Saint Ephrem (373)

Saint Ephrem the Syrian is both a Father and a Doctor of the Church. He was born in Mesopotamia, not far from the place where Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. He became a monk when a young boy. Through humility, he refused to become a priest, and stayed a deacon all his life. He was one of the great defenders of the Divinity of Jesus Christ at the Council of Nicea, in 325. He lived in Solitude in his later years. He died when he was sixty-seven. His death occurred in the same year as that of Saint Athanasius, another glorious Doctor of the Church. Saint Ephrem wrote the life of Saint Abraham the Hermit. His own life was written by Saint Gregory of Nyssa. Saint Ephrem was a great hymn maker, and is called, “the harp of the Holy Ghost.”

He wrote countless hymns and prayers in love and praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God. Saint Ephrem greeted her: “Hail, Reconciler of the whole world!”

Read these other articles on our site that feature St. Ephrem:

Saint_Ephraim_the_Syrian