Billings was the first African-American to enter the Sisters of Mercy and the first to enter a community of sisters in Philadelphia. The black women ahead of her were told to go out of state.
Her family's Catholicism can be traced to her great-grandfather, George Lee, who was a slave for Jesuit priests.
Among her many accomplishments is being a founding member of the National Black Sisters Conference in 1968, a period when she became involved with the movement for the betterment of blacks.
''I decided I would no longer straighten my hair,'' she recalled. She started wearing a medium-sized Afro that nearly eclipsed her habit. The nun with the Afro got attention. ''People said I was different. The external has changed, but the internal did not.''
In Philadelphia, she taught classes at Catholic schools for 19 years. She headed to Petersburg in 1981 to serve as campus minister of Virginia State University.
While there, she met Etta Shepperd, who remains among a tight circle of longtime friends.
''She is one of the nicest people on the planet. She is kind and has a gentle spirit. But she's no pushover by any means,'' Shepperd said, chuckling.
In keeping with her vow of poverty, Billings lives on an annual allowance of $1,300. Her paycheck is sent to the Motherhouse, which takes care of her housing, food, medical and car expenses.
''If I need a coat, I have to save my money or put it on layaway because that's what poor people do,'' she said.
In her spare time, Billings enjoys computer games, music, old television shows, movies and reading. She also enjoys dancing. During Catholic Education Week, she boogied with students doing the Electric Slide at All Saints Catholic School in Richmond, where she serves on the board.
Billings never saw the ''Jeopardy!'' show that mentioned her. She has her own query about the quiz-show item, for which contestants had to identify ''the first African-American woman to be the leader of a church in the U.S.''
''I still want to know how much I was worth,'' she said, laughing. ''Double jeopardy or what?''