Good morning, it’s Thursday.
Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi (Latin for “Body of Christ”), which is also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
This day honors the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper and the doctrine of transubstantiation – the belief that the bread and wine that are central to the communion ritual transform into the actual body and blood of Christ.
Corpus Christi is deeply connected to St. Thomas Aquinas, who was commissioned by Pope Urban IV to write the liturgical office and hymns for the feast when it was established in 1264.
There’s some competing views about whether the Feast of Corpus Christi is a Holy Day of Obligation – days established to celebrate the mysteries of the faith on which all the faithful are expected to attend mass.
Technically speaking, it IS viewed and treated as such in a number of countries. Here in the U.S., however, most dioceses have elected to transfer the celebration to the second Sunday after Pentecost, so the mass-attending obligation is covered by default. Moving the observance from Thursday to Sunday also maximizes participation by church goers, who are more likely to show up on a weekend than a workday.
There are a handful of dioceses in the U.S. that still observe Corpus Christi on Thursday or have moved it to a different Sunday altogether. But that’s the exception to the rule.
In Catholic-majority countries (the Dominican Republic, for example, as well as Croatia, Poland, Brazil and a few others) Corpus Christi is a public civic holiday and a strict Holy Day of Obligation. Businesses and government institutions are likely to be closed and the day is marked by public processions and big celebrations.
The procession is a central focus of the Corpus Christi celebration. After mass is said, the host (the Corpus Christi) is placed in a special vessel called a monstrance, which is very ornate and features a sunburst design. The monstrance is carried by the priest through the church and/or the streets, often stopping at altars that have been set up and decorated along the route.
The procession and Corpus Christi mass may be proceeded by a Forty Hours Devotion is, which is, well, just what it sounds like – a period of forty continuous hours during which parishioners take turns praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance.
It’s going to be a nice day for processing – or any other type of outdoor perambulating – if that happens to be on your calendar. The trend toward hotter weather continues, with temperatures topping out in the high 80s today. Skies will be mostly sunny – the forecast calls for “plentiful” sunshine, which I am totally here for. Don’t forget your sunscreen!
In the headlines…
After a retributive romp through primary season, President Donald Trump’s style of governing — unilateral, and often impatient — has collided with restive Republicans who seem to be exacting some political vengeance of their own.
The Senate voted along party lines to take up a $70 billion immigration crackdown bill, but several GOP senators suggested they would not allow it to pass without new language barring Trump from creating a fund to compensate his political allies.
The president continued to defend the fund, casting doubt on whether he had truly abandoned the fund by telling reporters at the White House that “I love it” and that “it’s so important.” He said he was unsure of its fate.
Senate Republicans are finally poised to move forward with their immigration enforcement reconciliation bill. But the final product may not be one President Trump loves — or potentially even signs.
The House voted to direct Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from the conflict with Iran or win approval from Congress to continue the war, after four Republicans sided with Democrats in a striking sign of growing opposition to a military campaign.
Trump claimed the Democrats are “trying to steal” the California gubernatorial and the Los Angeles mayoral primaries – and launched a probe into the state’s sluggish vote count.
Trump fumed on Truth Social over how votes in California are trickling in two days after polls closed – and the results of the elections may not be known for several weeks due to the vast amount of mail-in ballots that need to be processed.
The State Department announced that US-led negotiations between Israel and Lebanon have yielded a cease-fire agreement. The deal requires Iran-backed Hezbollah – not part of negotiations – to stop attacking Israel and withdraw from southern Lebanon.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is set to nominate Alexander Dockery, a formerly incarcerated person whom she previously granted clemency, to a three-person state board tasked with overseeing conditions at correctional facilities in the state.
Last week, New York became the first state in the country to weaken a mandatory climate law passed by its own legislature.
A bill intended to add further protections to a federal drug program will not be passed this legislative session, which its proponents said is a setback for hospitals and community health centers across New York.
Multiple New York cannabis organizations are waging fierce opposition to last-minute legislation introduced this week at the state Capitol that would establish a three-member board to conduct hearings and recommend an industry-wide minimum wage.
Hochul announced that her administration has reached a contract agreement with United University Professions for a five-year term running until July 1, 2031.
For the fourth year in a row, spending to influence state government officials and lawmakers set a record last year, with lobbyists and their clients reporting more than $384.8 million expended.
Six years after school districts across New York rushed to give Chromebooks to every student, teachers and parents are beginning to say they went too far.
The New York State Legislature passed the Anti-Inversion Act, taking aim at cannabis inversion, when bad actors disguise illegal marijuana as legal product, slip it into the regulated supply chain and undercut businesses playing by the rules.
New York would require job postings to include a timeframe for hiring, under legislation headed to Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) that seeks to address the phenomenon of “ghost job” ads.
