Gabriel Fellowship
Catholic Storytelling: Gabriel Fellowship Brings Faith-Based Media to Life
The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Gabriel Fellowship Program, founded in 2022 through a generous grant from Jessica Sarowitz, a Chicago-area philanthropist and filmmaker, offers a rare opportunity for recent graduates and seasoned journalists to produce meaningful stories about faith's influence on daily life. Fellows in the program are immersed in every stage of multimedia production, crafting radio, broadcast and social media content and developing documentaries that capture the work and spirit of the archdiocese. With support from experienced media professionals, Fellows are equipped to embrace real-world projects and build portfolios to bolster their film and media careers.
Henry Van Zytveld, a Chicago native and Loyola Marymount University graduate, was drawn to the Gabriel Fellowship as a chance to bring his passion for documentary filmmaking back to his hometown. “It almost felt too good to be true,” Van Zytveld reflected. “The fellowship allowed me to take a strong first step in my professional life.” His documentary, Agentes de su Propio Desarrollo, explores the archdiocese’s immigrant ministry, Pastoral Migratoria, focusing on how immigrants train to become leaders in their parishes. The film highlights how the archdiocese helped two particular migrant families and how, hopefully, they will do the same for others one day. Van Zytveld is committed to highlighting stories within Chicago's diverse faith community. “I’m a firm believer in the Church as a space for community beyond Sunday Mass,” he shared, adding that these stories “are waiting to be told.”
Similarly, Trevor Tosto was encouraged to apply by a professor at Marquette University. Although his background leaned toward fiction, his fellowship project has instilled a more profound respect for documentary filmmaking. Tosto’s documentary, Kolbe House, centers on faith and mass incarceration, examining the archdiocese's ministry at Cook County Jail and its support for formerly incarcerated individuals. Tosto says, “The outreach at Kolbe House is incredible; they unite around the belief that everyone is a child of God, they look past mistakes, and treat people with dignity.” The film-making experience has been transformative for Tosto, who shared, “It's an incredible effort to coordinate a project from scratch, but people are eager to help, and I feel incredibly grateful.” Working with the multimedia team has provided a welcoming environment, which Tosto described as “a safety net” for new creators to learn and thrive.
For Malina Baer, a recent DePaul University graduate, the Gabriel Fellowship has been a bridge from academia to the professional world. Her documentary, Ministry at the Edge of Alaska, follows Fr. Scott Garrett, a bush pilot priest who brings faith to remote Alaskan communities. Baer connected deeply with this unique story: “I wanted to highlight communities that are isolated and often unseen in mainstream media.” Coming from rural Wisconsin, she identified with the Alaskan communities’ challenges and found great purpose in sharing their stories. Baer emphasized the importance of collaboration in the fellowship, noting, “The multimedia team has helped me expand my skills in radio and TV, broadening my scope of knowledge.”
The Gabriel Fellowship Program has allowed these three emerging Catholic media professionals to cultivate technical skills and a stronger understanding of storytelling as a powerful, unifying tool. Together, they represent the program's mission of bringing the diversity and impact of faith to the forefront of Catholic media.
To view these documentaries, visit this page.
