Clerical Collar

Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Articles of Interest
Host: Avery Trufelman
Episode: Clerical Collar
Date: January 29, 2026

This episode of Articles of Interest explores the profound symbolism and practical impact of the clerical collar, focusing on its adoption by Protestant clergy in moments of social crisis. Host Avery Trufelman interviews Pastor Zach Wilson, a longtime Presbyterian minister in Minnesota, about his personal journey with religious attire, and the unique and urgent circumstances that led him—reluctantly—to start wearing the collar as a public act of solidarity and protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities in his community.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Protestant Relationship to Clerical Attire (00:00–00:31)

• Protestant Flexibility in Dress:
  • Pastor Zach shares that, unlike Roman Catholic priests, Protestant pastors have no requirement to wear traditional vestments:
    • “Protestant churches are much less uniform obviously than Roman Catholic churches.” (A, 00:09)
    • Prefers collared shirts and sometimes a tie, but never a clerical collar.
    • “No. I hate to say this, but like I didn’t want to be seen as that because people have their feelings about what religion is. People project things on you. I never wore. No, I never wore a collar till this.” (A, 00:31)

2. The ICE Crackdown and Its Impact (00:43–01:25)

• The Triggering Event:
  • Pastor Zach describes the fear and disruption caused when ICE began operating in the Twin Cities, resulting in immigrant families being targeted and a climate of fear for people of color, even those born in the US.
  • He recounts a rapid community response to secure the release of a Sudanese refugee:
    • “...we had one church who had a Sudanese refugee family and their 22-year-old son was abducted and spirited off to Texas within hours. And he was legal. The presbytery kicked in ten grand and we were able to get him back.” (A, 00:50–01:13)
  • Explains how fear forced people into isolation:
    • “Because brown people are just being picked up. And even if you’re a native born American, if you have brown skin, it doesn’t feel safe.” (A, 01:27)

3. Deciding to Wear the Collar: Symbolism and Protection (01:48–02:27)

• Shifting Significance:
  • Pastor Zach turns to the clerical collar not out of tradition, but as a deliberate visual emblem of moral and communal protection:
    • “I think part of what the collar does is provide some measure of protection or at least the feeling of protection. Partly for the visual, partly because there’s some moral authority that people know that if you’re wearing a collar, you have a community behind you.” (A, 01:54)
  • Points out the irony that the collar is symbolic, not regulated—anyone can buy one, just as anyone can buy the gear worn by ICE agents:
    • “Now anybody can buy one of these. It’s not like you need a license. Just like anybody can buy all the stuff the ICE agents are wearing to cosplay paramilitary around my city.” (A, 02:11)

4. Protest at the Airport and Civil Disobedience (02:27–03:18)

• Collective Clergy Action:

  • The killing of Renee Goode is a catalyst—Zach orders his first collar and joins hundreds of clergy for a protest at the airport against ICE and Delta Airlines' cooperation in deportations.
    • “Pastor Zach and at least 400 other clergy members decked out in their clerical attire went to protest ICE at the airport.” (B, 02:35)
  • Harsh conditions and emotional impact:
    • “22 below is cold.” (A, 03:00)
    • Protesters hold up photos of abducted Minnesotans and sing hymns.

• The Arrest Experience:

  • “Yeah. They took us to school buses, drove us to a parking lot, and then somebody in a cop car issued all the citations and then let us go. It feels odd because, I mean, obviously the whole thing is performative, but a lot of the people doing the actual groundwork, the mutual aid, the delivery and stuff, were told, don’t do both.” (A, 03:18)

5. The Risks and Power of Visibility (03:18–04:29)

• Surveillance and Safety:

  • Explains why activists are advised against overlapping frontline and support roles—ICE uses facial recognition and surveillance:
    • “If ICE knows who you are, don’t be delivering stuff to people’s houses because they have followed people home... someone I know... ‘Hey, Cheryl.’ Because they had ID’d her from facial.” (A, 03:46)
  • Raises concerns about misuse of law enforcement technology:
    • “This is not being used for law enforcement purposes. This is just. Let’s just look up some civilians and see what we can do to them. Like, that’s super dangerous, being able to do that stuff without a warrant.” (A, 04:02)

• The Role of the Collar in Protest:

  • Clergy visibility draws public and media attention, providing a platform:
    • “...the point isn’t to get arrested. Right. The point is to draw attention to what’s going on. Right. And for better or for worse, people tend to pay attention when it’s a bunch of clergy.” (A, 04:15)

6. Faith, Identity, and Moral Principles Beyond Nationalism (04:29–05:37)

• Durability of the Collar:
  • Pastor Zach’s decision to keep wearing the collar is tied to ongoing injustice, not personal comfort.
    • “I don’t know. I mean, I guess when. I mean, when it feels like this sort of assault isn’t going on on a regular basis, that’s when it’ll come off.” (A, 04:34)
  • Emphasizes the importance of community and values beyond just “Americanness”:
    • “We have the Constitution, Right. Well, that’s not being followed at all. We don’t even have the Second Amendment anymore. You should have higher aspirations than and higher ideals than Americanness. And everyone should have something that is a North Star, a compass in their life that’s beyond what authority is telling them to do.” (A, 05:01–05:31)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “People project things on you... I never wore a collar till this.” (A, 00:31)
• “If I happen to end up in a place where it matters, then I have it on.” (A, 01:50)
• “Now anybody can buy one of these. It’s not like you need a license. Just like anybody can buy all the stuff the ICE agents are wearing to cosplay paramilitary around my city.” (A, 02:11)
• On protest and attention: “...people tend to pay attention when it’s a bunch of clergy.” (A, 04:23)
• “Everyone should have something that is a North Star, a compass in their life that’s beyond what authority is telling them to do.” (A, 05:31)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–00:31: Pastor Zach’s background and choices around clerical attire
• 00:43–01:25: The impact of ICE operations on the community and church response
• 01:48–02:27: Why Pastor Zach began wearing a collar—symbolism and protection
• 02:35–03:18: The protest at the airport and clergy civil disobedience
• 03:18–04:29: The risks of activism and surveillance tactics
• 04:29–05:37: When Zach will feel able to remove the collar; the necessity of moral compasses

