Lucio Boccacci

Fr. Lucio Boccacci, LC, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and immigrated with his family to the United States at the age of six. The oldest of three brothers, he grew up in Miami, Florida, lived for a time in France, and completed high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, where his involvement in Catholic youth ministry contributed to his discernment of the priesthood.

After graduating, he entered the Legionaries of Christ in 2004. Following his novitiate and studies in the humanities and philosophy, he spent several years in youth ministry in Dallas-Fort Worth and Chicago, organizing youth clubs, retreats, camps, and other formative programs.

Fr. Lucio later studied theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, earning his degree in Theology in 2016 with a particular interest in Sacred Scripture. He was ordained a priest that same year. From 2016 to 2022, he served in adolescent youth ministry in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and as director of Camp River Ridge, a Catholic summer camp in Indiana. He later served as an associate pastor in the Diocese of Tulsa. In 2025, he completed a licentiate in Spiritual Theology in Rome and is now engaged in active priestly ministry.

Fr. Lucio has been drawn to the Boy Jesus since his own youth. His years of accompanying adolescents convinced him that young people need to encounter the young Jesus not only as a model, but as a friend who leads them toward holiness. His studies in Sacred Scripture and Spiritual Theology helped him discover in Luke 2:40–52 both an often-overlooked treasure of Jesus’ youth and a roadmap for spiritual growth.

Fr. Lucio is also the author of The Boy Jesus Series, a commentary on Luke 2:40–52 that seeks to make biblical scholarship on the passage accessible and engaging for the general reader. Each volume explores a different aspect of the narrative, drawing upon scholarly research to reconstruct its historical and biblical setting, fill in details left unstated by the Gospel, and bring out its theological meaning. The series also relates the episode to the wider Gospel narrative and to the life and ministry of Jesus, offering a fuller portrait of His hidden childhood and youth.

The Way of the Boy Jesus grew from his desire to offer young people a path to holiness adapted especially for them, while inviting families and readers of all ages to discover the mysteries of Jesus’ hidden years. He sees The Way of the Boy Jesus as his response to a gift: a friendship with the Boy Jesus that he lives and now hopes to share with others.