Salesian Province of Mumbai

☼ DON BOSCO BORIVLI

History

BRIEF HISTORY OF ST. JOHN BOSCO CHURCH

Many years ago, way back in the 70’s a little chapel was built within the school premises on the mud roads of Vazira Naka. The chapel was there to fulfill the spiritual needs of the students and the few Catholics that stayed around the locality. The place was christened – St. John Bosco Chapel and was Canonically erected in 1972.

Years passed by and new faces were seen visiting the chapel frequently – a definite sign of growth of the community. The 70’s and the 80’s saw the early stages of the expansion of our community. The transition from the 70’s to the 90’s was very evident, both in the size of the community as well as the surroundings. The mud roads were gone. The small structure of the school and chapel was now made even bigger. The community had grown vastly – it was taking the shape of a parish. The Parish Unit was Established in 1993.

Even though the community was smaller than it is today it was none the less a very vibrant one. Participation of the people in the various competitions, programmes, fetes was heart gladdening. Various groups and associations had already been established- Youth group, Parish Pastoral Council, Salesian Cooperators, while others were still coming up – Bombay Catholic Sabha, Legion of Mary, SVP. Bubbling life and activity echoed in the corridors of Don Bosco, Borivli.

Along with the entry into the new millennium began a new phase. We were no more just a chapel but a Church. Our community was overjoyed when the Bombay Archdiocese officially recognized us as ‘St. John Bosco Parish’ in the year 2001. To cater to the needs of the ever growing parish, the Community Care Center, Prayas Kendra was started. A counseling center, “Prafulta” was started in 2006.

Life in Don Bosco Borivli has taken yet another leap. The branches of the vine are continually spreading, the colours of the rainbow are glowing even brighter, and the parish has grown and is still growing. In order to fully accommodate the entire Salesian family at Borivli, we have now restructured our church and built a bigger unit. We have now a new structure but the spirit within the new walls is the same rejuvenated bubbling life, the gusto, the radiance, the energy, the joy that was always a part of St. John Bosco parish.

Today St. John Bosco Church caters to the Spiritual needs of 900 plus families.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL

Don Bosco High School, a minority institute, run by the Salesain Society, has been recognized right from the outset but gets no grant-in-aid from the government.

In the year 1970 the Salesian Fathers started an apostolic school under the name of St. Paul’s High School with just 3 Classes – Std. IX, X and XI named after the great missionary St. Paul. The Fathers saw the growing demand for a school for the children of the area, as the exodus from the south was just beginning. So in 1971 the Fathers managed to obtain from the department permission to open Std. VII and VIII.

The school expanded and the divisions doubled themelves in each class in course of time. Today the school has achieved a remarkable standard in all areas. The School has an impressive Computer Division and Science Club training students for various prestigious science exams and exhibitions. It can boast of fielding good teams in football, hockey and cricket which have brought laurels to the school.

The school that began its life with 13 boys in Std. VIII and 30 in Std IX is proud today to have well-nigh 1350 boys on its records in three sections – Pre-primary, Primary and Secondary. The system of education based on Don Bosco’s Principles – Reason, Religion and Kindness – became well-known to all those who came in contact with the school.

With the noble motto “Virtus in Arduis”, “Virtue conquers hardships” the Fathers, Brothers and members of the staff have toiled for its growth with single-minded commitment. As a result the school has grown to its present dimension and the risen to prominence in the eyes of the people and the Education department. The school inspections which have taken place have brought commendable reports to the credit of the staff and the management.

The pioneering efforts made during the initial years have borne rich fruits during these 40 years. The school has kept up with the changing times and responded to the needs of the students. Today the school commands respect from all for the standard of education, discipline and sports.

Present Activities

The primary activities of the community of Don Bosco Borivli are the St. John Bosco Parish and the Don Bosco High School. The parish is divided into 13 zones, the total number of parishioners is about 4000. We also have a number of Associations like, The Legion of Mary, the Salesian Co-operators, the Bombay Catholic Sabha, The Society of St. Vincent de
Paul, the Charismatic Prayer Groups and a dynamic Youth Group.

The number of students in the school is about 1500, a large percentage of these are catholics. The academic performance has been creditable, for the last six years in succession we have secured 100% results at the SSC Board exams. Periodic animation sessions are being held for teachers, parents and students. We also have a Counselling Centre and a Community Care Centre called Prafulta. Our outreach programmes consist of conducting study classes for the children in the slums. we have three such centres, one in the school and two in the slums.

Contact Information
Address
Don Bosco High School

Borivli West,

Mumbai 400 091

Phone
Residence: (022) 2833 5982
School: (022) 2833 0514

E-mail: dbborivli@hotmail.com

Website (Church) : http://www.johnboscochurch.org/