Jose Vicente Sirias - The man who would be bishop

As a child I had not heard much about my grandfather, Jose Vicente Sirias. I only knew that he was alive and living in Nicaragua. I had once heard that he studied to become a priest but instead married my grandmother. That's all I knew.

When we were in Managua last August, we visited my uncle Damiscis Sirias at his office of the Corte Suprema de Nicaragua. In our 1-1/2 hour long visit he shared many stories with us and we tried to get caught up on things unknown, at least to me. The most interesting story was the one about how my grandfather met my grandmother.

Now I can only imagine Granada, Nicaragua in those days. The story takes place in approximately 1918. My grandfather had been studying in the seminary to become a priest. Just to think that almost 100 years ago my grandfather had a calling to the priesthood is mind boggling; that none of us would be here if he had become a priest!

Jose Vicente Sirias was the personal secretary to Bishop Canuto Reyes Valladares of the Diocese of Chontales-Granada and extended areas of El Rama of the time. Once on a visit to Managua to what was probably a church event, Archbishop Jose Antonio Lezcano y Robleto was introduced to the young seminarian. Bishop Canuto Reyes Valladares proudly stated that Sirias was a likely candidate to be his successor one day. Archbishop Robleto had a different sentiment and told Bishop Valladares to proceed with caution because the young man had, " hojos de picaro" (mischievous eyes).

A grand wedding would take place at the Cathedral of Granada. Maria Brunilda Burgos's sister was getting married and Bishop Canuto Reyes Valladares would preside at the mass. His right hand man, Jose Vicente Sirias was also invited. At this lavish event, he couldn't help noticing the beautiful Maria Burgos. Things would never be the same after that.

Back in those days the bishop was the only person in Granada who owned an automobile, a Dodge. Naturally, Jose Vicente Sirias learned how to operate the vehicle. He would learn how to service the car and see that it was operating properly. He would tell the bishop that he was going to take the car for a drive. These seemingly innocent gestures of being "servicial" became an opportunity to drive by the home of Maria Burgos for a visit. The visits increased in time and soon he was courting her. He would no longer think of the priesthood in the same way.

One day Sirias broke the news to the bishop. He told the bishop that he didn't think that he could go on to become a priest. But the bishop told him that he would soon forget about Maria. The bishop wanted to send him to Rome where his studies would increase with more depth; to study Canon Law.

Sirias was not going to change his mind. They had fallen in love. He married her at the Cathedral of Granada. Bishop Robleto was right - Sirias had a wandering eye.