World Habitat Day is celebrated on the first Monday of October each year (5 October in 2026). It is interesting to note that it is close to the feast of St Francis of Assisi (4 October). These days remind us to reflect on the state of our world and to promote better living conditions for all.
This is what Pope Francis did when he presented us with Laudato Si’ (LS) (2015) and Laudate Deum (2023). He invited us to look at St Francis of Assisi’s way of living simply, sustainably and in solidarity with Earth and her people. Another person with a social conscience who cared about the future of Earth was Father Julian Tenison Woods (1832-1889).
Presented with the current state of our world, these three men would undoubtedly say that the quality of our human habitat matters because human beings matter – we need to attend to both the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor.[1]
St Francis urged those around him to live simply and with gratitude for the environment on which we all depend:
Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. [2]
Pope Francis urged us to hear the cry of the Earth and do something practical about it:
We can only heal the wounds in nature if we also at the same time heal all human relationships. (LS 119)
Fr Julian knew that environmental and social challenges go hand in hand. For him, concerns for nature were closely linked with justice for the poor and commitment to making the world a better place to live in – for example he spoke from his experience with the Aboriginal people:
We have no right to leave these people to starvation and death when we have taken their country. If ten times the amount be spent than they now cost us, it would be no more than simple justice.[3]
World Habitat Day 2026 has taken for its theme: Adequate Housing for All. It is a fact of life, unfortunately, that there continues to be an urgent need for all individuals to have access to safe, affordable and inclusive housing as a basic human right. We cannot properly care for our habitat unless we also care for those who need somewhere to live.
Saint Mary MacKillop saw this need in the society of her time and did something about it. She established Providences, houses where the Sisters provided safe accommodation for unemployed, homeless and vulnerable women.
Josephites today continue to be challenged to “face the crises affecting people, other species and Earth itself at this time, and with compassion and urgency collaborate locally and globally to influence governments, companies and others to halt the damage, protect life, restore habitats and settle the homeless.” (Sisters of Saint Joseph, 27th General Chapter, October 2019) [4]
What can I do to foster a sustainable and equitable world for all?
Ecological concern, justice for the poor, social commitment and inner peace are inseparable. World Habitat Day 2026 is a chance to stop and recognise that everyone deserves access to safe housing, clean surroundings and sustainable communities – and it is often the poorest communities who suffer most.
Do I know what is happening to bring change for the better in my local community? How can I be involved?
Carmel Jones rsj
[1] For further reading or to download see Window on Creation
[2] Quote attributed to St Francis of Assisi
[3] The Sydney Morning Herald, 30.10.1880 p.7
[4] See Laudato Si’ Action Plan