An Italian Catholic priest, Sandro Ferretto, has reportedly left active priestly ministry and married his Kenyan partner, Sharon Jepng’ok, in a traditional ceremony in Baringo County, Kenya.
The Catholic priest, 55, married Jepng’ok, a Tugen woman from Baringo South, during a Koito ceremony held on September 6 at Seretion village in Kasiela, the community where he previously served as a Catholic parish priest for about 12 years.
The ceremony, which followed Kalenjin customary traditions, involved dowry negotiations and the formal blessing of the union by members of both families.
Relatives, community elders, local leaders and colleagues of Jepng’ok were among those said to have attended the ceremony.
Ferretto, a priest of the Diocese of Padua in Italy, began missionary work in Kenya in 2008 and served communities in Kasiela and Mochongoi under the Diocese of Nyahururu. He became popularly known in the area as ‘Father Sandro.’
He returned to Italy in December 2020 and later took charge of a pastoral unit comprising eight churches in Saletto, Borgo Veneto, within the Padua diocese.
However, in December 2023, Italian newspaper Il Gazzettino reported that he had stepped down from the position shortly after celebrating his final Mass.
The Diocese of Padua subsequently confirmed his departure, saying Ferretto remained a priest and was not linked to any controversy. The diocese described the move as a requested break from pastoral responsibilities.
He was also reported to have volunteered with a migrant support organisation in Padua before eventually returning to Kenya.
It was during his years as a missionary in Baringo that Ferretto reportedly met Jepng’ok, with the two later reuniting after his return to Kenya.
The marriage marks a significant change from his previous status in the Catholic Church, where Latin-rite priests are ordinarily required to observe celibacy and are not permitted to marry while serving in active ministry.
For a Catholic priest to marry validly under Church law, he generally has to be formally laicised and receive the necessary dispensation from the obligation of celibacy.
Neither the Diocese of Padua nor the Diocese of Nyahururu has so far issued a public statement specifically addressing Ferretto’s marriage.
Images and videos from the ceremony circulating online show Ferretto and Jepng’ok participating in the traditional Koito rites, dressed in matching orange-and-blue attire and taking part in the customary dances alongside family members and well-wishers.