Venerable Nicola D'Onofrio was born on March 24, 1943, in Villamagna in the diocese of Chieti - Abruzzo. He was baptized in the parish church of St. Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore) on March 27, and was given the name Nicola. His father was called Giovanni, an honest and religious man, a good farmer endowed with the simple and popular wisdom of the old country families of Abruzzo. His mother, Virginia Ferrara was a strong but considerate woman, known for her piety and Christian spirit. She was able to transmit to her son a genuine religious sense of life, sensitiveness, an outstanding kindness and peace of mind. On the Feast of Corpus Domini, 8 June 1950, he received his first Holy Communion and three years later on October 17, 1953, he was confirmed. He went to the primary school in Villamagna, close to Madonna del Carmine, where according to the teachers and his contemporaries, he distinguished himself for his diligence, kindness and availability for others. He never missed serving Holy Mass at the parish church, where he was constant even in winter, though his home was several kilometers away, at the border with neighboring Bucchianico, the birthplace of St. Camilles de Lellis.
A priest of the religious order of St. Camilles, a native of his village, invited him to join the Camillian seminary in Rome. Nicola accepted the proposal with joy and he immediately revealed his decision to his parents. But they objected. Because, his mother wanted him to go to the diocesan seminary in the neighboring town of Chieti, and his father did not want to lose the promising strong hands for the fields. Even his two unmarried paternal aunts, who lived with the family, were blandishing him with the promise of making him the sole heir if he could only stay. All the life of little Nicola was simple and genuine. The opposition from his family lasted for a year. Nicola lived this period in prayer and study, until he finally obtained the permission to join the Seminary of St. Camilles in Rome. It was on October 3, 1955 that he entered, the feast of St. Theresa of Lisieux, of the Child Jesus, who would later become his spiritual guide. Though the Seminary was brimming with students, just like all other centers for vocation to the priesthood at that time, the young Nicola did not escape the notice of those who were supposed to observe the distinguishing signs of a true vocation. They immediately noticed in him the determination to model his total personality, entrusting himself completely to the superiors to guide him spiritually. Two years later, he learned that his father wanted to withdraw him and take him back home. He then wrote a strong letter about his resolute decision to continue with the formation to the Priesthood in the Order of St. Camilles, whatever that would cost. He gave many motivations in support of his decision, among which was the saying of St. John Bosco: "The most beautiful blessing for a family is to have a son Priest." (1)