SANTA FE, Texas — Hundreds of students, parents, teachers and ministers gathered on a soggy athletic field at the junior high school here as prayers to Jesus blasted through the sound system. A band sang the spiritual hymn "Amazing Grace." Worshippers signaled their agreement responded with "Amen."

Throughout the "night of hope and healing" ceremony, the superintendent of schools, Leigh Wall, clapped her hands in approval while standing in the center of the field. Then she joined a mother and a daughter and bowed her head in prayer.

Communal displays of faith have defined this district's response to the shooting that left eight students and two teachers dead inside Santa Fe High on May 18. While some other schools affected by shootings have turned to politics — whether calling for armed teachers or demanding gun-control measures — Santa Fe's concerns have been less about guns than God.

The fabric of religion and spirituality is woven into everyday life in Santa Fe, a town of about 13,000 residents, offering an immediate and fulfilling comfort from tragedy and hardship. Santa Fe is a town where residents sincerely say that what they need most is "thoughts and prayers."