 It was around 1846 that she met for the first time Gian Abbondio Crotti (the Como Cathedral canon) who became her spiritual director and close collaborator.Her mother died in 1849 and her father soon followed in 1852 which came all of a sudden with little warning; her father had bequeathed 32 000 lires to her but was concerned about her unmarried status so had his two sons Antonio and Pietro take care of her.On 27 September 1853 – alongside Nina Luigia Allegri and other companions Lucrezia Schiavetti and Anna Maria Poletti – she established the Suore Infermiere dell'Addolorata; diocesan approval for the order came later on 25 December 1862 from the Bishop of Como Carlo Marzorati.