Over 25 years ago, when Amy and I were attending Epiphany of Our Lord Byzantine Catholic Church in Annandale, Virginia, I first encountered the Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian.
St. Ephrem, a fourth-century deacon, in fact wrote many prayers and hymns, which is why he was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1920. But over the centuries, this single prayer has become so integral to the Lenten observance of Eastern Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox, that it has gained the singular title of the Prayer of St. Ephrem.