Catholic cleric quits priesthood, marries Kenyan woman after years of missionary work

An Italian-born Catholic priest who dedicated over a decade to missionary service in rural Kenya has stepped away from the cloth entirely, marrying a Kenyan woman in a traditional ceremony in the community where he once preached.

Sandro Ferretto, 55, wed Sharon Jepng'ok, a Tugen woman from Baringo South, on September 6, 2026, at Seretion village in Kasiela.

The ceremony followed the Koito tradition, a Kalenjin customary rite that centres on dowry negotiations and family blessings.

Community elders, local leaders, relatives, and Jepng'ok's colleagues were all present to witness the union, as reported by the Kenya Times.

Ferretto was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Padua in Italy before arriving in Kenya in 2008.

He served under the Diocese of Nyahururu, working across Kasiela and Mochongoi, and became a familiar and trusted face throughout Baringo County.

Residents knew him simply as "Father Sandro," a figure closely associated with pastoral outreach, youth programmes, and community development spanning more than a decade.

He returned to Italy in December 2020 alongside fellow missionary priest Mariano Dal Ponte.

By 2023, he was overseeing a pastoral unit in Saletto, Borgo Veneto, responsible for eight churches.

Later that year, local Italian media reported he had stepped down from the role to take a period of personal reflection.

He subsequently returned to Kenya, where he reconnected with Jepng'ok, a woman he had first met during his years of service in Baringo.

The couple's union has drawn considerable attention in both Kenya and Italy, partly because of how deeply embedded Ferretto had been in the Baringo community, and partly because of the canonical implications of a Catholic priest entering marriage.

Canon 277 §1 of Latin Catholic law binds priests to "perfect and perpetual continence for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven," describing celibacy as "a special gift of God by which sacred ministers can more easily remain close to Christ with an undivided heart."

Canon 1087 goes further, stating that those in sacred orders "invalidly attempt marriage."

For a priest to marry without violating Church law, he must first undergo laicisation. This formal Vatican-approved process removes him from the clerical state and grants a dispensation from the obligation of celibacy.

Only once that authorisation is in place is the individual considered free to marry in a manner the Church would recognise.

Without it, any such marriage is considered contrary to canon law and is not recognized by the Catholic Church.

Whether Ferretto completed that formal process has not been publicly confirmed. What is clear is that, at 55, he has chosen a markedly different path from the one he began in Padua, building a new life with Jepng'ok in the Kenyan community that shaped much of his adult life.

Watch the video of Italian Catholic priest Sandro Ferretto's wedding to his Kenyan bride below:

Former Catholic priest Father Sandro has officially left the priesthood to marry his partner, Sharon, a Tugen woman from Baringo South, Kenya.

The Italian-born cleric, who previously ministered in the Kasiela area of Baringo, made headlines after transitioning into a new life… pic.twitter.com/BPZidkV4PM

— The Kenyan Vigilante (@KenyanSays) September 7, 2026