Though she retired from her ministry in education ten years ago, Providence Sister Lucy Villanova still contributes her time and talent to causes dear to her heart.

"Religious don't officially retire," laughed Sister Villanova, 83, who was given the name Sister Mary Eugenius after a medieval pope when she entered the Sisters of Providence 64 years ago.

During her more than half-century as an educator, she taught primary grades all the way to college level at locations that included Alaska, California, Montana and Washington. Her religious name was shortened to "Sister Genius" by her '50s classes of first grade students at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Sun Valley and St. Finbar in Burbank because they couldn't pronounce Eugenius.

In 1979, Sister Villanova moved into educational administrative support first as a receptionist and, later, as alumni director at Providence High School in Burbank. She ended her "official" career supervising students' fundraising campaigns through the school's development office, retiring in 1996.

These days, Sister Villanova continues her ministry of service to several groups. She uses her calligraphy skills to address envelopes and create faculty birthday banners for Providence High School; participates as a member of the Providence Medical Center Foundation; serves as a representative for the Providence community to the archdiocesan sisters' council; and is also a member of St. Finbar's Senior Ministry Core Group.

Her days begin and end with a prayer ritual, and she also belongs to a women's prayer group at Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino attended by approximately 30 interdenominational women. "It's nice to touch base with people whose lives are different from our own," said Sister Villanova.

In addition to her outreach volunteer activities, during her "spare time," Sister Villanova designs all-occasion and Christmas cards for friends on her computer. The recipient of a master's degree in art from Notre Dame, she taught herself computer design software while working at Providence High.

"I was one of the first ones at the high school to work on the computer," she remembers. For community members' jubilees, she usually prints up a batch of her cards on her printer. Many of her designs were inspired by her friend's quilt-making hobby.

"I came home one time and I said to myself, I could do those [quilt designs] on the computer. So I sat down and started playing with ideas," said Sister Villanova. Archived on her computer are 99 of her multi-colored, quilt-patterned designs.

Besides her computer art, she makes blankets for babies and lap covers for seniors. To keep fit, she goes to an exercise program at Providence Medical Center three times a week.

Her philosophy for aging is to live one day at a time with a positive outlook. Sister Villanova looks back fondly on her teaching years where, as a member of the 150-year-old Sisters of Providence Western Foundation, she strove to instill basic Christian values in her students.

"I always feel a sense of fulfillment when people say things like, 'The good things in my life are things that I learned when I was with the sisters.' Or, because I had the sisters who taught me, my values have always been the same," said Sister Villanova. "Some way or other, there is a kernel of what we try to give the students that stays with them."

Ed. Note: The 19th annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection benefiting elderly sisters, priests and brothers takes place in parishes Dec. 9-10. Since the fund's inception in 1988, this appeal has raised almost $500 million in the U.S., including $746,121 raised in the Los Angeles Archdiocese last year.