‘Father Sandro’ Marries Kenyan Woman After Leaving Catholic Priesthood

Sandro Ferretto, a 55-year-old Italian Catholic priest who spent 12 years serving communities in Kenya, has married a Kenyan woman, Sharon Jepng’ok, in a traditional Kalenjin ceremony in Baringo County.

The former priest and Jepng’ok, a Tugen woman from Baringo South, exchanged marital commitments on September 6 during a Koito ceremony held at Seretion village in Kasiela.

Koito is a Kalenjin customary marriage rite that includes dowry negotiations and family blessings. The ceremony was reportedly attended by family members, community elders, local leaders and colleagues of Jepng’ok.

Ferretto was ordained in Italy as a priest of the Diocese of Padua before beginning missionary work in Kenya in 2008. His assignments included the Kasiela and Mochongoi areas under the Diocese of Nyahururu.

He became known locally as “Father Sandro” during his 12 years as a parish priest in the area.

After returning to Italy in December 2020, Ferretto was appointed by 2023 to lead a pastoral unit comprising eight churches in Saletto, Borgo Veneto, within the Diocese of Padua.

His departure from the position was reported in December 2023 by Italian newspaper Il Gazzettino. The publication reported that he stepped down suddenly after celebrating a final Mass and gave his colleagues little advance notice.

The Diocese of Padua later confirmed that he had left the post, saying he “remains a priest and is not involved in any controversy” while characterising the decision as a requested pause from pastoral responsibilities.

Ferretto later returned to Kenya, where he reunited with Jepng’ok, whom he had reportedly met during his missionary service in Baringo.

Catholic canon law requires priests of the Latin Rite to observe celibacy while serving in active ministry. A priest who wishes to marry must first go through the process of laicisation, which is approved by the Vatican and removes his clerical status, normally alongside a dispensation from the celibacy obligation.

As of the report, neither the Diocese of Padua nor the Diocese of Nyahururu had released an official statement concerning the marriage.

Images and videos from the ceremony show Ferretto and Jepng’ok dressed in matching orange-and-blue traditional clothing with beaded gowns while participating in Koito dance rites at Seretion village.

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