"I frankly confess that the Catholics stand before the country as the enemies of the public schools."—Father Phelan.
"The duty of all loyal, God-fearing Christian men (Roman Catholics) then, I repeat it, is to make common cause against this common foe."—Father Gleason.
"The public schools have produced nothing but a godless generation of thieves and blackguards."—Priest Schauer.
"I would as soon administer the sacrament to a dog as to Catholics who send their children to public schools."—Priest Walker.
"The public school system must be destroyed. It must be done by stopping Bible reading, Psalm singing and eliminating objectionable books."—Priest Phelan.
"To rescue these little ones out of the grasp of that monster (the public school), of that popular idol, is our work."—Bishop John Hennessy.
"We can have the United States in ten years. And I want to give you three points for your consideration: The Negroes, the Indians and the public schools."—Bishop Ireland.
"Emphatically a social plague."—Archbishop Perche.
"A ripe knowledge of the cathechism, minus Massachusetts education, is preferable to her education, minus the catechism."—Cardinal Antonelli.
"The common school system of the United States is the worst in the world."—Cardinal Manning.