An Italian Catholic priest, Sandro Ferretto, has left the priesthood and married a Kenyan woman, Sharon Jepng’ok, in a traditional ceremony.

The wedding took place on September 6 in Seretion village, Kasiela, in Baringo County, Kenya.

Ferretto, 55, served as a Catholic parish priest in the same area for 12 years. The couple were joined through a Koito ceremony, a Kalenjin customary rite that involves dowry negotiation and family blessings. Relatives, community elders and local leaders attended the event.

Ferretto was ordained in the Diocese of Padua in Italy and began missionary work in Kenya in 2008. He was widely known in the community as “Father Sandro.” He later returned to Italy, where he led a group of churches before stepping down from pastoral duties in late 2023.

He subsequently went back to Kenya and reunited with Jepng’ok, whom he had met during his years of service in Baringo.

Under Catholic rules, priests in the Latin Rite are required to remain celibate and cannot marry while still in active ministry.

A priest who wishes to marry must first receive formal permission from the Vatican to leave the clerical state. Neither the Diocese of Padua nor the Diocese of Nyahururu has issued a public statement on the marriage.

Photos from the ceremony show the couple dressed in traditional attire and taking part fully in the cultural rites.

Photo credit: Punch Newspaper