One year after Hochul visited Seneca Nation territory to formally apologize for the state’s role in operating the Thomas Indian School, Seneca Nation leaders say meaningful follow-through remains limited.
Former Mayor Eric Adams is giving Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Blakeman tips on campaigning in New York City — and isn’t ruling out an endorsement across party lines.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani affirmed that he will host an annual event celebrating Puerto Rican heritage at Gracie Mansion later this month, after his office said the event was canceled.
Mamdani is opting for a smaller breakfast instead of a full-scale fiesta, according to two people familiar with the plans. And Puerto Rican leaders are up in arms over the break with tradition.
Mamdani is scrambling to clean up a political mess after his office cancelled the annual pre-Puerto Rican Day Parade reception at Gracie Mansion.
An NYU student has been arrested after he allegedly raised a flag featuring swastikas and a Star of David during graduation festivities last month, university officials confirmed.
The Knicks’ run to their first NBA Finals appearance in 27 years has generated an estimated $202 million in economic activity in New York City, Mamdani and NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) president and CEO Janny Pak announced.
The anti-business, Mamdani-backed candidate in New York’s 7th congressional district says she will now gladly accept the support from deep-pocketed superPACs — abandoning her outspoken ideals in exchange for a shot at the House seat.
Joe Calvello, the top spokesman for Mamdani, raked in more than $50,000 for political consulting work on Maine Senate Democratic candidate Graham Platner’s campaign right up until he started at City Hall in January.
An analysis by the debt-ratings firm Moody’s found that even a five-year freeze would place only a small share of landlords — 6 percent — at risk of defaulting on their mortgages.
A new television ad featuring Mamdani debuted last night during postgame coverage of the New York Knicks’ Game 1 victory in the N.B.A. finals, but the 30-second spot was not about the team or the mayor.
New York City officials approved Knicks watch parties outside Madison Square Garden and in Central Park for Game 1 of the NBA Finals yesterday after denying permits for similar events last week because the NYPD said some events had become too rowdy.
Multiple Knicks fans were arrested last night while celebrating their hometown team’s thrilling NBA Finals Game 1 victory at Madison Square Garden’s first outdoor watch party permitted by the city in weeks.
The New York Knicks took a 1-0 lead in the 2026 NBA Finals, beating San Antonio 105-95 despite playing on the road and with their star guard hobbled at times.
For a few moments early on, it looked like New York was in bad shape, as Jalen Brunson left for the locker room with a knee injury. Instead, Brunson returned and put forth a gritty 30-point effort, leading the Knicks to victory in San Antonio in Game 1.
Former NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey is dragging the city to court after it abruptly yanked his taxpayer-funded legal defense in four pending lawsuits against him.
New York City’s Department of Transportation is expanding its use of high-tech sensors across city streets, Commissioner Mike Flynn announced this week.
A new report by the city comptroller’s office, which for the first time tracked ground-level data — indexing every visible storefront in New York City — found that the citywide vacancy rate stands at 11.0% as of April 2026, up from 10.5% at the start of 2020.
Complaints of pooches sniffing around Big Apple eateries — roaming aisles, licking produce and even tussling with patrons — have surged to the highest levels on record, according to a NY Post review of city data.
Republicans in the state opposed to Anthony Constantino’s campaign to be their party’s nominee to succeed U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik are growing more vocal in what they contend is a pattern of behavior not befitting of the position.
Albany County spent over $100,000 on an official newsletter that excluded Republicans on the County Legislature while including the names, photos and phone numbers for every member of the body’s Democratic majority.
City councilors are now considering exempting Schenectady residents from a proposed ordinance that would increase and enforce fees for tennis players who use the newly renovated Central Park courts.
Tiffani Silverman, a Democrat who ran a strong race against Republican Steve McLaughlin, is now considering a challenge to Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello.
Law enforcement work isn’t all black and white. But it was yesterday in Schodack, when a stuffed zebra was propped up in front of the police station on Columbia Turnpike.
Despite a state Supreme Court justice’s order to reconsider the Saratoga Council’s refusal to pay a former commissioner’s legal fees, lawmakers are once again refusing to indemnify Jason Golub for an official misconduct charge that was dismissed a year ago.
The region’s first Costco Wholesale store will open on Aug. 6. The date was disclosed by Costco and nearby Crossgates Mall, which says people can buy memberships in the warehouse wholesaler at a table near the Macy’s store.
A years-in-the-making plan to rezone much of the Town of Bethlehem, which, at times, has turned contentious, is headed to a public hearing.
Police recovered a body in the Hudson River on the East Greenbush side of the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday afternoon, according to Rensselaer Police Detective Michael A. Deso.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
