In a corner of the plaza well away from the crowd, Charlotte Richardson waits with Zee, her Arabian cross-thoroughbred, for their turn to be blessed at the annual St. Philip's Blessing of the Animals.

Photos by Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star

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Blessing of the animals is Sunday at St. Philip's

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St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church, 4440 N. Campbell Ave., has been holding a Blessing of the Animals service for longer than anybody can remember.

Each year, church patrons welcome all types of animals to the morning service. This year more than 200 people took the church up on its offer and brought their pets in for the annual ritual, and while it wasn't quite Noah's Ark in scope, it was eclectic.

The creatures ran from the great — Charlotte Richardson and her 1,015-pound Arabian cross-thoroughbred horse named Zee — to the small: 5-year-old Francis Honaman's beta fish Budo.

In between were numerous dogs, a few cats, several chickens, some parrots, a rat, a crab, a desert tortoise and a pair of sugar gliders.

Sugar gliders? Yes — they're marsupials from Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and the islands of Indonesia that weigh about five ounces, and glide using a flap of skin between the front and back legs, similar to a flying squirrel.

John Kitagawa is the rector at St. Philip's and was one of the four clergy members who blessed human and animal alike.

"Animals are our friends, our companions," he said. "They lower our blood pressure and raise our quality of life. A lot of love goes to these animals and a lot of love comes right back, so once a year we like to honor that bond. Plus it's just a heck of a lot of fun."