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At St. Peter's Church in New Brighton, two caskets carried remains believed to be more than 150 years old.

Workers discovered the remains while excavating a municipal parking lot in St. George in 2006.

Archaeologists say the site was a mass grave for patients quarantined at the Marine Hospital who died of infectious diseases in the mid-1800s. The bodies are said to be survivors of the Irish potato famine and German immigrants.

"They now have a dignified grave, and a dignified burial, and it's a statement of faith, and it's a statement of piety," said Edward Cardinal Egan, the former leader of the New York Archdiocese who presided over the funeral Mass.

"This is not only a resolution for the religious aspect of this, and one to honor these almost-great Americans, these people who really blazed a trail for others," said Congressman Michael McMahon. "But it's also for the community of Staten Island, because what this means now is we show respect for the dead, at the same time we move forward on a great new court complex."

Attendees said that Saturday's service was properly respectful.

"It's very important that these people be given a true burial. They suffered a lot. A lot of people suffered a lot when they came here, but they suffered a lot," said attendee Mac O'Callahan.

"It's a way to show how much we appreciated what our forefathers did for us. It was a very moving ceremony, really quite nice," said attendee Beverly O'Sullivan.

The remains will be temporarily entombed at Moravian Cemetery. Eventually the remains will be moved to a memorial at the site where they were found.