Quintin Ebenezer Primo Jr. (July 1, 1913 – January 15, 1998) was suffragan bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Chicago The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago is the official organization of the Episcopal Church in Chicago and Northern Illinois, US. The diocese is headed by Bishop Paula Clark, who is the first woman and first African-American to lead the diocese. ...

from 1972 to 1985. He also served as interim bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware from January 1 to November 8, 1986.

Early life and education

Primo was born in

Liberty County, Georgia Liberty County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population is 65,256. The county seat is Hinesville. Liberty County is part of the Hinesville, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included i ...

on July 1, 1913, the son of the Reverend Quinton Ebenezer Primo, a priest from

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, and Alvira Wilhelmina Wellington. He was educated at Saint Augustine's College High School in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

and received his diploma at Fort Valley Normal and Industrial Institute in Albany, Georgia in 1930. In 1934 he graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from Lincoln University and then received a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from Lincoln University in 1937. He then completed a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1941. Primo also received degrees from General Theological Seminary and Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...

Ministry

Bishop John Durham Wing of South Florida ordained Primo as a deacon on July 13, 1941, then as a priest on June 28, 1942, on both occasions in the Church of St Agnes,

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. He was presented by his father, then rector of St. Matthew's Church in Delray Beach, Florida. Between 1941 and 1942, Primo served as curate at St Agnes' Church in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

before moving to North Carolina in 1942 where he became priest-in-charge of three parishes; St. Gabriel's Church in Rutherfordton, Good Shepherd Church in Tryon and St. Andrew's Church in

Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada *Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...

. In 1944 he accepted a position as priest-in-charge of St. Stephen's Church in

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

. Between 1945 and 1947 Primo served as priest-in-charge of St. Timothy's Church in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, before moving to

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

to become priest-in-charge of St. Simon's Church in 1947, of which he became rector in 1961 after the church became a parish. Primo also worked to create the parish of St. Matthew's Church in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

after becoming priest-in-charge of the mission in 1963, succeeding in 1966 as the mission became a parish with him as rector. In 1969, Primo moved to

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, where two years later he managed to merge the Church of St. Matthew, a predominantly black congregation, with the historic and predominantly white St Joseph's parish, creating St Matthew's-St Joseph's Church.

Bishop

In 1972, Primo was elected Suffragan Bishop of Chicago and consecrated on September 30, 1972, in the Cathedral of Saint James by Presiding Bishop

John E. Hines John Elbridge Hines (October 3, 1910 – July 19, 1997) was a bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States. When he was elected the 22nd Presiding Bishop in 1965, at the age of 54, he was the youngest person to hold that office, which ...

. Primo remained in Chicago till 1985 and then served as Interim Bishop of Delaware from January 1 to November 8, 1986 and assisted there until his death.

Death and legacy

On November 8, 1986, when Primo died in Hockessin, Delaware. He helped found the Primo Center, which remains today. http://www.primocenter.org/index.htm Primo Center

References

External links

Stuart A. Rose Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Book Library
Emory University
Quintin E. Primo family papers
(Collection of Quentin E. Primo Sr.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Primo, Quintin 1913 births 1998 deaths People from Liberty County, Georgia Clergy from Chicago American people of Guyanese descent Virginia Theological Seminary alumni 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Delaware 20th-century American clergy St. Augustine's University (North Carolina) alumni