A painting of Jesus Christ has been restored to a place of prominence at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, prompting celebration from the Trump administration and outcry from a secular advocacy group.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Monday that the “Christ on the Water” painting, which hung at Wiley Hall at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy for nearly 80 years before being relocated to a flood-prone basement in 2023, has been restored to its former location.
An unveiling ceremony was held on Monday to celebrate the restoration of the painting.
“Burying this historic painting in the basement wasn’t just a mistake — it was an insult to the faith and legacy of service that built this Academy and our nation,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. “By restoring ‘Christ on the Water’ to its rightful place, we sent a clear message to our midshipmen: their Christian faith is a virtue to be proud of, not something to be censored.”
USMMA Acting Superintendent Tony Ceraolo, who took over after USMMA Superintendent Vice Admiral Joanna Nunan stepped down in June, thanked Duffy for “his continued support of our Academy and the midshipmen who call this place home.”
He described the painting, which depicts Jesus Christ guiding sailors through stormy seas, as “a piece of the Academy’s cultural and historical legacy” that honors “the past and the resilience of those who came before us.”
“This painting is about history, remembrance, and hope ensuring that the story of our midshipmen and their wartime experiences remain part of our shared institutional memory,” he added. Duffy first called for the artwork to be returned to its former location at the institution’s annual Battle Standard Dinner in April.
The painting was moved from Wiley Hall during Nunan’s tenure as head of the institution in response to pressure from Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which advocates for a strict separation of church and state.
Following Nunan’s resignation, the painting was brought up from the basement last month. Duffy continued efforts to restore the artwork to its former location, culminating in Monday’s ceremony. While the Trump administration and leadership of the USMMA cheered the relocation of the painting, Weinstein issued a scathing statement Monday condemning the development, alleging it is a mark of “Christian nationalism.”
“Transportation Secretary and lickspittle Christian nationalist tRump sycophant Sean Duffy’s effectuating of the illicit, unethical, and iniquitous return of the giant Jesus painting at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy to its original unconstitutional place of disgusting Christian supremacist exhibitionism in an ornate, mandatory Academy meeting room is completely cowardly, atrocious, and vindictive,” he proclaimed.
“Duffy is making sure to brand the Academy as conquered Christian nationalist territory. All others are not wanted and need not apply. He has disgracefully clothed the all-too-willing U.S. Merchant Marine Academy with his fundamentalist Christian extremist thuggery, stinking nonsecular creed, and unbridled sectarian fundamentalist Christian conceit.”
Weinstein indicated that the Military Religious Freedom Foundation is considering “aggressive federal litigation.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
