The son of a pagan priest, Ephrem was converted by St. James of Nisbis, a city in Mesopotamia (now part of Syria). Although his achievements were significant in their day, he makes the cut today ahead of Anne Marie Taigi, Columba of Iona, and a dozen other saints because he has this ultra-cool icon. He looks like he could be a character in a movie by Miyazaki Hayao.
As for the accomplishments, he definitely led his congregation to safety when the anti-Christian persecutions reached Nisbis.He brought them to Edessa, where he founded a theological school. A big-time writer of homilies, hymns, and poetry, he used his writings to defend the Orthodox views against Arianism and Gnosticism. In 1920, he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church. He might have even attended the Council of Nicea in AD 325, but even if he didn't, it doesn't matter. He still looks sharp in that form-fitting gown with the three-fifths hood and sandals.
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