04/17/2026
We are brokenhearted at Jersey Shore Women’s as we have lost our dear friend, Father Jim Hutchins. Father Hutchins poured his time, talent and treasure into loving the mothers and babies that we serve at Jersey Shore Women’s Center. On any given Saturday whether rain, snow, or sunshine… we could usually count on Father Hutchins outside praying for all the moms and babies. I’m afraid I may have taken for granted how blessed we were to have such a beautiful sight to see a holy priest right outside our office window regularly doing God’s work. Not only was he there to pray for the moms and babies but he was always available to hear our troubles and even to bless our office. Every once in a while, he would come inside to take a break from the temperatures or maybe it was mostly just to chat to give our staff and volunteers encouragement and guidance. He was there on some of the most joyful days and some of the most heart wrenching. He would bring us the most beautiful gifts from his own home..a Crucifix, a prayer kneeler, a portrait of the Holy Family, Blessed Holy water, etc. Our prayer corner at JSWC is a reminder of Father Hutchins every day. Sometimes he wouldn’t come in, but we would know he was there because he would leave an envelope under the door with a note and a gift to the center. I think maybe he did it that way because he probably knows it would’ve been hard for us to accept what was in the envelope each time we opened it considering we already knew he lived a very humble life in his small home. The last time we heard from Father was about a month ago. He called to say he put an envelope under the door. When we opened it this time we couldn’t believe it. In speaking with him, we found that he sold some of his possessions in order to give the center what we didn’t realize was his last gift. We knew Father was sick but we still didn’t expect him to be gone so soon. He had just prayed over our event in December. He had just walked all the way up to the second floor of our building to bring us a gift and had been outside praying not long before. He had been posting videos of himself until Palm Sunday. Videos we will all now have to remember him. Father was a good holy priest who lived his vocation beautifully and carried his cross so well that some of us had no idea it was getting so heavy. He gave of himself until the very end. This world will miss such a good man and so will we at Jersey Shore Women’s Center.
Eternal rest grant unto Father Hutchins, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen
