Former Catholic Priest Sandro Ferretto Marries Kenyan Woman He Met During Missionary Work
An Italian-born former Catholic priest has begun a new chapter of his life after marrying a Kenyan woman he first met during his years of missionary service in Baringo County.
Sandro Ferretto, 55, married Sharon Jepng’ok, a Tugen woman from Baringo South, during a traditional Koito ceremony held on September 6, 2026, at Seretion Village in Kasiela.
The location has particular significance for Ferretto. It is the same area where he previously served as a Catholic parish priest and spent years building relationships with local families and communities.
Relatives, elders, local leaders and friends reportedly attended the ceremony, which followed Kalenjin customary traditions involving family participation, dowry discussions and blessings.
For people who knew him during his years as “Father Sandro,” the wedding represents a striking change in the role he now holds in the community.
He has returned to Baringo not as a Catholic missionary, but as Sharon's husband.
Who Is Sandro Ferretto?
Ferretto is an Italian-born Catholic priest who spent approximately 12 years serving communities in Kenya.
He was ordained for the Diocese of Padua in Italy and travelled to Kenya in 2008 for missionary work. He served in the Kasiela and Mochongoi areas of Baringo County under the Diocese of Nyahururu.
During his time in Baringo, Ferretto became familiar to local residents through pastoral activities, youth programmes and community initiatives.
Many people knew him simply as Father Sandro.
His years in the region also led to a personal relationship that would eventually change the direction of his life.
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How Ferretto Met Sharon Jepng’ok
Ferretto reportedly met Sharon Jepng’ok while carrying out missionary work in the Baringo region.
Sharon is from Baringo South and is identified in Kenyan reports as a member of the Tugen community.
Their relationship developed over time, eventually leading Ferretto to reconsider the future he wanted for himself after years in Catholic ministry.
The couple's story is therefore closely connected to the same community where Ferretto spent much of his missionary career.
From Missionary Priest to a New Life
Ferretto's transition away from active parish ministry took place over several years.
He eventually returned to Italy after his missionary assignment in Kenya. Reports place his return in December 2020, when he travelled back with fellow missionary priest Father Mariano Dal Ponte.
By 2023, Ferretto was serving in a pastoral unit in Saletto, Borgo Veneto, in the Diocese of Padua, where he was responsible for several churches.
In December 2023, Italian media reported that he had stepped away from his pastoral responsibilities following a final Mass and described the move as a period of reflection.
Reports from the time said the Diocese of Padua continued to regard him as a priest, illustrating why it is important not to assume that leaving a parish position automatically means that someone has been formally removed from the clerical state.
He later returned to Kenya.
A Relationship That Led Back to Baringo
Ferretto's connection with Sharon eventually brought him back to the region where he had spent years as a missionary.
But his return was different from his earlier visits.
Instead of arriving as a priest serving a parish, he returned as Sharon's partner and ultimately her husband.
The couple's September 6 ceremony therefore marked both a marriage and a significant personal transition for Ferretto.
What Is a Koito Ceremony?
The couple celebrated their union through a Koito ceremony, a traditional marriage practice among Kalenjin communities.
Koito involves more than the couple themselves. Families and elders play an important role, with ceremonies commonly involving discussions surrounding marriage arrangements, dowry and family blessings.
The ceremony in Seretion brought together relatives, community elders, local leaders and other guests.
For Ferretto, participating in the ceremony also meant becoming part of an important cultural tradition in the community where he had previously spent much of his working life.
A Marriage Blending Italian and Kenyan Backgrounds
The wedding has attracted attention partly because of the couple's different backgrounds.
Ferretto comes from Italy and spent much of his adult life within Catholic missionary and pastoral work.
Sharon comes from Baringo South and belongs to the Tugen community.
Their marriage was celebrated according to Kenyan customary traditions, making the ceremony a meeting point between Ferretto's Italian background and Sharon's Kalenjin heritage.
Reports and photographs from the celebration have circulated widely online, adding to public interest in the couple's unusual journey from missionary service to marriage.
Why Did Ferretto Leave the Priesthood?
This is one area where responsible reporting requires some caution.
Recent reports say Ferretto left active priestly ministry before marrying Sharon.
However, the public reporting does not provide sufficient documentation to establish precisely when or whether every formal canonical step associated with leaving the clerical state was completed.
That distinction matters.
Under Catholic canon law, priests in the Latin Church are bound by the obligation of celibacy. A priest who wishes to marry must normally obtain the appropriate permissions and be released from the obligations associated with the clerical state.
Simply stepping away from parish duties is not necessarily identical to formal laicisation.
For that reason, it is safer to describe Ferretto as a former priest who left active ministry rather than make an unsupported claim about his precise canonical status.
What Catholic Church Rules Say About Priests and Marriage
Catholic priests in the Latin Church ordinarily undertake an obligation of celibacy.
A priest cannot simply remain an active Catholic priest and enter into a valid marriage as though the clerical obligation did not exist.
There is a formal Church process for priests who seek to leave the clerical state and obtain a dispensation from the obligation of celibacy.
However, the details of an individual priest's canonical case are not necessarily made public.
That is why Ferretto's personal decision should be distinguished from assumptions about exactly what canonical permissions he may or may not have received.
A Return to the Community That Knew Him as Father Sandro
For many residents of Kasiela and the surrounding areas, Ferretto's story has an added personal dimension.
They knew him for years as a priest and missionary who worked among local families and young people.
Now they have witnessed him return to the same community for an entirely different milestone.
His September 6 marriage to Sharon effectively brought his personal story back to the place where their relationship began.
The transition from missionary priest to husband is unusual, but the ceremony itself was firmly rooted in the traditions of Sharon's community.
More Than a Viral Wedding Story
The attention surrounding Ferretto and Sharon's marriage may initially come from the unusual contrast between his former role and his new life.
But underneath the headlines is a more personal story about a man who spent years living and working in another country, formed a lasting connection with the community and eventually returned to build a family life there.
The wedding also highlights the way international relationships can develop through years of shared community life.
Ferretto's connection with Kenya did not end when his missionary assignment ended. Instead, it ultimately became part of the foundation for the next stage of his life.
For Sharon and Ferretto, the Koito ceremony in Seretion was therefore more than a public celebration.
It marked the beginning of their married life in the community where their story first began.
Editor's Note
This article is based on recent Kenyan and international reporting published around the couple's September 6, 2026 traditional wedding. Multiple reports identify Sandro Ferretto as a 55-year-old Italian former Catholic priest who served as a missionary in Baringo and later married Sharon Jepng’ok through a Koito ceremony.
Reports describe Ferretto as having left active priestly ministry, but publicly available reporting does not establish all details of his canonical status or confirm whether he formally completed every step associated with laicisation. Accordingly, this article does not make a definitive claim about his current status within the Catholic Church.
The article also avoids portraying Ferretto's decision as a scandal. His departure from active ministry and subsequent marriage are personal and religious matters, while the couple's traditional wedding was a celebration of their union and family traditions.
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