Sisters of Charity of Saints Bartolomea Capitanio and Vincenza Gerosa

Bartolomea was helped in her project by Catherine Gerosa, a simple and wealthy lady of Lovere who later took the name of Sister Vincenza, in honor of St. Vincent de Paul.

Her mother decided to send her to the boarding school of the Poor Clares at the age of 11 where she acquired a deep piety.

Catherine became involved in her Church parish, organizing a women’s oratory with meetings and retreats, and founding a practical school to teach the poor girls of the community domestic work so as to improve their station in life.

[citation needed] After having accomplished this they decided to extend their mission to establish a special religious institute with the objectives of providing assistance to the sick, free education for girls, Christian orphanages, and programs designed to promote youth welfare.

The wax image of Maria Bambina was modeled in 1735 by Sr. Isabella Chiara Formari, a Sister of the Poor Clares in Todi, Perugia.

Over the main entrance of the Milan cathedral are the words in bronze letters: Mariae Nascenti, meaning to the Infant Mary.

[10] Bishop Alberico Simonetta brought the waxen image of Maria Bambina to Milan on his return to his native town in 1738.

It became the custom to offer newly married couples a wedding gift of a small wax image of Maria Bambina.

Sisters were soon sent far outside Lovere and its neighbourhood, to care for orphans and girls: these were left to themselves in the wake of cholera and war, that marked the nineteenth century.