The 23rd General Chapter of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians will begin in Rome on the 22nd September after the 194 Chapter members have made a retreat in Mornese, and a pilgrimage to Turin.

During the Chapter the following areas will be considered as well as intense listening to the Spirit present during this important time. There will also be the election of Mother General and her Council. The Chaptere is due to end mid November.

* The real world challenges us - a home to be protected and built; in a constantly changing society; the Church a living presence among the people; young people searching for a home.

* The call to new evangelisation - evangelisation as an encounter with Jesus Christ and life witness; education, a privileged channel for evangelisation.

* Home as a place of encounter and invitation - God lives in our home; Mary, home of the Living God; the Church, a house of communion open to all people.

* Valdocco and Mornese: prophetic sources - communities rooted in the Lord Jesus; a home where one experiences family; a community with a missionary vision.

* What kind of home is needed to evangelise today? - relationships as a way of evangelising education; the environment as a place of encounter and mutuality; together, we respond to deepest needs of young people.