An Italian Catholic priest, Sandro Ferretto, 55, has reportedly left active priestly ministry and married Kenyan woman Sharon Jepng’ok in a traditional ceremony in Baringo County, Kenya.
Ferretto and Jepng’ok were joined in marriage on September 6, 2026, at Seretion village in Kasiela, the same community where the Italian spent 12 years serving as a Catholic parish priest.
The couple reportedly formalised their union through a Koito ceremony, a traditional Kalenjin marriage rite that involves family negotiations, dowry arrangements and blessings from relatives and community elders.
Family members, elders, local leaders and some of Jepng’ok’s colleagues were said to have attended the ceremony.
Ferretto, a native of Italy, was ordained as a priest of the Diocese of Padua before beginning missionary work in Kenya in 2008. He served communities around Kasiela and Mochongoi under the Diocese of Nyahururu and became popularly known as “Father Sandro.”
After returning to Italy in December 2020, Ferretto later took responsibility for a pastoral unit comprising eight churches in Saletto, Borgo Veneto, under the Diocese of Padua.
However, Italian newspaper Il Gazzettino reported in December 2023 that he unexpectedly stepped down from the position after celebrating his final Mass.
The Diocese of Padua subsequently confirmed his departure, explaining that Ferretto remained a priest and was not involved in any controversy. The diocese described the development as a requested suspension from pastoral responsibilities.
Ferretto later returned to Kenya, where he reportedly reunited with Jepng’ok, whom he had met during his missionary years in Baringo.
Under the rules governing the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, priests are required to observe celibacy while serving in active ministry. A priest seeking to marry must generally obtain formal laicisation and a dispensation from the obligation of celibacy.
As of the reported wedding, neither the Diocese of Padua nor the Diocese of Nyahururu had publicly commented on Ferretto’s marriage.
Images and videos from the ceremony showed Ferretto and Jepng’ok participating in traditional Koito rites while dressed in matching orange-and-blue outfits decorated with traditional beads.
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