MUNSTER – Krystal Quagliara works in ministry full-time as the director of ministries and communication at St. Thomas More. After having her child three years ago, she was searching for a creative outlet for her own faith expression – and so began the “Messy But Marian” podcast.
Working at St. Thomas More aligns perfectly with who Quagliara is as a Catholic mom. “It is more than a job, it is a vocation,” she stated.
“I sometimes joke that I work for a company that started 2,000 years ago, whose CEO and founder is Jesus Christ,” Quagliara added.
Quagliara, 41, started as the director of communication at St. Thomas More in the Fall of 2024. She described the job as a creative role where she gets to share parishioners’ stories about their faith, encounters with Christ, and the impact of their ministry. Recently, she stepped into an expanded role as director of ministries and communication. In this new role, she collaborates with ministry leadership, supporting their efforts and strategizing alongside them.
“I find that most of our ministry leaders serve with a big heart and want to have a greater impact, sharing the Gospel and helping others,” she said. “It is a real honor to encourage and guide them as they grow in their ministries.”
Around the time Quagliara started working for St. Thomas More, she was having lots of conversations with her best friend about the faith, experiences growing up as Millennial Catholics and the need to call their generation back to the Church.
“We couldn’t really get our schedules to line up to record a podcast, but the seed was planted in me,” she said. “God kept nudging me to do it.”
Quagliara previously had an international podcast from 2020-2023 called “The Playful Life.” When her son was born, she put that on hold, but she really missed having the platform to connect with people from across the globe. Quagliara knew she would return to podcasting.
“It made so much sense to be so specific and niche with the “Messy But Marian” podcast,” she said. “I learned my mistake before that when I casted too wide a net of topics and discussions, it was difficult to grow and difficult to stay focused.”
Quagliara also realized that if and when she started another podcast, she would have to let go of the expectations of perfection. It had to be “messy,” and that would have to be okay with her.
“Otherwise, I would procrastinate and never get started, and it would give me an excuse to quit too easily,” she explained. “The entire brand of this podcast is ‘the messiness’ of life as a Millennial Catholic wife and mom who works full-time and has many passions.”
Quagliara wants listeners to feel like they can relate to the stories she shares and the guests share on the show – to feel “seen” and “heard” as a Catholic mom. Growing up, she had a lot of Protestant friends, and throughout her life, felt a lot of “Christian” content from women didn't really speak to her as a Catholic. Quagliara was also aware that many of her peers in her generation either left the Catholic Church to join other denominations of Christianity or were struggling to come back with their own children. Her hope is that the podcast renews their spirit and sparks a desire to embrace their Catholic roots.
The Munster resident is currently growing the podcast organically and through networking with Catholic moms across the country. Word of mouth has been great – moms sharing it with other moms. She noted that she also prays that the Holy Spirit brings the messages to women who need to hear them.
Quagliara started the podcast in the summer of 2025 and is currently in Season 2. Season 1 addressed her own personal experiences, hardships and moments of encounter with Jesus. Season 2 features more guests and topics on Marian miracles and the rosary.
“I have been surprised by the positive response from guests I’ve invited on the podcast,” she said.
Quagliara recently interviewed Lisa Cotter, who creates daily content on the Hallow app. She’s been following her since she started creating content with Ascension Press, and said it was incredible to meet on Zoom and have a conversation.
Quagliara was born, baptized and raised in Munster. Since birth in 1985, she has been a parishioner of St. Thomas More in Munster. She attended St. Thomas More School from Kindergarten through 8th grade and then graduated from Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond. In grade school at STMS, she was an altar server and sang in the choir.
Throughout high school and college, Quagliara served as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and sang as a cantor at Mass or in the choir. She continued to sing with the Schola Cantorum at the noon Mass until she had her child in 2023. Now she is a cantor and a greeter at 6:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday. She and her husband Marc were married at St. Thomas More in 2009, and they baptized their son Apollo in 2023.
Quagliara used to be a full-time singer/performer, but hasn't had much time to write and perform music since having a baby and returning to work full-time.
Singing and performing allowed her to express herself creatively and connect with many different people. When Quagliara travelled with Pinups on Tour, she met veterans from across the country and experienced the culture of different states in the U.S. Singing with bands, she also loved the opportunity to connect with the audience, hear their stories about why they enjoyed music or what they were celebrating that night.
“Podcasting is similar in that it gives me a creative outlet and opens up my world to so many different people to connect with in telling their stories,” Quagliara said.
A regular listener Alexandra Kern shared what she appreciates most about “Messy but Marian” is how real and relatable it feels. She said Quagliara doesn’t present motherhood or faith as perfectly put together – she’s honest about the messiness, the doubts and the day-to-day challenges.
“As a fellow millennial Catholic mom, that authenticity really resonates with me,” she said. “I also love how she weaves Catholic thoughts into everyday situations in a way that feels approachable rather than overwhelming. It feels less like being talked at and more like walking alongside someone who’s figuring things out too.”
The podcast has helped Kern put words to experiences and thoughts she’s had in both motherhood and faith. She feels it’s meaningful to hear those ideas explored in a thoughtful, grounded way.
“I think it helps mothers by normalizing the tension between wanting to grow spiritually and just trying to navigate the chaos of daily life with kids,” she said. “It offers encouragement without pressure, reminding us that holiness can exist in the small, imperfect moments of motherhood.”
For more information, and to listen to episodes of “Messy But Marian,” visit https://messybutmarian.com.
