The first death in the 19 and under age group related to COVID-19 was reported by the province on Sunday. The death was reported in the North West zone, which includes such communities as North Battleford and Lloydminster.

This was among two deaths reported on Sunday the other was in the 40 to 49 age group and in the Far North West zone.

There were 116 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the province on Sunday.

The North Central zone, which includes Prince Albert, reported eight new cases.

North Central 2, which is Prince Albert, has 40 active cases.

North Central 1, which includes communities such as Christopher Lake, Candle Lake and Meath Park, has 37 active cases and North Central 3 has 22 active cases.

Three cases with pending residence information were added to North Central. Two cases were found to be out-of-province residents and were removed from the counts.
There are currently 136 people in hospital overall in the province. Of the 114 reported as receiving in patient care there are 10 in North Central. Of the 22 people reported as being in intensive care there is one in North Central.

The current seven-day average 152, or 12.4 cases per 100,000 population.

Of the 29,709 reported COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan,1,518 are considered active.

The recovered number now sits at 27,793 after 52 more recoveries were reported.

The total number of cases since the beginning of the pandemic is 29,709 of those 7,553 cases are from the North area (3,071 North West, 3,317 North Central and 1,165 North East).

There were 1,428 doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered yesterday in Saskatchewan bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 91,884.

There were 226 doses administered in the North Central reported. Doses were also administered in the North West, Saskatoon and Regina.

There were 2,263 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on March 6.

As of today there have been 594,116 COVID-19 tests performed in Saskatchewan.

Over the February break there was an important symbol put in place at St. Francis School in Prince Albert. Maintenance from the Prince Albert Catholic School Division placed a handcrafted cross in the school’s gymnasium.

The cross was crafted by St. Francis Principal Richard Rapin’s brother. It was the last stage of a large renovation beginning in 2019 when a flood swept through the school.

“In the middle of the summer, we knew we needed a cross at that particular time to finish off our gym because it is the largest gathering place in our school,” Richard said.

The other parts of the renovation included painting and new flooring. The gymnasium is currently in use as the place for physical education classes.

The gymnasium serves as much more than just a place for sports. It acts as a gathering place for important events at the school including events such as liturgies, Grade 8 farewells and other milestones.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that is not possible but when the pandemic is over, staff and students will once again gather in the space to celebrate together.

“So we wanted a special cross for our gym and I approached my brother Phil who has made a number of them in Saskatoon and I asked him if he would be willing to build a cross for our gym and he said absolutely,” Richard said.

“He phoned me a couple weeks later and I drove up to Saskatoon. I picked it up and our school division maintenance department mounted it on the wall. It sits there today and will be a permanent symbol in our school for decades to come.”

He explained that there is a cross in every room in the school and this large cross suits the size of the gymnasium. This particular cross is nearly six feet tall and placed in a place of prominence next to both the stage and a Prayer of St. Francis, the Patron Saint of the school.

“It really is a symbol that grabs every person’s eye when they walk into the gymnasium,” he said.

Phil Rapin has constructed a number of crosses located across Saskatoon where he is also employed as a teacher in the Catholic School system. Richard mused that when he enters buildings in Saskatoon he often wonders if his brother crafted the cross.

The brothers are both originally from Prince Albert. Richard explained that once the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, there will be a celebration of the cross overlooked by the Parish Priest for St. Francis.

Richard explained that his brother did not craft and donate the cross for any type of recognition.

“A cross is a tremendously important symbol in our Catholic faith, there is no getting around that and to have a cross in our school that is so visible is such a powerful symbol in our building,” Richard said.

The cross was crafted by Phil from wood and steel with a design that he found on the Internet.

He describes himself as a craftsman rather than an artist. He explained that he took the design and used a computer-driven steel cutting machine and cut the shape. The size of the design was too large for the machine and had to be done in two steps and welded together based on the original. He then polished the piece, cleaned it up, laminated a large piece of wood and traced and cut the wood.

Phil explained that when he saw the design he was immediately struck by the beauty of it. The original intent was to have a cross that was lit from the back, similar to another one that he has constructed.

Phil explained that the design represents more of a risen Jesus Christ as opposed to the crucified Jesus Christ.

“It’s just a different interpretation or look,” Phil said.

The cross was donated so as to not create extra paperwork and because it promoted what the Catholic faith stands for. The piece is about itself rather, than who constructed it.

Director of education Lorel Trumier detailed the cross to the regular board of education meeting on Monday and was proud to have it in a school in the division.

“To get a cross made with that size and with that level of craftsmanship and carpentry it’s really a gift to our Catholic education community at St. Francis,” Trumier said.