Guido Marini is a Roman Catholic priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

, currently serving as the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations

Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff

The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff is described in Pastor Bonus as:Art. 182 — § 1. The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff is to prepare all that is necessary for the liturgical and other sacred celebrations performed by the Supreme Pontiff...

 (It. Maestro delle Celebrazioni Liturgiche Pontificie). He was appointed to this post on 1 October 2007, replacing Piero Marini

Piero Marini

Piero Marini is a Roman Catholic archbishop who is president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses. For twenty years he served as Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, in charge of the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff...

 (no relation). Guido Marini previously served as Chief Liturgist for the Archdiocese of Genoa.

Marini was ordained on 4 February 1989 by Cardinal Giovanni Canestri

Giovanni Canestri

Giovanni Canestri is an Italian Catholic clergyman, currently Archbishop Emeritus of Genoa.Born in Castelspina, province of Alessandria, he was ordained priest on April 12, 1941 and began his pastoral ministry in Rome...

. He earned a doctorate in the "psychology

Psychology

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

 of communication" in early 2007, in addition to an earlier JUD

JUD

A Doctor of Canon and Civil Law, from the Latin doctor utriusque juris, or juris utriusque doctor, or doctor juris utriusque is a scholar who has acquired a doctorate in both civil law and church law...

 -- a dual award in canon and civil law from the Pontifical Lateran University

Pontifical Lateran University

The Pontifical Lateran University is a university by pontifical right based in Rome, Italy. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family...

From 1988 to 2003 he served as the secretary to the archbishops of Genoa, Cardinals Canestri (until 1995), Tettamanzi (until 2002) and Bertone.

Marini has received praise for returning traditional elements of the church's liturgical history to the Papal Mass

Papal Mass

A Papal Mass is the Solemn Pontifical High Mass when offered by the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.There are numerous special ceremonials which are particular to the pope...

es and other liturgical celebrations.

While his predecessor, Piero Marini, was raised to the episcopacy and eventually elevated to the rank of archbishop, this is not the norm for this post, as it is with some other posts in the papal household or the Roman Curia, but it could happen again. Before Piero Marini, Enrico Dante

Enrico Dante

Enrico Dante was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Papal Master of Ceremonies from 1947 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965....

 was the last master of pontifical ceremonies to be made an archbishop while still serving as the Pope's MC. He was later made a Cardinal during the Second Vatican Council.

On 13 January 2008, when the Pope celebrated the Ordinary Form of the Mass publicly ad orientem

Ad orientem

In the Catholic liturgy the expression ad orientem is the eastward orientation of a priest celebrating Mass. This orientation has been described as the "cosmic sign of the rising sun which symbolizes the universality of God."...

for the first time in thirty years, Marini helped organize the liturgical ceremony.