The story of an Italian missionary priest who spent years serving Catholic communities in Baringo has taken a new turn.
Sandro Ferretto, a former Catholic priest, married his Kenyan partner, Sharon Jepng’ok, in a traditional Koito ceremony on Sunday, September 6, 2026.
The ceremony was held at Seretion Village in Kasiela, Baringo South, an area where Ferretto previously served as a Catholic priest.
The colourful ceremony brought together relatives, community elders, local leaders and friends. It also blended Ferretto’s Italian background with Sharon’s Tugen heritage.
But beyond the celebrations, Ferretto’s story raises a bigger question about what happens when a Catholic priest decides to leave the ministry and pursue family life.
From Italy to Baringo
Ferretto was ordained for the Diocese of Padua in Italy before travelling to Kenya as a missionary in 2008.
He spent about 12 years serving communities in Baringo. His work included areas such as Kasiela and Mochongoi under the Diocese of Nyahururu.
Residents came to know him as “Father Sandro.”
His years in the region allowed him to become closely connected to the local community. His relationship with Sharon also reportedly began during his missionary years in Baringo.
Ferretto later returned to Italy in 2020.
By 2023, he was reportedly leading a pastoral unit serving eight churches in the country. He stepped down from the role in December 2023, following his final Mass there.
His eventual return to Baringo marked another major chapter in his life.
From the Clerical Collar to Family Life
Ferretto’s decision to leave active priestly ministry is significant because Catholic priests in the Latin Church are bound by the discipline of celibacy.
Under Canon 277, clerics are required to observe perfect and perpetual continence. The Catholic Church describes celibacy as a special gift that allows priests to dedicate themselves more fully to Christ and the service of others.
Canon law also places a direct restriction on marriage.
Canon 1087 states that those in sacred orders invalidly attempt marriage.
This means an active Catholic priest cannot simply decide to marry and remain a priest in the normal exercise of his ministry.
Leaving the priesthood involves a formal process governed by Church law.
What Is Laicization?
The process is commonly known as laicization, or the loss of the clerical state.
It is important, however, to distinguish leaving active ministry from formal laicization.
A priest may step away from pastoral duties, but the canonical process governing a permanent departure from the clerical state is a separate matter.
Under Catholic theology, ordination itself is not simply erased. The sacrament of Holy Orders leaves a permanent sacramental character.
However, a person who loses the clerical state no longer exercises the rights and duties associated with being a cleric.
A dispensation from the obligation of celibacy is also relevant where a former priest seeks to marry.
Why Priests Cannot Simply Resign and Marry
Unlike leaving an ordinary job, abandoning active ministry does not automatically remove every obligation attached to priestly ordination.
The Church has established procedures for priests who believe they can no longer continue in ministry.
These procedures can involve the priest’s bishop, Church authorities and, depending on the circumstances, the Holy See.
The process examines the priest’s circumstances before a decision is made.
This is why the terms “left active ministry,” “left the priesthood” and “was laicized” should not automatically be treated as identical.
In Ferretto’s case, public reports confirm that he left active priestly ministry before marrying Sharon. However, details of his canonical status and any formal dispensation have not been publicly outlined in the reports reviewed for this article.
A New Chapter in Baringo
For many people in Baringo, however, the story is also a deeply personal one.
Ferretto returned to the community where he had spent years working as a missionary.
This time, he arrived not in a clerical collar but as Sharon Jepng’ok’s partner.
Their Koito ceremony followed Kalenjin customary traditions, including family involvement, dowry discussions and blessings from elders and relatives.
The ceremony therefore represented more than a wedding.
It marked the beginning of a different chapter for a man whose life in Baringo had previously been defined by Catholic missionary work.
From missionary service in 2008 to his return to Kenya as a groom in 2026, Ferretto’s journey has come full circle.
For the former priest, the next chapter is no longer centred on the parish.
It is centred on family, culture and a new life with Sharon.
