By Ray Cutajar
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Father Francis was not the type to brag about his achievements and was not particularly keen on the publicity which he attracted. He was a humble, though determined, man of God and preferred to remain as unknown as possible. However, he never forgot his roots and the beautiful sunny island where he came from. He loved Malta till the day he died, even though he still felt the scars which leaving his homeland and family had left. The bitter memories of the difficulties with Father Carta remained with him in his old age, and he always reminesced about these with his niece whenever she visited him in Wales.
During his last years, Father Francis Scalpell felt an overwhelming yearning to return to Malta and to his relatives. But this time his wish remained unsatisfied. 
Father Francis died on 6th August 1970, after a terminal illness. He had been a priest for almost 50 years, and now rests in the the local cemetery at Dolgellau.  Father Francis' coffin was put in the church, where Jack Moran spent the night with him. "What I experienced I will never forget".
 The next day at the funeral Jack Moran met a lady who was crying. She told him that she was one of the teenagers who used to throw stones and break Father Scalpell's windows many years before. She was regetting those events and was mourning the death of Father Scalpell, even though she was a non-Catholic. Sobbing, she told Jack that Father Francis "was really a man of God". Jack Moran says that on the day of the funeral all the shops in Dolgellau closed down in mourning. With deep feelings Jack says that Father Francis "really turned that town around". His epitaph reflects his humble character. It is no monument to the founder of the church in Dolgellau through immeasureable efforts and sacrifice; it simply says 'a priest of this town'. His words on the stone, sum up the story of his life: ' I have loved, O Lord, the Beauty of Thy House'. 
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