ITALIAN JOB
…..Father Sandro trades celibacy for love in Kenya, sheds his clerical robes
ITALIAN JOB
…..Father Sandro trades celibacy for love in Kenya, sheds his clerical robes
BARINGO, Kenya — For 12 years, he was known simply as ‘Father Sandro,’ a trusted Italian missionary navigating the rugged terrain of Baringo County to deliver sermons, guide youth programmes and comfort the faithful.
But on September 6, 2026, 55-year-old Sandro Ferretto stood before a vibrant gathering in Seretion Village, Kasiela, stripped of his Roman Catholic collars and draped instead in the rich traditional attire of the Kalenjin community.
[In a striking romantic twist that has captivated East Africa, the former priest formally traded his vow of celibacy for a lifetime commitment to a local Tugen woman, Sharon Jepng’ok.
The union was sealed during a traditional Koito ceremony—a customary rite involving intricate dowry negotiations and family blessings.
The location itself carried immense poetic weight: it was the exact parish region in Baringo South where Ferretto had spent over a decade ministering to the community.
Ferretto’s journey to this moment was a long, internal battle against the strictures of Latin Catholic canon law, which bars active clerics from marrying.
Ordained for the Diocese of Padua in Italy, he arrived in Kenya as a fidei donum missionary in 2008.
During his years under the Diocese of Nyahururu, crossing the dust-blown roads of Mochongoi and Kasiela, he met Sharon, the daughter of a former local councillor.
What began as a routine community encounter quietly blossomed into a deep, life-altering connection.
[The weight of leading a double life eventually took its toll. Ferretto returned to Italy in late 2020, eventually taking charge of a pastoral unit overseeing eight churches in Borgo Veneto.
Yet, the memory of Sharon and the life he left behind in Kenya lingered.
In 2023, Italian media noted he had stepped down from his duties for a ‘period of personal reflection.’
That reflection brought him clarity—and an ultimate exit from the priesthood.
“I was wrong to live a life built on pretence, hiding what my heart truly desired,” Ferretto later shared his decision to step away from the altar.
“For too long, I smiled through pain and denied myself love, companionship, and happiness. Eventually, my soul became tired. I chose honesty over appearances, peace over expectations and finally stopped pretending,” he said
The wedding was a joyous, community-wide affair, bringing together elders, family and former parishioners who once looked to Ferretto for spiritual confession, but now celebrated his personal liberation.
As the traditional beer was shared and blessings were spoken, the Italian native formally began his new chapter, proving that sometimes, the ultimate leap of faith isn’t into the heavens, but into the arms of the person you love. – ALENDO