion to be a sacred event, not spoiled by Canon Mackie’s jokes. He manages to find fault in the two wine servers—the Rev. Katherine Keeling shouldn’t... (full context)
Fate and Predestination Theme Icon
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John is left to try and talk to Canon Mackie about his frustrations with President Reagan’s nuclear subterfuge, but Canon Mackie turns the conversation towards... (full context)
Fate and Predestination Theme Icon
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Powerlessness Theme Icon
Mackie believes that John lives in the past, and even John himself wonders if his fondness... (full context)