Giovanni Maria Boccardo was an Italian Catholic priest born in 1848 in Moncalieri. He is primarily recognized for establishing the Poor Daughters of Saint Cajetan, a religious congregation, following a cholera outbreak in 1884. Throughout his ministry, he served as a teacher, a spiritual director for seminarians, and a parish priest. His dedication to service included providing care to those suffering from the epidemic and offering spiritual support to prisoners in Saluzzo. He was beatified in 1998 by Pope John Paul II.