The Jesus Painting Rises Again in the Merchant Marine Academy, Thanks to Sec. Sean Duffy

A famous painting of Jesus watching over distressed sailors at sea hung for 80 years at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. That painting, Christ On the Water, was deemed offensive by Superintendent Joanna Nunan, citing a single complaint by a radical anti-Christian activist in 2023. Nunan ordered the painting be placed in a damp, flood-prone basement.

Now it's being returned to its place of prominence at the academy, thanks to Sec. Sean Duffy and the Trump administration.

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), also known as Kings Point after its location on Long Island's northern tip, is one of America's five military service academies. USMMA trains midshipmen for a career in the Merchant Marine industry or to serve as commissioned military officers in any branch of our Armed Forces. Approximately 25 percent of the academy's graduates choose the commissioned officer route.

Duffy recently visited the academy, which is overseen by his Transportation Department. In his speech to senior midshipmen, Duffy signaled his desire to bring the historic Christ on the Water painting out of the basement—earning him the largest standing ovation of his speech.

Now Duffy is delivering on that promise. He announced on May 14th that he will be "moving Jesus out of the basement."

This is a huge win against the pervasive anti-Christian bias at the academy under Joanna Nunan. Restoration News previously reported about her far-left agenda, which included creating a policy that allowed midshipmen to receive a military service exemption for pursuing gender transition therapy.

Federal law puts a moratorium on the removal of a person in a Senior Executive Service (SES) position, like Nunan, for 120 days after an agency head's appointment. Sec. Duffy was appointed on January 28th, so the soonest he'll be able to fire her is May 29th.

Not only did Nunan implement her radical agenda at the school, she also failed to address crumbling infrastructure such as a lack of hot water and mold in living quarters.

USMMA midshipmen deserve better. In less than 100 days in office, Sec. Duffy has laid out a plan to immediately begin to improve conditions at the academy.

(RELATED: Sean Duffy Gives Energizing Speech at Merchant Marine Academy)

Government Persecution of Christians

The academic rigor at Kings Point makes it one of the toughest schools in the nation. During their four years in school, students must complete nine months of "sea year training" in two underway periods on merchant vessels. They get to travel the world and hone their skills through hands-on learning. An arduous sea year project becomes a weighted portion of their grade. Because of the sea time requirement, the academic year is 11 months-long, split into trimesters.

As a requirement to graduate, every student must pass the challenging U.S. Coast Guard licensing exam to qualify as a deck or engineering officer. This prestigious license provides graduates with the opportunity to work in industry jobs with six-figure starting salaries.

Not only have the students been forced to learn and live in less-than-ideal conditions, but Christians at the school were also being persecuted for their faith.   

Anti-Christian activist Mikey Weinstein was the man who convinced Nunan to relegate Christ on the Water to the basement. After Duffy's recent visit to the academy and midshipmen advocating to bring the painting into the light, the Christian Post reported that Weinstein referred to the Christian midshipmen as "Christian nationalist insects" and "cowards."

Nunan was quick to bow to Weinstein's demand to remove the painting. Shamefully, she remained silent when he attacked the integrity and faith of the honorable midshipmen at her school. There are many reasons to fire Nunan, but her silence on this matter may top them all.

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