The prayer of a priest

This little prayer has been part of my life since 2005.  My good friend Monsignor Arthur B. Calkins proposed that I include in it a phrase to express the singular place of total consecration to Our Lady in the life of soon–t0–be Saint John Paul II. Here, then, is the prayer with the phrase, “through total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Holy Father John Paul,
be a father to my soul;
pray for me,
protect me,
instruct me,
and guide me in the way of holiness,
through total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Obtain for me the gift of perfect chastity,
burning love for the Eucharist,
total dedication to Christ and to the Church,
and the grace to live, always and everywhere,
in a manner worthy
of the priesthood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.