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Commitment and Service: S. Marcel Honored with DPCR’s Founders Leadership Award
By Sebastian Isaacs, Communications intern
DePaul Cristo Rey High School President Siobhan Taylor congratulates Sister Marcel DeJonckheere (right) after receiving the school’s Founders Leadership Award on Sept. 26, 2025.
On Sept. 26, 2025, S. Mary Marcel DeJonckheere received DePaul Cristo Rey High School’s Founders Leadership Award during the school’s annual Founders Day Mass. More than 25 Sisters of Charity joined students, teachers, staff, and members of the Board of Directors to celebrate S. Marcel’s achievement, welcoming her to the stage with a standing ovation.
The Founders Leadership Award is presented annually to an individual whose leadership and service emulates the mission of the school’s founders, the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, and embodies the qualities of the school’s namesake, St. Vincent de Paul. It honors those who exemplify service, charity, and passion for the school’s mission to prepare and educate young people from low-income families for college.
“I think the award is about recognizing service, and that’s one thing I hope to share with people. You’re never too old to stop serving,” S. Marcel reflects.
“S. Marcel DeJonckheere is a shining example of commitment and service,” said school President Siobhan Taylor. “She has been a member of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati for 65 years. She has also been a passionate champion of DePaul Cristo Rey (DPCR) from its very beginning.”
S. Marcel expressed pride in the Sisters of Charity for founding DePaul and gratitude for the school’s dedicated staff. “It’s such a blessing,” she said.
For 14 years, DPCR has educated students from low-income communities in the Cincinnati area, maintaining a 100 percent college acceptance rate. This success is largely attributed to its unique educational structure that allows students to experience working in a professional environment one day a week.
When the school was first proposed by the Sisters of Charity, S. Marcel was initially uncertain about venture, as the Sisters of Charity were increasingly focused on justice-centered ministries. She reflects, “After I thought about it, I realized we have never done anything without wonderful people, and that’s what DePaul has.”
Following her retirement from 40 years of teaching at St. Dominic School and Holy Family School, S. Marcel began her volunteer ministry in DePaul Cristo Rey’s admissions department, which spanned more than a decade, coming in three days a week. “I never wanted to miss a day,” she said.
Her role included assisting in the Corporate Work Study Program, filing applications and transcripts, administering high school placement tests, and helping with eighth-grade shadow days. She also taught etiquette to freshmen, guiding them on proper dining when meeting with their workplace mentors. “It was so much fun to watch them grow,” she recalls fondly.
S. Marcel discovered her calling in education early, though her first ministry was as a dietician. Reflecting on her initial years at St. Dominic School, she said, “I would sit in my classroom on Saturday and wish the kids were there.” She cherished the spirit of her students and viewed teaching as a lifelong privilege.
Receiving the Founders Leadership Award was “very humbling,” S. Marcel shared, a fitting recognition for a life dedicated to service and education.
More than 25 Sisters of Charity joined students, teachers, staff, and members of the Board of Directors to celebrate S. Marcel DeJonckheere on Sept. 26.
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