Fabris adopted the two orphaned girls and had nine more children of her own. She kept her home open to other children as well, who knew her as "Mamma Rosa." She dedicated her life to her family, teaching her children to pray, to obey, to respect the "will of God," and to practice Christian virtues, reputedly sacrificing her own needs to do so. Her success in this regards is attested by the ordination of three of her sons as Catholic priests, including Franciscan friar Bernardino, who would become her first biographer.