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Conclusion

This episode artfully intertwines the symbolic power of the clerical collar with the lived realities of resistance, solidarity, and faith amid social upheaval. Pastor Zach’s journey from avoiding religious uniform to donning it as armor and protest elevates the collar from mere attire to a declaration of community and conscience.

Transcript

[A]

I have been a Presbyterian minister for 25 years.

[B]

As a Presbyterian pastor, Zach Wilson doesn't have to wear all that priest stuff.

[A]

Protestant churches are much less uniform obviously than Roman Catholic churches.

[B]

Doesn't have to wear the cassock or the chasuble or the stole. Nothing's required.

[A]

I would wear a collared shirt with a tie most of the time. Not always a tie, but for the most part because I like ties.

[B]

And then how often would you wear the collar?

[A]

Never.

[B]

Really?

[A]

No. I hate to say this, but like I didn't want to be seen as that because people have their feelings about what religion is. People project things on you. I never wore. No, I never wore a collar till this.

[B]

And by this, Pastor Zach means when Immigration and Customs Enforcement took over his city.

[A]

I'm the co executive presbyter of the presbytery of the Twin Cities area here in Minnesota. So, you know, we had one church who had a Sudanese refugee family and their 22 year old son was abducted and spirited off to Texas within hours. And he was legal. The presbytery kicked in ten grand and we were able to get him back. Right.

[B]

Amazing.

[A]

But most people cannot marshal those sorts of resources. And there's a lot of making sure people have money to do deliveries to people's homes because people are kind of shut in.

[B]

Why can't people leave their homes?

[A]

Because brown people are just being picked up. And even if you're a native born American, if you have brown skin, it doesn't feel safe. The school district has started allowing distance learning for kids who don't feel safe. And so this has done what it's supposed to do, which is terrorize people and make them afraid of going about their business.

[B]

And you're wearing your collar right now?

[A]

Yeah, I've been wearing it around. It's very weird. I don't really like it, but I am just. If I happen to end up in a place where it matters, then I have it on. And I think part of what the collar does is provide some measure of protection or at least the feeling of protection. Partly for the visual, partly because there's some moral authority that people know that if you're wearing a collar, you have a community behind you. Now anybody can buy one of these. It's not like you need a license. Just like anybody can buy all the stuff the ICE agents are wearing to cosplay paramilitary around my city.

[B]

When did you order this collar?

[A]

I ordered it the day Renee Goode was killed. I ordered it overnight.

[B]

On January 23rd. Pastor Zach and at least 400 other clergy members decked out in their clerical attire went to protest ICE at the airport.

[A]

They were allowed to just go into the airport and just take people. Right. Over 100 people have been infected from the airport. Plus Delta is one of their main hubs. And Delta's been profiting by deporting people. That's another reason we were at the airport.

[B]

It was freezing.

[A]

22 below is cold.

[B]

But Pastor Zach and his hundreds of colleagues held up pictures of the Minnesotans who had been abducted, and they sang protest songs and hymns for as long as they could. Was this your first time getting arrested?

[A]

Yeah. They took us to school buses, drove us to a parking lot, and then somebody in a cop car issued all the citations and then let us go. It feels odd because, I mean, obviously the whole thing is performative, but a lot of the people doing the actual groundwork, the mutual aid, the delivery and stuff, were told, don't do both. If ICE knows who you are, don't be delivering stuff to people's houses because they have followed people home and people have, you know, they have facial recognition on their phone. Someone at this place, by our house went up to someone I know and said, hey, Cheryl. Because they had ID'd her from facial.

[B]

Like, someone from ICE went up to.

[A]

Her and was like, hey, yeah, yeah, that's common.

[B]

That's so wild.

[A]

Yeah. This is not being used for law enforcement purposes. This is just. Let's just look up some civilians and see what we can do to them. Like, that's super dangerous, being able to do that stuff without a warrant.

[B]

Do you think you're going to get arrested again?

[A]

I will if need be. But, you know, the point isn't to get arrested. Right. The point is to draw attention to what's going on. Right. And for better or for worse, people tend to pay attention when it's a bunch of clergy.

[B]

When will you feel that you can take the collar off?

[A]

I don't know. I mean, I guess when. I mean, when it feels like this sort of assault isn't going on on a regular basis, that's when it'll come off. But I think people being part of a community of faith or something is really important for times like this, especially when. If your core identity is being an American, that's no longer what you thought it was. We have the Constitution, Right. Well, that's not being followed at all. We don't even have the Second Amendment anymore. You should have higher aspirations than and higher ideals than Americanness. And everyone should have something that is a North Star, a compass in their life that's beyond what authority is telling them to do.

[B]

Please join me in supporting Pastor Zach, along with his Multi Faith, Multiracial Coalition and all the communities they represent in the Twin Cities by donating to a nonprofit called [e-mail] Take care of each other.