Priest explains the meaning of Alzacuellos, Cleriman or Clerical Neck

Fr. Jesús Silva, a priest of the Archdiocese of Madrid with more than 65,000 followers in X, explains with a video the deep meaning of the Alzacuellos or clerical neck, the white strip that surrounds the neck of the priest and that is part of his usual clothing.

“It is a meaningful sign, a visible sign of an invisible delivery,” is also “light in the middle of the dark. In a world where the certainties are often turned off, where the values dissolve and the horizon darkens, that little white band rises as a reference point. It is not the priest who shines, but the one to whom it represents.”

“His white collar remembers that there are still burning headlights, that there are still voices that announce the truth. It is also total availability. The priest does not belong. He is there for those who need it, at any time, anywhere,” he adds.

“His time is no longer his. His rest, his plans, his preferences, everything is in the background. The Alzacuellos shouts, without words. I am here, for you, for God. It is a sign of radical delivery,” he continues.

The Alzacuellos “is the symbol of a free obedience, of a fruitful resignation, of an accepted mission with tremor and fire. It is also a sign of contradiction. Because the priest, when he shows himself as such, questioning.”

“At a time that idolizes self -sufficiency, autonomy, immediate pleasure, their presence alone recalls that there are those who have opted for something eternal. That is why uncomfortable, surprises, scandalizes. But also attracts,” continues the reflection offered by Fr. Silva.

The Alzacuellos, indicates the priest, also generates questions such as “why has that man chose to live like this? Why has he renounced to form a family, to make his way according to his tastes, to live for himself? There is only one possible answer: because he has found something, or rather, someone, who has completely filled him”.

“As long as there are priests who carry that sign with faithfulness, there will be a sign that God continues to act, calling, saving. Because where there is a Alzacuellos there is a consecrated heart and a call to true life,” he concludes.

What is Alzacuellos or clerical neck?

Alzacuellos is an important part of the priest’s clothing, whose origin dates back to the use of the Roman neck in the 5th century, when the first clothing codes are established so that the priests can distinguish themselves from the laity, according to the website of BRABONDER, Religious articles.

The Canon Law Code establishes that clergy must wear an ecclesiastical or cutting habit according to the rules given by the local Episcopal Conference, which requires the use of alzacuellos with the cassock or the clerical shirt.

Canon 284 establishes the following: “Clericans have to wear a worthy ecclesiastical suit, according to the rules given by the Episcopal Conference and the legitimate customs of the place.”