Interview avec Robin D'Souza, membre de CAPP et coordinatrice du Forum Lumen Gentium

What inspired you to join CAPP‑Canada?

My inspiration flows directly from the vision of Saint John Paul II, who has always been a hero of mine. When he established the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice (CAPP) Foundation, he created something unique: the only lay-led pontifical foundation. He deeply believed that laypeople are called to be saints in the modern world, capable of transforming society from within. For me, joining CAPP-Canada is a way to live out that vision—focusing on our unique spheres of influence and answering the profound calling given to the laity.

In your professional or community life, how do you apply Catholic Social Teaching (CST) as a leader?

I am fortunate that CST serves as a lens for almost everything I do across my professional, academic, and family life. In leadership development, I write curriculum for the Lumen Gentium Forum, helping to form the next generation of leaders in virtuous leadership and the principles of CST. As a sessional literature instructor, my teaching is a constant exploration of human dignity and the common good—using narratives to examine what elevates or diminishes the human person. At home, these principles guide how my husband and I raise our children, and they deeply inform how I support my husband’s vital, compassionate work in medical addictions and pain management, as well as in his business endeavors.

Is there a teaching, quote, or principle from CST that especially resonates with you right now?

Right now, I find myself returning constantly to a beautiful insight from Saint John Henry Newman’s Parochial and Plain Sermons (perhaps not CST canon, but a forerunner of modern CST!):

"The world is content with setting right the surface of things; the Church aims at regenerating the very depths of the heart."

In a culture that often settles for superficial, short-term fixes to deep-seated human problems, this reminds me that true solidarity and justice require an education and a regeneration of the heart.

What kind of community do you hope CAPP‑Canada becomes?

I hope CAPP-Canada becomes a vibrant, intellectual, and spiritual home for laypeople who refuse to compartmentalize their faith. My hope is that we build a community that doesn't just discuss Catholic Social Teaching as an abstract theory, but actively equips its members to bring those truths into their respective marketplaces, boardrooms, classrooms, and homes—fostering deep friendships and a shared commitment to regenerating the culture from the inside out.

My prayer for CAPP-Canada is for razor-sharp focus, and that its membership will get on board with how CST applies to our country and how it can help us solve our specific social and spiritual problems.