NAMMA Honors Doreen Badeaux and the Rev. Stephen Cushing with Distinguished Service Awards

The North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA) presented its 2026 Distinguished Service Awards to Doreen Badeaux and the Rev. Stephen Cushing during the annual NAMMA Conference. The award recognizes individuals whose sustained leadership and dedication have made exceptional contributions to the welfare of seafarers through local ministry and broader service to the maritime community.

Presenting the awards, NAMMA President Deacon Paul Rosenblum described the honor as recognizing “individuals who have demonstrated exemplary service to seafarers’ welfare over many years through local ministry and broader regional, national, or international leadership.” He noted that both recipients have devoted decades to strengthening maritime ministry and supporting those who work at sea.

Badeaux has served seafarers for more than 30 years. After beginning as a volunteer with the Port Arthur International Seafarers Center in 1995, she helped transform the ministry and served for two decades as board president. Since 2003, she has served as Secretary General of the Apostleship of the Sea – USA, overseeing the Cruise Ship Priest Program and coordinating Catholic chaplaincy on thousands of cruise voyages worldwide.

Accepting the award, Badeaux emphasized that the recognition belonged not only to her, but to the many people who have shared in the ministry.

“This award really puts a spotlight, though, on maritime ministry itself and its importance, because really, none of us do what we do alone. We don’t do anything in a vacuum. There’s no way that any of us can do what we do without our teams.”

Reflecting on how she first became involved, Badeaux recalled being invited to help establish a small convenience store at the Port Arthur International Seafarers Center while she was still working as a special education teacher.

“He asked me to put together a small convenience store in the Seafarers Center. I went on a tour of the ports of Galveston, Houston, Barbours Cut, and Lake Charles, all in one day, and I really fell in love with the ministry. If you want to get somebody involved in ministry, show them. Show them the port. Show them the Seafarers Center.”

She spoke about the importance of strong leadership, committed volunteers, and building effective boards that represent both the maritime industry and the wider community. She also reflected on the lasting friendships formed through NAMMA and Stella Maris gatherings, saying that the relationships developed over the years have been invaluable to her ministry.

Badeaux also highlighted the creation of the Cruise Ship Priest Program, which grew out of concerns raised by cruise lines and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in the early 2000s. Since joining the program full time, she has coordinated priests serving on more than 13,000 cruises, ensuring that both crew members and passengers have access to pastoral care and the sacraments.

To illustrate the impact of that work, she shared the story of a Methodist husband whose terminally ill Catholic wife fulfilled her wish of taking one final cruise because she knew a priest would be on board. When she died during the voyage, the ship’s priest was able to minister to her and her family.

The husband later told Badeaux, “It was incredible. Her Church was there for her in the middle of the ocean. You have no idea how much comfort this brought to me and to our entire family.”

For Badeaux, that experience captured the heart of maritime ministry.

“That is what I love about this ministry: the unique ways that you and I are able to reach out to seafarers and all people of the sea to bring Christ’s love to them.”

She concluded by encouraging maritime ministers to continue learning from one another while remaining grounded in their shared Christian calling.

“Most importantly, it is essential that, as Christian maritime ministers, we never forget to bring Christ with us when we go to visit that ship or when we encounter our fellow maritime ministers.”

The Rev. Stephen Cushing, executive director and senior chaplain of the New England Seafarers Mission, was also recognized for nearly three decades of service. During his leadership, the mission navigated challenges including the September 11 attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining uninterrupted care for seafarers. Since 2017, he has also served as NAMMA treasurer and a member of the Board.

Cushing began his remarks by recalling how unexpectedly he entered maritime ministry shortly after graduating from seminary.

“I was fresh out of seminary and knew nothing about maritime ministry. I said, ‘Great. What’s that?'”

His understanding changed during his very first ship visit alongside his predecessor, the Rev. Jim Lindgren. As they entered the galley, a crew member saw the chaplain and exclaimed, “Oh, good. The chaplain is here. Help has come.”

Cushing said those words shaped the course of his life.

“I called my wife at the end of that interview and said, ‘I think I found what I want to do for my life.'”

He also reflected warmly on the support he has received from the NAMMA community, recalling that Badeaux welcomed him at his first conference with “a big smile on her face and with open arms.”

Drawing on recent conversations and memories from his ministry, Cushing reflected on how seafarers often experience disorientation through constant travel and changing schedules. He remembered a young cruise ship crew member who had lost track of both time and place.

She laughed and said, “If it’s Boston, it must be Friday.”

For Cushing, the Seafarers Center became an anchor for those whose lives are lived in constant motion. He concluded that ministry is about helping people know they are not alone, finding direction together through one another and through God.

As NAMMA treasurer, he shared that every check he has signed over the past nine years has been accompanied by a prayer for the ministry receiving it.

“Every check I’ve written to you, I’ve asked God to bless that ministry, to enable you with the strength and the conviction so that when someone sees you, they say, ‘Help is here.'”

He closed with a blessing for everyone gathered.

“I pray that each day you walk into the mess room, you meet that person who says, ‘Help is here.'”

The 2026 Distinguished Service Awards celebrated two remarkable careers, but both recipients reminded those gathered that maritime ministry is never the work of one individual. It is sustained by volunteers, chaplains, port workers, churches, supporters, and organizations working together to ensure that seafarers, wherever they may be in the world, encounter welcome, compassion, and hope.