Onofre was a hermit who lived in the Thebaid desert, in Egypt, at the end of the 4th century and beginning of the 5th century.
Onofre had a very long beard and hair and was wearing a loincloth covered in leaves.
When the abbot Panfuncius, accustomed to visiting hermits, saw Onofre, he was frightened by his appearance and tried to flee. Onofre told him not to be afraid because he was a human like him and a servant of God.
Onofre told Panfucius that he was a follower of Saint John the Baptist and the Prophet Elijah. He also told him that when he was hungry and thirsty, it was God who comforted him by giving him food.
Panfucius also wanted to be a hermit, but Onofre explained to him that it was not God's will. God had sent him to Onofre to watch him die and tell everyone his story. And that's what Panfucius did. He wrote the story of Onofre and spread it throughout Asia. Later the story spread throughout the West. His feast day is June 12th.
