[1] Zavalía was married for just over a decade before she followed her religious calling and founded an order that spread across Argentina; she collaborated with José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero before her death.

Zavalía was beatified on 25 November 2017 at a Mass celebrated in Córdoba with Cardinal Angelo Amato presiding over it.

In 1848 she chose the priest Tiburcio López as her spiritual director and it was he who encouraged her to wed.[2] Rodríguez married Manuel Antonio de Zavalía on 13 August 1852 – he was widowed with two children Benito and Deidamia – and he threatened to commit suicide if she refused to wed him; López officiated at this wedding.

[2] Her spiritual director at that time was Father David Luque and she set up the order's motherhouse on 1 March 1875.

Luque suffered ill health since 1888 and he died on 11 August 1892 which prompted her to have him interred in the order's motherhouse.

Pope John Paul II titled her as Venerable on 18 December 1997 after confirming her life of heroic virtue.