Two years ago, making his way to a Pine Street Inn meeting, Father Frank Kelley caught his heel on a sidewalk in the South End. Falling forward, his face hit the pavement. He arrived at the meeting bloodied.

At first, Frank waved off a trip to the hospital. After all, there was work to be done and problems to be solved: Ending homelessness was a bigger goal than tending to his needs.

Boston attorney John P. Foley has practiced immigration law for more than three decades. In recent months, he has become a frequent voice in Irish media, including a mid-February appearance on RTÉ television, discussing the changing enforcement landscape in the United States.

In an interview last month with Boston Irish, Foley described what he sees as a significantly more aggressive federal immigration system — one that has left undocumented immigrants, lawful residents, and even US citizens uneasy.

Speculation has been rampant about whether An Taoiseach Micheál Martin will raise it when he meets with President Trump in the Oval Office on or around St. Patrick’s Day.  With all that has come to light, it is a virtual certainty that Martin will not raise Culleton personally. Whether he will invoke the plight of the Irish undocumented in the US generally, as has been customary, is an open question, especially as much of the confab occurs in front of the assembled press.

March arrives with its familiar sense of pride and anticipation. As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, our community is preparing once again to celebrate our Irish heritage, culture, and tradition through parades, music, family gatherings, and time-honored rituals that connect past and present. But at its core, this season has always been about more than celebrating.