I.C. Colony

I.C. Colony is a large colony situated in the suburbs of Borivili, also spelled Borivali, in the North Western face of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The name is derived from the Church of the Immaculate Conception, or I.C Church, which is at the South Eastern entrance of the colony. It is surrounded by other smaller colonies such as LIC Colony, Madonna Colony and Marian Colony and Kanderpada. The colony was built around the church IC (Immaculate Conception) and this is where the name of the colony also came from.The Postal Index Number for the colony is 400 103.

I.C. Church

Borivali has the honour of housing the oldest church in Mumbai Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church, Mt. Poinsur, also called IC church. The original IC church was built in 1547 AD by the Franciscans. The Franciscan Fr, Antonio Do Porto earlier owned the village of Mount Poinsur. Soon the Franciscan bought the neighbouring villages of Pare(Goregaon) and Arrangal around 1556AD-1559AD. Adjoining the Church they also built a Royal College and Monastery in 1549, the ruins of which are still standing close to the present Church building.

Around 1630 there was about 1500 parishioners in the villages of Mount Poinsur, Dhainsa(Dahisar), Simpor, Canary(Kanheri) and Cassor. It was around this time that the name of the church was changed to OUR LADY OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION from OUR LADY OF PIETY.The Mandapeshwar caves had been used by the Franciscans as a crypt of the Church and later Served for the Parishioners. During the Maratha invasion of 1739 AD, Mount Poinsur was Captured and the Franciscans dispersed. The Church, Friary and College was pillaged and left in ruins. the following 150 years saw the already damage structure disintegrate into further ruins.

In the 1888, through the efforts of the people form Bandra and under the guidance of the Dean of Thane, Fr. Joao Bras Fernandes rebuilt the old parish Church and since then it has been functioning.

t Francis D'Assisi High School (The first school in Borivali)

Saint Francis D'Assisi High School and Jr. College was established in a lowly, thatched cottage on the slopes of Mount Poinsur Hill in the year 1908, as an orphanage, mainly to cater to the poor and the downtrodden who lived in and around this region, with just 8 students on the roll.

St Francis D'Assisi High School is a school in Borivali, Mumbai. It is managed by the Franciscan Missionary Brothers, a Catholic Religious Society founded by Rev. Bro. Paulus Moritz, a German Missionary. The school is recognized by the State Government of Maharashtra. It was established in the year 1908 and has recently celebrated its centennial year (100 years).On the first day of its celebration of sentenary celebration the ex precidant of India APJ AbdulKalam was the cheaf guest.

The school maintains a high standard of education and also provides several opportunities to students for engaging in extracurricular activities. The former is evidenced by the high results that the school obtains in the SSC exams every year. With regard to the latter, the school's sports teams, particularly their football team, consistently perform well and regularly win trophies in the inter-school sports competitions conducted in Mumbai. Factors such as these contribute towards making this school one of the best in the suburb of Borivali.

The best teachers the school has ever got are Mr.Devtosh T and Miss. Miranda. Other teachers should surely take some lessons form them.

History

The Society of Franciscan Brothers was founded in 1901 in Mandapeshwar (then called Eksar village) in the northwest corner of Mumbai. The Society was established to look after and educate the orphans in Mumbai and the surrounding areas. A formal orphanage and school were established in 1904. The Society now has several dozen centers in India, running orphanages, educational institutes, medical centers, youth centers, agricultural training farms, etc. All these activities are primarily targeted at orphans, the poor, and the lower middle class.

The Congregation of the Missionary Brothers of St. Francis D' Assisi (C.M.S.F) is an international Charitable Society of Religious Brothers, founded in 1901 in India by Paulus Moritz. It is a Religious Missionary Institute of Pontifical Right, under the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The Congregation follows the Rule of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Assisi. The Franciscan Missionary Brothers are well known in India for their valuable contributions in different fields.

Colonies in Borivali

The Church is surrounded by many colonies such as I.C Colony, LIC Colony, Madonna Colony, Marian Colony and Kanderpada. Just next to this church is Saint Francis D'Assisi High School. This is also one of the oldest schools in Mumbai. This area has the highest concentration of Christians in Mumbai.I.C Colony, an area to the South of the Immaculate Conception Church is populated by a very large congregation of Catholics in Mumbai. The Holy Cross Colony and extension (also called I.C. extension) which extends beyond I.C Colony towards Dahisar (Mumbai's last zone before Thane District) is also part of the extended Catholic locale.